Who really said it
Graham opens Startup = Growth with this definition. The essay is dated September 2012 on his own website.
Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?
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Verified quote & credit
“A startup is a company designed to grow fast” Paul Graham — Startup = Growth (September 2012)
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Still under copyright (rights held by Paul Graham.). A short, credited quote is generally fine for talks, teaching, and internal decks; for commercial, published, or large-scale reuse, get permission.
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In context
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Provenance
designed to grow fast
A brief literal excerpt from the fetched source; the explanation above identifies the full passage and its context.
Read the sourceHow we verified this
The identified source is a publication from 1931 or later. The passage is treated as in copyright; only a brief source excerpt is reproduced here.
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Context
He uses intended rapid growth to distinguish a startup from a business that is merely new. Technology, venture capital and an exit are not themselves the defining test.
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The exact sentence is the essay’s opening line, followed by distinctions between rapid-growth startups and other new businesses.
His own biography identifies him as a programmer, writer, investor and Y Combinator co-founder.
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The author
For writers & researchers
Paul Graham. Startup = Growth. September 2012. Author-hosted essay.. Consulted via the linked source.
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘A startup is a company designed to grow fast’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/a-startup-is-a-company-designed-to-grow-fast/