Funny, I posed this question a couple of days ago (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6862721)...it is a new branding trend for IT companies though food and beverage companies have been doing it longer.

It suddenly occurs to me that "startup" is the new "indie", or "viral". It's become a genre rather than a descriptor of the source of the content.

Interesting. What's you definition of a startup then?

Ballpark: Small business, less than 20 employees, and less than 5 years old, and started with unconventional debt (not bank loans). Bonus points to "startup" credentials when software development or new, emerging technologies are involved.

20 50K salaries multiplied by 5 years is five million dollars in labor, never mind the overhead. If you've burned through that much cash and you're still in business after five years, congratulations. Unicorns aside, it doesn't matter if you're in the red or in the black. You are an established business, and not some fledgling twinkle in an investor's eyes.