IntelliJ IDEA is a powerful Integrated Development Environment (IDE) designed specifically for Java and Kotlin developers. Offering a comprehensive set of features and tools, it streamlines the coding process with an intuitive interface and robust functionality. Whether you're a beginner or a professional developer, IntelliJ IDEA provides advanced capabilities to enhance productivity, support complex projects, and make software development more efficient and enjoyable.

IntelliJ IDEA excels with its beginner-friendly Community Edition and smooth upgrade path. Its cross-platform availability and progressive learning curve are definite wins for novice coders exploring Java or Kotlin. That being said, the hefty resource requirements and limited plugin ecosystem compared to Eclipse raise concerns. Startups with limited resources might find the performance limitations problematic for larger projects.

While the Ultimate Edition unlocks powerful features, its cost and memory inefficiency make it less appealing for resource-intensive development. If extensive plugin support and robust resource handling are paramount, Eclipse might be a better fit.

From our perspective, IntelliJ excels as a learning tool and for moderately complex projects, but its resource hunger and restricted extensibility hold it back from being a universal recommendation.

To quickly onboard new Java or Kotlin developers in your startup, utilize IntelliJ IDEA's Community Edition. Its intuitive interface and gentle learning curve allow junior programmers to become productive faster without the initial overhead of the Ultimate Edition's cost or complexity. This focused approach enables teams to efficiently scale development efforts on a project while minimizing the financial burden during the crucial early stages of growth.