When and where did the word "startup" originate? I believe a 
venture capital firm in the bay area first used the term in
the late 50s or early 60s, possibly in connection with the 
funding of Fairchild Semiconductor.

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 20 Jan 2004 15:17 PST

The term "startup" or "start up" has long been in use, usually in
reference to the startup of machinery.  It hit its heyday in the
1950's, when automobiles began bragging about their "cold engine start
ups".  It didn't really get going in the sense of business startups
until the 1970's.

However, I did find one early use from 1908, that nicely combines the
machine and the business sense of the term:

"...When the three machine-made cigar plants start up again, it is
said they will no longer be connected...with the American Tobacco
company.  They will be know as the Federal Cigar company, makers
exclusively of machine-made cigars."

If you'd like, I can provide additional details and examples of the
above-mentioned usages as an answer to your question.

However, I have not seen any reference to business startups associated
with Fairchild, or with use of the term in the 50s or 60s in the
strictly business sense.

Let me know what you think.

pafalafa-ga

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Clarification of Question by bugbear-ga on 20 Jan 2004 20:06 PST

I meant the use of the term to describe new, high-tech
businesses, usually started with venture capital.

Merriam-Webster lists the origin of the term "start-up" as 1845:
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=start-up

However, I'm not sure if this applies to the defintion "the act or an
instance of setting in operation or motion" or "a fledgling business
enterprise"

The OED gives the first use of the word start-up, the substantive use
of "to start up," as Disraeli, Sybil, 1845.

It notes that it is a separate word from the other (previously listed)
"start-up" with the meaning of a new man or parvenu, an upstart.

hlabadie-ga

Shakespeare uses the term "start-up" in "Much Ado About Nothing." In
context, it seems to mean "upstart":

"That young start-up hath all the glory of my overthrow: if I can
cross him any way, I bless myself every way."

http://www.bartleby.com/70/1613.html

HP is the original garage start-up

"As the original garage start-up, HP understands how to move companies
from the idea stage to Wall Street," said Janice Chaffin, general
manager and vice president of HP's Business Critical Computing
Business Unit. "
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0WUB/1999_Dec_6/58045695/p1/article.jhtml

THE SILICON BOYS AND THEIR VALLEY OF DREAMS
by David A. Kaplan

?In the spring of 1933, Terman invited David Packard to take his
radio-engineering graduate course where Packard befriended Bill
Hewlett, another student. In the summer of 1937 Packard and Hewlett
got together to talk about high-frequence receivers, medical devices,
and television, HP's first "official" meeting. At 367 Madison Avenue
in a one-car unpainted garage this is where the legend of the
high-tech "garage start-up" originated.?
http://hometown.aol.com/_ht_a/bookviewzine/issue134.html