The First round of financing following a company's startup phase, often funded with venture capital. Early stage financing usually is given to companies whose product(s) are either in development or have a working prototype. At a minimum, a business plan exists and some portion of a management team is in place.
the state of a company after the seed (formation) stage but before middle stage (generating revenues). Typically, a company in early stage will have a core management team and a proven concept or product, but no positive cash flow.
A state of a company that typically has completed its seed stage and has a founding or core senior management team, has proven its concept or completed its beta test, has minimal revenues, and no positive earnings or cash flows.