Billion-dollar start-ups are on the rise
Not too long ago, very few tech start-ups managed to reach the $1 billion or higher valuation before going public, an achievement that would earn them a spot in the exclusive Unicorn Club list. Today, however, according to the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones VentureSource, the mythological unicorns are becoming a more common phenomenon.
According to the WSJ, there are presently 115 private companies with valuations of a billion dollars or higher. Back in early 2014, there were only 42.
The proliferation of “unicorns” seems to be backed by a bull market and a new generation of disruptive technology, but is it a sign of another tech bubble? Are we about to witness a market correction?
Below is a chart displaying the growth of venture-backed private companies valued at $1 billion or more.
Have you read?
10 lessons from start-up entrepreneurs
Which countries have the most venture-capital investments?
Which start-up cities hire the most women?
Author: José Santiago, Senior Associate, Public Engagement at the World Economic Forum.
Imagen: Participants of the Start-Up Chile programme work at their headquarters in Santiago. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado
Don't miss any update on this topic
Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.
License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
Stay up to date:
Fourth Industrial Revolution
Related topics:
The Agenda Weekly
A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.
More on BusinessSee all
Jeet Kar, Madeleine Sophia Brandes and Audrey Helstroffer
November 18, 2024
