KPI

How it is used

You set, track, report, hit or miss KPIs. Startups usually focus on a few KPIs that fit their stage and model, and share them in dashboards, board meetings and investor updates. Vanity metrics, such as app downloads without real use, are not good KPIs.

Example sentences

1. Our main KPI this quarter is weekly active teams, not sign-ups.

2. We missed two of our five KPIs, so the board asked for a new plan.

Common collocations

• set KPIs
• track KPIs
• hit a KPI
• KPI dashboard
• vanity metrics

Related terms

• north star metricThe single most important number a company uses to measure the real value customers get from its product, guiding decisions across the whole team.
• MRRMonthly recurring revenue: the predictable income a subscription business earns every month from active customers, not counting one-off fees.
• churnThe loss of customers or subscribers who stop using or paying for a product in a given period, usually measured as a monthly or yearly percentage.
• investor updateA regular report, usually a monthly or quarterly email, in which founders share key numbers, progress, problems and requests with their investors.
• tractionClear evidence that customers want a product, such as growing users, sales, revenue or partnerships, which shows that the startup is moving forward.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• KPI · Software Engineering
• KPI · Data Science & Analytics
• KPI · Product Management
• KPI · Healthcare Management
• KPI · Business English
• KPI · Management & Leadership
• KPI · Marketing
• KPI · Digital Marketing & SEO
• KPI · Sales & Retail
• KPI · Human Resources
• KPI · Project Management

More terms: Unit Economics & Metrics

• revenue
• burn rate
• runway
• customer acquisition cost
• unit economics
• lifetime value
• gross margin
• break even
• cash flow
• profitable