Unicorns Raised $26.5bn Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

Recent years have witnessed a tenfold increase in the number of unicorns, rising from less than forty in 2013 to almost 400 in July 2020. The impressive growth of these private companies with a market valuation of over one billion dollars has been followed by the increasing number of venture capitalists willing to invest in their business.

According to data gathered by AksjeBloggen, unicorns raised $26.5bn in funding since the beginning of 2020, despite the slowdown in venture capital funding caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Total Funding Amount Surged by 310% in Three Years

In 2016, unicorns all over the world raised $29.8bn in funding rounds, with the cumulative value of investments reaching $61.8bn that year, revealed the CrunchBase data. During the next twelve months, billion-dollar startups raised another $47.3bn, with the total value of investments jumping to $109.1bn by the end of 2017.

Statistics show that 2018 witnessed the most significant increase in the total value of raised funds, with the amount reaching $192.3bn, an $83.2 jump year-on-year. New $74.8bn worth funding rounds continued in 2019, with the cumulative amount of unicorn investments reaching $267.1bn in the fourth quarter of last year.

The first quarter of 2020 delivered $13.8bn worth investments into billion-dollar startups. This value slipped to $9.6bn in the second quarter of 2020, almost 40% drop year-on-year. Nevertheless, statistics show the cumulative funding amount surged by 310% in the last three years.

Asian unicorns lead in value of raised funds, with $163.4bn in total funding amount. The US companies follow with $110.5bn worth of investments. Statistics indicate the two regions together account for 94% of all investments into unicorn companies.

Three Largest Unicorn Funding Rounds in 2020 Hit $4.6bn Value

Statistics show internet unicorns lead in the total value of raised funds, with $86.1bn worth investments as of July. Fintech represents the second-leading industry with $58.2bn worth funding rounds. Ecommerce, software and financial services follow with $53.8bn, $43.7bn and $42.8bn, respectively.

The CrunchBase data also revealed the three largest unicorn funding rounds in 2020 reached $4.6bn value. On March 4th, the leading Chinese real estate brokerage platform, Beike, raised more than $2.4bn in a D funding round led by SoftBank, the largest investment in 2020. The company announced it would use this capital to improve the efficiency of China’s residential services.

The Southeast Asia-based ride-hailing company, Gojek, raised $1.2 billion the same month, the second-largest funding round since the beginning of the year. Some of Gojek’s investors include Tencent, Google, and Temasek, and the company plans to expand its operations with this funding round.

Statistics show that Yuanfudao’s latest funding round represents the third-largest unicorn investment in 2020. The Chinese online education platform raised $1bn in March in a new financing round led by Tencent Holdings and private equity firm Hillhouse Capital Group.