A unicorn is an unlisted start-up company with a valuation of $1 billion or more.
Unicorns can also be "less than 10 years old" or "technology companies", but there is a wide range of criteria, including some that are not necessarily technology companies, such as WeWork. The number of unicorns is also used as an indicator of how developed a country's ecosystem is: according to CB Insights' The Global Unicorn Club, the US, China, India and the UK will be the countries with the most unicorns in 2020, in that order.
The term "unicorn" was first used globally in 2013 by venture capitalist Aileen Lee, Founder of CowBoy Ventures, in an article for TechCrunch. In 2013, there were 39 unicorns in the world, including Facebook and Twitter. In 2020, according to CB Insights, there are 480 unicorn companies, with Preferred Networks and Smart News from Japan.
The top class of unicorn companies includes decacorns with valuations of $10 billion or more and hectocorns with valuations of $100 billion or more. The emergence of decacorns in China has been active, and more and more attention is being paid to China's startup ecosystem.
RouteX Inc. holds regular small-group study sessions in the form of "Unicorn Startup Study Sessions" here on our events page! If you're interested in learning more about unicorns, please join us!
