There is actually an ideological difference between a “newly started” technology company and a “newly started” any other kind of company (ie, a small business.)
A technology company is generally referred to as a “startup” because their goal is to only be in the small phase for a very temporary period. They intend to prove their model, scale rapidly and become a large corporation that is the global leader in whatever it is they do (or fail, and move on to the next.)
Whereas a small business is defined by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as “independently owned and operated, organized for profit, and not dominant in its field.”
So, while you can say that any business has “started up”, very few non-tech companies are truly “startups.”
Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-generically-believe-that-startup-companies-are-just-techy-companies
Originally Posted On: 2015-04-04