Glossary

Startup and SaaS terms, explained

The words founders, testers and investors use on 0to1.live, in plain language.

Churn: The share of customers who stop paying in a period. Testers who stop using a product halfway through a pilot are an early warning of churn.
Cohort: A group that starts at the same time, such as the testers of one pilot or the launches of one week. Comparing cohorts shows whether a product is getting better.
Design partner: An early customer who works closely with a startup to shape the product, often in return for a discount or early access. A pilot can turn the best testers into design partners.
Early adopter: Someone who tries a new product before most people do, usually because the problem it solves hurts them today. Early adopters forgive rough edges in exchange for influence.
ICP (ideal customer profile): A description of the companies or people who get the most value from a product, such as "finance leads at companies with 5 to 200 staff". A pilot offer should name it.
MRR and ARR: Monthly and annual recurring revenue: what subscriptions bring in each month or year. On 0to1.live, a listing reaches "Revenue live" once at least one customer pays.
MVP (minimum viable product): The first version of a product that does one job well enough for real users to try it. On 0to1.live, "MVP live" means early adopters can sign up today.
NDA (non-disclosure agreement): A contract in which testers agree not to share what they learn about a product. Some pilots on 0to1.live offer one on request.
Pilot program: A short, structured trial with a fixed number of seats, a duration, something testers get and something they commit to. It ends with a decision to continue as a paying customer or not.
Pilot tester: A person or team accepted into a pilot who uses the product on real work, completes weekly tasks and gives feedback. Only accepted testers can review a product on 0to1.live.
Pilot-to-paid rate: The share of accepted pilot testers who became paying customers. It is one of the clearest signs of early traction, especially when it is public.
Pre-seed and seed: The earliest funding rounds, usually from angels and small funds, to build the product and find the first customers. Investors at this stage look closely at traction like pilot results.
Product-market fit: The point where a product satisfies a clear market so well that customers stay, pay and tell others. Pilots are a cheap way to test for it before scaling.
Traction: Evidence that people want a product: active users, retention, revenue or, early on, pilot testers who keep using it and pay.