I suppose that's true, but startups generally take VC funding, and VCs want the company to either IPO or get bought.
There are bootstrapped "startups", but if you're not taking VC funding and trying to go big, then it's less obvious what the difference is between a "startup" and a "company".
There are bootstrapped "startups", but if you're not taking VC funding and trying to go big, then it's less obvious what the difference is between a "startup" and a "company".