Spinout
Also called: spin-out, spinoff startup
ELI5
A new company formed from work inside another organisation.
Used in conversation
“The spinout needs a clean intellectual-property licence.”
Definition
A new company created from a university, research institution or existing company to commercialise assets or technology.
Here “Spinout” means: A new company created from a university, research institution or existing company to commercialise assets or technology.
Pitch context
You will see “Spinout” in fundraising decks, data rooms, term sheets and investor conversations when the discussion reaches founders & startup ecosystem.
Why it matters: It helps a reader interpret founders & startup ecosystem without confusing the measure, decision, role or evidence being discussed.
Sources & evidence · 5
Supporting source families. This entry is an editorial synthesis rather than a quotation from one canonical glossary.
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — Small Business Capital Formation GlossarySupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — Exempt OfferingsSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16
- National Venture Capital Association — Model Legal DocumentsSupporting source family · institutional · checked 2026-08-16
- Y Combinator — Safe financing documentsSupporting source family · practitioner · checked 2026-08-16
- Y Combinator — Series A Term Sheet TemplateSupporting source family · practitioner · checked 2026-08-16