Dead Cat Bounce
Noun · Startup & VC
Definitions
A brief recovery in a declining business, stock, or metric that looks like improvement but does not represent a true turnaround. The phrase is blunt but widely used in finance and startup commentary.
In plain English: A short fake-looking rebound during a larger decline.
Example: "The usage spike after the campaign looked more like a dead cat bounce than real retention recovery."
Related Terms
- Burn Rate
- Compound Growth
- Cost Center
- Down Market
- Escrow
- First Mover Advantage
- Founder Market Fit
- Future Valuation
- Holding Company
- Horizontal SaaS
- Investor Relations
- Liquidation
- Liquidity
- Long-Tail Strategy
- Aftermarket
- Base Case
- Blended Rate
- Category King
- Payback Period
- Primary Market
- Profit Center
- Public Offering
- Pump and Dump
- Risk Capital
- TAM Metric