World’s 20 Most Valuable Start-Ups

In 2013, Aileen Lee, founder of Cowboy Ventures, used the term unicorns to talk about tech companies with a value of over 1 billion dollars without being listed on the stock exchange. Knowing that only 10% of entrepreneurial projects reach success, when one of these reaches the one billion dollar mark, it’s seen as almost a thing of fantasy, as hard to find as the mythological creatures.

However, according to CB Insights, there are 770 unicorns in the world with a value of over 2,505 million dollars. These are the world’s 20 most valuable unicorn companies.

World’s Top 20 Most Valuable Start-Ups

#20 | goPuff: 15,000 M$

That moment when you’re already in your pjs and you open your fridge to find nothing has come to an end. goPuff is an American start-up, based in Philadelphia, that delivers food and consumer goods. Instead of having to go to the supermarket, goPuff brings it home. It’s present in more than 650 cities in the US and it’s expanding throughout the world. In 2021 it arrived in Spain.

#19 | Checkout.com: 15,000 M$

Based in the UK, this tech company offers financial services to other companies who want to have payment methods that are more beneficial regarding acceptance rate and user experience.

#18 | Shein: 15,000 M$

Upgrading your wardrobe has never been easier. Present in more than 220 countries and based in China, Shein is known for their low cost clothing. Since it was founded, in 2008, it hasn’t stopped growing and is now one of those unicorns.

#17 | DJI Innovations: 15,000 M$

The future is here! Another Chinese start-up with production plants all over the world. DJI Innovations is the world leader producer of unmanned aerial vehicles — drones for aerial photography and videography.

#16 | Yuanfudao: 15,000 M$

In China, nobody fails exams anymore. Yuanfundao was founded in 2012 and is now the leader of the online education market, offering online classes for kids from preschool to highschool.

#15 | Fanatics: 18,000 M$

The most rational name on the list. The American company based in Florida sells sports clothing and licensed merch from the biggest clubs around the world — NBA, Premier League, F1… No matter which team you support, you will find their merch on this online store.

#14 | J&T Express: 20,000 M$

A logistics company that transports packages (parcels). Based in Indonesia and founded in 2015, it has become the greatest start-up in their country and a worldwide reference for business growth.

#13 | Xiaohonshu: 20,000 M$

Xiaohonshu, aka Little Red Book, is an e-commerce platform and social network that many are calling the Chinese alternative to Instagram.

#12 | BYJU´s: 21,000 M$

This Indian multinational company that specialises in educational technology, was founded in 2011 and, in 10 years, it has become the most valuable educational technology company in the world.

#11 | FTX: 25,000 M$

Born in Hong Kong, then moved to the Bahamas, FTX offers cryptocurrency swap services. Currently, their volume of daily transactions surpasses the 10,000 M$.

#10 | Chime: 25,000 M$

This American based fintech has become the country’s leader in digital banking. Their secret? Offering mobile banking services with no extra charges.

#9 | Epic Games: 28,700 M$

If you own a gaming console or computer, you already know this American video game developer. Creators of hits like Fortnite, they have become one of the giants in the world of gaming.

#8 | Revolut: 33,000 M$

Based in London, this financial tech business turned into neobank offers services such as debit cards or currency and cryptocurrency exchange.

#7 | Databricks: 38,000 M$

Another American start-up! Founded in 2013, this data engineering company offers corporate software services to work with Apache Spark.

#6 | Instacart: 39,000 M$

Based in the US, Instacart delivers and collects food. They offer their services through their website and their app to their American and Canadian clients.

#5 | Canva: 40,000 M$

Graphic design is my passion! Canva is the Australian company behind the famous graphic design website that offers simplified tools. One of the last to enter this Top20, but making quite an entrance.

#4 | KIarna: 45,600 M$

A Swedish fintech that has increased its value by 45% in just 90 days last year. This had a lot to do with their launching of an app with which users can quickly and easily pay in any online store.

#3 | Stripe: 95,000 M$

This fintech is based in the US and Ireland and offers online payment services for business and individuals. In March, last year, their round of investments catapulted them to the third position of this Top20 and established them as a reference in the sector.

#2 | Space X: 100,300 M$

The famous American aerospace transportation company created in 2002 by Elon Musk has recently increased its value and reached the second position on this list. This is due to its latest incursions into space and to the fact that they’ve been asked to transport supplies to the International Space Station.

#1 | ByteDance: 140,000 M$

Top 1 on this list is the Chinese company ByteDance, who has managed to double its value in two years. Having bought Musical.ly and merging with Douyin to create TikTok were the two factors that got them here. However, there’s no doubt that this company’s biggest asset is Toutiao: a digital Chinese journal with more than 600 million readers.