"I have a startup" seems a very ODD way of saying what you do when people ask, anyway. It is almost intentionally oblique. Even as a serial entrepreneur, I would probably have a similar "midwestern" reaction if someone said that when I asked them what they did...it's just a weird, passionless answer.<p>If you ask a person at a big corporation what they do, they don't usually say "I have a job with a big corporation." Do they? Instead, they would usually say something like "I work in accounting for the largest trucking company in the US." or "I'm a salesman with a company that makes office copiers." Boring, but at least it's an honest answer.<p>An entrepreneur should be able to muster much more passion than "I have a startup" when asked what it is they do. People tend to respond positively when you show passion and enthusiasm and speak directly about what you do. Even if you have to 'dumb it down' for them to understand (or omit secret information.) Maybe this guy should have enthusiastically said, "Yeah, I'm working on a really neat piece of software that helps people to communicate better by XXX"<p>For some reason, "I have a startup" makes me think of a few people I know that have no passion for school, but have stayed in grad school for years on end so they can avoid choosing a career. People may have pity or confusion in their voice only because what you're saying has a cop-out or apologetic vibe to it...?