Tech Startup
$200K base cost · $260/sec
Business Overview
Move fast, earn things.
The Tech Startup sits comfortably in the middle of the pack: cheap enough to stack early, strong enough to matter later.
Cost Scaling
Every business in Tycoon Cards uses the same cost curve: each copy costs 15% more than the last. For the Tech Startup, that looks like this:
| Copies owned | Cost of next copy | Total spent to reach this many |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $230K | $200K |
| 10 | $809K | $4.06M |
| 25 | $6.58M | $42.6M |
| 50 | $217M | $1.44B |
| 100 | $235B | $1.57T |
Income Scaling
Income scales linearly with copies owned — no diminishing returns, ever. Owning more of the Tech Startup always earns proportionally more:
| Copies owned | Income per second |
|---|---|
| 1 | $260/s |
| 10 | $2.60K/s |
| 25 | $6.50K/s |
| 50 | $13.0K/s |
| 100 | $26.0K/s |
Profit Calculations
| Payback period (1st copy) | 769 seconds |
| Income per dollar spent | $0.0/s per $1 |
| Efficient switch point | Around copy #21 (when the next copy costs more than Real Estate) |
See the Business Tier List for how this business ranks against all other 99 tiers by payback period.
Unlock Requirements
There is no gating system on businesses in Tycoon Cards — the Tech Startup is available to purchase from the very start of any run, the moment you can afford its $200K base cost. The only realistic "requirement" is reaching that amount of money, either by clicking, by owning cheaper businesses, or by carrying prestige and card bonuses from a previous run.
Best Upgrades
Individual businesses don't have their own upgrade trees in Tycoon Cards — the Tech Startup always earns exactly $260 per copy at base rate. What actually "upgrades" its value are the game's shared systems: levelling supporting cards (below), earning achievement bonuses, and increasing your prestige multiplier. Each of these applies as a percentage on top of every business you own, including this one.
Best Supporting Cards
At this tier, cost-reduction cards give the best return — you'll buy many copies of this business, so every percentage off compounds across dozens of purchases. All-income cards are a strong secondary pick.
Prestige Recommendations
This tier is typically the very first business you rebuy after every prestige reset — its low cost means you'll be back to owning dozens of copies within moments of a fresh run.
Read the full Prestige Guide for general reset timing, or the Prestige Point Planning guide to calculate exactly how many points your next reset will earn.
Research Interactions
Tycoon Cards does not currently include a research-tree system — the Tech Startup cannot be researched or unlocked through any mechanic beyond simply affording it. A research tree is listed as a possible future system on our Updates & Roadmap page; this section will be updated if that ever changes.
Evolution Path (Tier Progression)
Businesses in Tycoon Cards don't evolve or transform — each tier is a permanent, independent business. What we can show honestly is this business's place in the overall 100-tier progression:
- Previous tier: 🍕 Pizza Shop ($14.0K base cost)
- This tier: 💻 Tech Startup ($200K base cost)
- Next tier: 🏢 Real Estate ($3.30M base cost)
Visual Progression
The five tiers surrounding the Tech Startup in the business roster:
Best Strategies
- Buy this tier aggressively and in bulk — at this cost level, ten cheap copies almost always beat saving for a single copy of the next tier.
- Use the x10 or x100 buy buttons once you can afford them, rather than purchasing one copy at a time.
- Remember that all businesses share the same 15%-per-copy cost curve, so the fundamental buy/hold maths never changes — only the absolute numbers do.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Tech Startup cost?
+
How much does the Tech Startup cost?
+The first copy costs 200,000 in-game dollars. Each subsequent copy costs 15% more than the last, following the same cost curve used by every business in Tycoon Cards.
How much does the Tech Startup earn?
+
How much does the Tech Startup earn?
+Each copy of the Tech Startup earns 260 per second, before any card, achievement, or prestige bonuses are applied.
How long does it take for the Tech Startup to pay for itself?
+
How long does it take for the Tech Startup to pay for itself?
+At base rates, one copy pays back its own cost in approximately 769 seconds — though bonuses from cards and prestige typically shorten this in practice.
When should I switch from the Tech Startup to Real Estate?
+
When should I switch from the Tech Startup to Real Estate?
+Once you own around 21 copies of the Tech Startup, the cost of your next copy will exceed Real Estate's base price — a reasonable signal to start diversifying into that tier instead.
Does prestige reset my Tech Startup count?
+
Does prestige reset my Tech Startup count?
+Yes. Prestiging resets all business ownership, including the Tech Startup, back to zero. However, any cards or achievements that boost this business's income remain permanently in effect on your next run.
Related Businesses
Related Guides
- Business Guide — full roster, cost curves and buy order
- Business Tier List — every business ranked by return on investment
- Economy Guide — how growth curves and inflation work game-wide
- Prestige Guide — when and how to reset for permanent bonuses
Changelog
- v1.0.0 (January 2026) — Available since the original Tycoon Cards release.
Business data verified against the live game configuration · Part of the 100-business encyclopedia · Written by the Tycoon Cards development team