Before you start reading this article, we want to ask you an important question: do you know exactly what a unicorn startup company is? If you don’t know the answer, don’t worry—check out this link!

If you already know what unicorn companies are, you’re ready to find out who the biggest players are in this billion-dollar game. According to CB Insights, there are currently 418 companies that value at $1B or more…a lot more, actually. From social media apps to fintech solutions, there are unicorns reshaping each segment of the market. If you’re starting your entrepreneurial journey, you need to learn more about these companies.

Unicorn Companies Around the World

If this were a horse—I mean unicorn—race, there’d be a few countries nailing it. There are billion-dollar startups all over the world, but these are the top countries when it comes to the number of unicorn companies created:

  1. The United States – 205 
  2. China – 101
  3. The United Kingdom – 21
  4. India – 18
  5. Germany – 11

Together, these countries own 85,17% of all unicorn companies currently existing in the market.

Reshaping the market

What turns a startup into a unicorn company? This is definitely the billion-dollar question. However, when analyzing the most successful startups in the world they all have some similarities. 

Unicorn companies are consumer-focused in every way. These enterprises are disruptive, innovative, and most importantly, they’re usually the first players or creators of a new market. You will certainly see these characteristics in the following examples. 

1. Toutiao (Bytedance)

We couldn’t start this list without mentioning the top unicorn company in the world. Known by its app TikTok in the western countries, this Chinese company is valued at $75B.

TikTok has been one of the most downloaded apps since the beginning of 2019, hitting 1.5 billion downloads, even outperforming Instagram! As an app that does more than post pictures, it became an infinite library of short videos in all kinds of genres.

Numbers don’t lie. So, if you’re creating a marketing strategy for your startup, you might choose TikTok as a model.

2. Canva

You’ve probably had a situation when you needed to create a design but couldn’t afford to hire a professional, right? Creating your own graphic design is a challenge for both your personal and professional lives. Canva was developed to offer an easy drag-and-drop tool that allows anyone to easily create graphics.

Canva: An Example of one of the biggest Unicorn Companies

The Australian startup was founded in 2012 and joined the list of unicorn companies in 2018. Melanie Perkins, the founder, has said that she got the idea when she was at university and realized how difficult people find learning and using design tools like Photoshop and InDesign. 

Seven years later, the company has allowed its millions of users to create stunning designs. Canva now has more than 800 employees and is evaluated at $3.2B.

3. Airbnb

We couldn’t have a list of unicorn companies without mentioning this one. You may not have used Airbnb services personally, but you definitely know someone that has either as a guest or a host. 

Unicorn Companies: Airbnb

Airbnb has completely changed the travel game by offering local houses as accommodations. Since its foundation in 2018, a lot has changed. Currently, Airbnb offers a variety of experiences created by local people to create unforgettable adventures for travellers. 

Airbnb has more than 30 offices around the world and is valued at $35B. 

In 2019, more than one hundred startups joined the list of unicorn companies and these numbers will continue rising in 2020. We’re all waiting to see what’s going to happen next!

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