The number of unicorn companies born in the US this year is 66, the largest ever. In the US this year, Argo AI, a company specializing in self-driving technology, fintech company Chime, electric car startup Rivian, and Confluent, which specializes in data, have joined the unicorn folk.
According to market research firm CB Insights, 66 Unicorns companies have been born into venture capital investments this year. Already surpassing last year’s record of 58 companies.
Unicorns refer to unlisted start-ups with a value of more than $1 billion (1 trillion won). The name was given to start-up companies that have a higher value before they even went public. Uber, Airbnb, Pinterest, Xiaomi, Didi Chuxing, Coupang, Gojek, and Grab are major unicorns.
The surge in the number of new unicorns in the U.S. this year attributed to greater amounts of venture capital. And the desire of companies to retain their monopolistic status for longer, venture investor Aileen Lee said. She is the first person to use the word unicorn.
While the number of US unicorns has increased significantly this year, the number of unicorns born in China this year is reportedly 21. Less than half of last year’s 58. In China this year, Beijing-based online real estate platform Beike Zhaofang has become a unicorn company.
Though the US records the largest growth, China reportedly still has the most unicorn numbers
However, in terms of the cumulative number of unicorns, China surpassed the U.S. for the first time this year. According to Hurun Global Unicorn List 2019, there are 206 Chinese Unicorns out of 494 unicorns in the world. There are 203 unicorns in the United States, three fewer than in China.
Hurun itself is a Chinese business and economy media, known as the Chinese Forbes as well. According to the list, Ant Financial tops the 2019 Unicorn Global list. The list includes 494 unicorn companies from 118 cities of 24 countries from around the world.
