Definition
Design Partner Program
An early-access cohort of customers who help shape a product in exchange for founder-level pricing and direct access to the builder. Chime's program caps at 25 seats at $39/month locked in for life.
From the episode “Why Posting on LinkedIn Is Dead (And What Top Founders Do Instead)”Hear it on the podcast1 episode
Learn the language of AI-native founders
Every week: the new terms, tools, and workflows founders are using, straight from the podcast.
Related terms in Startups & Fundraising
Defensible IPProprietary data, SOPs, chemical formulas, machine configurations, and operational playbooks that cannot be replicated by a competitor running the same foundational AI model. The moat that makes a niche AI product acquisition-resistant and justifies enterprise pricing. Josh Furstoss's second checkbox before starting any new company.Defensive PublicationA deliberate strategy of publicly disclosing an invention without filing a patent, specifically to create prior art that prevents competitors from obtaining a patent on the same idea. The disclosing party waives any future patent rights but ensures no one else can obtain them either — the invention effectively enters the public domain immediately. Used when a company wants to operate freely in a technical space without the cost, time commitment, or disclosure-and-expiry constraints of a patent. Ophir describes this as one of SenseIP's emerging capabilities: helping companies identify which portions of their IP to publish defensively rather than patent.Delaware C CorpThe default entity structure for startups planning to raise venture capital.Design partnerAn early customer who helps shape a product, often in exchange for access and influence.Design PatentProtects how something looks; typically easier to interpret and litigate.DilutionThe reduction in existing shareholders' ownership percentage that occurs when a company issues new shares, typically during a funding round.Direct Public Offering (DPO)Listing existing shares on an exchange without raising new capital. Shareholder to shareholder trading, no IPO roadshow.Distribution on Cap TableGiving equity — not just commissions — to people who already have relationships, access, and trust inside your target market. Not hiring salespeople after the product is built, but recruiting co-builders who are already known inside the networks you need to reach. Josh Furstoss's first checkbox before starting any new company.