As the worldwide unicorn club reaches 1,000 members with $1B+ valuations, here are the topline stats you need to know.
The global unicorn club hit 4-digits for the first time today (the auspicious 2/2/22), reaching 1,000 unicorns — private companies valued at $1B+. The herd jumped 70% in 2021 on the back of record venture funding across industries.
In aggregate, these companies are worth nearly $3.3T.
Here’s what you need to know about the world’s billion-dollar companies.
global UNICORN club highlights
- Top categories: Fintech is the largest category for unicorns, accounting for roughly 1 in every 5 unicorns (21%). It is followed by internet software & services (18%), then e-commerce & direct-to-consumer (11%).
- Top geographies: The United States is home to the majority of unicorns (51%), followed by China (17%) and India (6%).
- Valuation distribution: Only two companies — Bytedance and SpaceX — have hit “hectocorn” status, with valuations of $100B+. Another 46 companies boast decacorn ($10B+) valuations, while roughly 31% of unicorns are valued at exactly $1B.
Most recent unicorns
Here are the 5 most recent unicorns — which helped to push the cohort to the 1,000 mark. Clients can click to see full company profiles and learn more about these newly minted unicorns.
- Dune Analytics, a Norway-based platform for creating blockchain visualizations, reached a $1B valuation with its $69M Series B on 2/2/22.
- Productboard, a product management platform, reached a $1.7B valuation with its $125M Series D on 2/2/22.
- Betterfly, a Chile-based dynamic insurance platform, reached a $1B valuation with its $125M Series C on 2/1/22.
- Loadsmart, a logistics tech company, reached a $1.3B valuation with its $200M Series D on 2/1/22.
- Wayflyer, an Ireland-based company offering financing to e-commerce platforms, reached a $1.6B valuation with its $150M Series B on 2/1/22.
Most valuable unicorns
The unicorns with the highest valuations are:
- $140B: ByteDance, a China-based, AI-powered content company, and owner of massively popular video app TikTok
- $100.3B: SpaceX, Elon Musk-owned spacecraft and internet company
- $95B: Stripe, an online payments company
- $45.6B: Klarna, a Sweden-based payments company
- $42B: Epic Games, a video game development company, whose Unreal Engine powers popular games like Fortnite and Gears of War
Oldest unicorns
Here are the longest-standing members of the global unicorn club and the dates they earned their first $1B+ valuation.
- July 2007: Veepee, a France-based online retailer
- April 2011: Vice Media, an international media company
- December 2011: Klarna, a Swedish fintech (also one of the most valuable unicorns)
- February 2012: Trendy Group International, a Hong Kong-based fashion conglomerate
- June 2012: Fanatics, an online sportswear and sports equipment retailer