OP here. Fair enough, but I’m 100% all in. I’m as far away from a startup fashionista as they get: trust me. I just like sharing this stuff for catharsis reasons and because I genuinely think it’s interesting to read for some.
On the disruption part, I disagree. There are markets that are just old or aging. Fairly small improvements and a rethink of the market can already make a new product viable.
I think you’re confusing a startup with a startup unicorn. You can start tomorrow a niche SaaS, e.g. a debt collection CRM for French market, and become a startup.
Are you successful startup? Yes (e.g. you turnover $20k a month solo). Are you disruptive? No.
Truly disruptive startups are in two digits range. Successful startups that “made it”, whether it’s revenue, money raised, or profit, are in the hundreds of thousands/millions.
It might be a startup in the colloquial sense of the word, to friends, family, etc., but I and many others here would argue that it's a small business rather than a startup.
On the disruption part, I disagree. There are markets that are just old or aging. Fairly small improvements and a rethink of the market can already make a new product viable.