1. To begin the first stage or earliest period of a process, project, or undertaking
The construction company will start the initial phase of the building project next month.
A empresa de construção iniciará a fase inicial do projeto do edifício no próximo mês.
2. To commence the opening or beginning stage of something that will have multiple stages
We will start the initial phase of the research with literature review.
Iniciaremos a fase inicial da pesquisa com uma revisão bibliográfica.