[PopeDotNinja]

A law office can be a start-up. "I want to start up a law office." Words (in English) require context to have much meaning. Startup could certainly mean "investor fueled boom or bust hypergrowth ambition rocket" at a YC demo day. Or it can simply mean a company one started.

I'd argue that a trait shared by many startups is talking about themselves in the best light possible to get people focused on their future potential, and to me that leaves room for considering a bunch of mega success wannabes cranking out code on Twitch as startups in a startup competition. Shipping, failing fast, getting feedback, pitching... They all sound like startups to me, so that's what I'll call them. May the best startup win!

[sonnyblarney]

'Startup' is a noun. It's not "I want to start up something".

In reality, nobody is calling their new law firm a startup.

Nobody is referring to said law firms as startups.

Now - if it's a specialized kind of firm that sells services online, like a 'law marketplace' or something, maybe they will call it a startup.

Yes - the term startup is quite varied ...

However, the vast majority of business generally don't apply, so there is at least some kind of 'critical mass' to what we mean bu the word.

Generally 'a business' is not 'a startup'.

[kd5bjo]

In general, a startup is a business that doesn't yet have a stable customer base or business model. What you're describing is a "tech startup", and the modifier often gets dropped in the tech press, for obvious reasons. The investment press also drops the modifier, because few other startups are interesting to them.

[badestrand]

I agree and I think technology and scale also play a role. The law-tech company Atrium for example probably gets called a startup, and I think it is because it has high ambitions (nation-wide) and is tech-enabled.

I am sure that without ambition (i.e. just serving a single city) or without tech (i.e. just building one conventional law firm in every city) it would not be called a startup.