We used CB Insights’ real-time unicorn tracker to identify all the Europe-based startups globally that have reached unicorn status, i.e. are valued at more than $1B. There are a total of 16 European unicorns with an aggregate value of $34.8B, which translates to just 7% of the valuation of all 135 unicorns combined as of September 17, 2015.
We also used CB Insights’ data to list each of the European unicorns’ total funding, notable investors, and to rank them against one another and within the context of the larger global unicorn list. For a full breakdown of the European unicorn list — which spans e-commerce, music apps, and fin tech, among other categories — see below.
1. Spotify
Valuation: $8.5B
Global Unicorn Rank: 15
Total Funding: $1.27B
What They Do:
- Spotify, is a Sweden-based music-streaming service that boasts over 70M users to date.
- Spotify partnered with Uber in November 2014 to stream users’ playlists from the Uber car’s speakers during Uber rides. The service is offered across 4 continents.
Select Investors: Northzone Ventures, Creandum, Horizons Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners
Valuation: $3.4B
Global Unicorn Rank: 27
Total Funding: $202M
What they do:
- Global Fashion Group is a Luxembourg-based fashion e-commerce company; it was formed when 5 leading fashion e-commerce businesses merged together.
- In July 2015, they acquired two additional online apparel businesses, Kanui and Tricae, both based in Brazil.
Select Investors: Rocket Internet, Kinnevik, Tengelmann Ventures, Verlinvest
Valuation: $3.1B
Global Unicorn Rank: 29
Total Funding: $1.33B
What they do:
- Delivery Hero is a Berlin-based food-ordering marketplace; the company now operates in 34 countries and has built a network of over 200,000 restaurants.
- Delivery Hero is expanding its global footprint by entering Middle Eastern markets through the takeover of Talabat, the leading food-delivery company in the region. Talabat was acquired in early 2015 by investor Rocket Internet, which owns 39% of Delivery Hero.
Select Investors: Rocket Internet, Insight Venture Partners, Phenomen Ventures
4. HelloFresh
Valuation: $2.9B
Global Unicorn Rank: 40
Total Funding: $278.2M
What They Do:
- HelloFresh is a Germany-based meal kit delivery service that sends a box of pre-measured ingredients and cooking instructions to customers for a set price.
Select Investors: Rocket Internet, Phenomen Ventures, Insight Venture Partners
Valuation: $2.7B
Global Unicorn Rank: 42
Total Funding: $177M
What they do:
- Founded in 2007 by e-commerce industry veteran Dan Wagner (founded M.A.I.D), London-based Powa provides payment and infrastructure tech to the e-commerce industry.
Select Investors: Bright Station Ventures, Wellington Management
6. Adyen
Valuation: $2.3B
Global Unicorn Rank: 48
Total Funding: $266M
What they do:
- Netherlands-based Adyen enables merchants to accept payments from anywhere in the world. Adyen processed $25B in transactions in 2014.
- Adyen’s platform now powers payments for Uber in over 50 countries. Some of the company’s other customers include Facebook, Spotify, and Airbnb.
Select Investors: Felicis Ventures, Index Ventures, Temasek Holdings
7. Klarna
Valuation: $2.25B
Global Unicorn Rank: 50
Total Funding: $289M
What they do:
- Klarna helps retailers process payments. Klarna’s hook is that their tech can provide certain consumers the option to pay later based on their creditworthiness.
- Sweden-based Klarna operates in 18 countries and has had over 35M consumers use their service; most recently, Klarna struck a deal with Overstock to power the e-commerce giant’s mobile payments.
Select Investors: Institutional Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, General Atlantic
8. Avito
Valuation: $1.8B
Global Unicorn Rank: 64
Total Funding: $168M
What they do:
- Avito is a Russia-based classifieds site. The company had over 27M users in March 2015.
Select Investors: Accel Partners, Northzone Ventures, Naspers
9. BlaBlaCar
Valuation: $1.6B
Global Unicorn Rank: 68
Total Funding: $312M
What they do:
- BlaBlaCar is a France-based ride-sharing startup that currently boasts over 20M members across 19 countries.
Select Investors: Insight Venture Partners, Lead Edge Capital, Accel Partners
10. Home24
Valuation: $1.03B
Global Unicorn Rank: 100
Total Funding: $151M
What they do:
- Berlin-based Home24 is one of the largest furniture retailers in Europe; the company raised an $131M Series D in June 2015.
- The company reportedly grew over 70% annual revenue growth in 2014.
Select Investors: Rocket Internet, JP Morgan Chase & Co.
11. TransferWise
Valuation: $1B
Global Unicorn Rank: 102
Total Funding: $90.3M
What they do:
- UK-based TransferWise has a technology to transfer money overseas with minimal fees; backers include Richard Branson and Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures, among others.
- The company was co-founded by Taavet Hinrikus, the first employee to join Skype.
Select Investors: IA Ventures, Index Ventures, SV Angel, Valar Ventures, Richard Branson
12. Auto1 Group
Valuation: $1B
Global Unicorn Rank: 102
Total Funding: $100M
What they do:
- Berlin-based Auto1 Group is a marketplace for used cars. They aim to differentiate themselves from other platforms by using their own cash to purchase and store the used cars until they are sold to dealers on their platform.
- The company was founded in 2012 but is growing rapidly and reportedly has already hit an $850M run rate.
Select Investors: Digital Sky Technologies, Piton Capital, DN Capital
13. AVAST Software
Valuation: $1B
Global Unicorn Rank: 102
Total Funding: $100M
What they do:
- Prague-based AVAST is one of the world’s largest computer security startups boasting over 230M users to date.
- Their browser cleanup tool, Avast Browser Cleanup, has removed over 650M unwanted browser add-ons, according to the company.
Select Investors: Summit Partners, CVC Capital Partners
14. FarFetch
Valuation: $1B
Global Unicorn Rank: 102
Total Funding: $195M
What they do:
- The London-based fashion e-commerce company allows select boutiques to reach shoppers on the site.
- The company reported $275M in annual sales and 100% year-over-year growth in mid-2014.
Select Investors: Advent Venture Partners, Index Ventures, e.ventures
15. Funding Circle
Valuation: $1B
Global Unicorn Rank: 102
Total Funding: $273M
What they do:
- The London-based lending service targets the small-business loan market and has already loaned roughly $1B to its customers.
- In January 2015, the company launched Funding Circle Securities, a new service enabling individual investors to buy pieces of business loans with a variety of terms and coupon rates.
Select Investors: Accel Partners, Index Ventures, Ribbit Capital
16. Shazam
Valuation: $1B
Global Unicorn Rank: 102
Total Funding: $122M
What they do:
- Shazam is a London-based music recognition startup boasting over 100M active users; Shazam raised a $30M Series F in January 2015.
- In May 2015, the company announced a new tool that lets users identify physical objects in the real world through their smartphone cameras.
Select Investors: DN Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Institutional Venture Partners, America Movil
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