For a dozen years, Forbes has partnered with TrueBridge Capital Partners to highlight the companies that are likely to become unicorns in the near future. To qualify, startups must be venture-backed, based in the U.S. and worth less than $1 billion. In a sign of the times: Nearly all this year’s list members use AI in some fashion as they work on everything from bone marrow to biological threats, cybersecurity to creative design. Our track record is striking: Of the 275 alumni of this list, 60% did indeed become unicorns, including household names Duolingo and DoorDash. Another 60 were bought (or were merged). Nearly half of last year’s picks already are worth more than a billion. There have been surprisingly few disasters—just six companies, about 2%, imploded or shut down. READ MORE
5 Interesting Startup Deals You May Have Missed
AI and software continue to draw the biggest share of startup investment, but most of the interesting companies that caught our eye in the past month were working on problems in the physical world, often far from the glow of a laptop screen.
They include a defense-tech startup that aims to bring manufacturing closer to the frontlines, a company working to recycle valuable raw materials from defunct solar panels at industrial scale, and a startup that wants to produce cell-based milk for the dairy supply chain. Let’s take a look. READ MORE
Why venture capital isn’t always the right fit for startup founders seeking growth
Venture capital can seem like the ultimate goal for startups, but it’s not the only path to success.
Angel investing, bootstrapping or modest raises can be a better fit for founders depending on the business model and product, entrepreneurial support experts discussed at Technical.ly’s annual Builders Conference. READ MORE
How Investing In Startups Keeps Corporations At The Cutting Edge Of Technology
Corporations are always looking for cutting-edge technology to keep them more competitive. It’s a challenge because many corporations use traditional technology, yet they need to break out of it to accelerate business growth.
While becoming innovative is possible internally, corporations often struggle with it. They know innovation is critical to getting ahead of the competition, but they also know it is hard to develop innovation in a corporate environment. Let’s learn more about how investing in startups can help corporations find cutting-edge technology and how they can find innovative companies to invest in. READ MORE
The venture bull market is great for founders, but not in the way they might expect
It seems there’s news every day about startup funding reaching record highs, new unicorns being minted and tech firms going public. There’s no question that we are in the middle of a long-running and accelerating venture bull market.
All of this impresses upon us that every indicator in startup funding points up and to the right: Venture firms have more dry powder, deal sizes are growing rapidly, valuations are soaring and investment terms are more founder-friendly than ever. And all that is indeed happening. READ MORE
Venture capitalists are chasing industrial tech start-ups as supply shocks widen
Supply chain disruptions are hitting some of the most powerful companies in the world, pushing venture capitalists to invest in industrial tech start-ups that are offering solutions.
So far this year, a record $45.1 billion has been raised by industrial start-ups, compared with the $34 billion raised in all of 2020, according to data from PitchBook. READ MORE
VCs invested over $75B in AI startups in 2020
Investments in AI are growing at an accelerated pace, according to a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Paris, France-based group found that the U.S. and China lead the growing wave of funding, taking in a combined 81% of the total amount invested in AI startups last year, while the European Union and U.K. boosted their backing but lag substantially behind. READ MORE
What a community means in the modern world of startups
“We believe that a thriving community is a company’s most valuable asset,” Community-led writes in its Declaration. “Community scales your business, resources and presence in ways that traditional marketing or advertising channels can’t. When done right, community enables and improves customer acquisition, streamlines support and success, bolsters retention, and provides crucial product insights. Community is the beating heart of the business that keeps the rest of the team running.” READ MORE
What investors really look for when investing in a startup
While there are commonalities among their criteria, startup investors don’t take a cookie cutter approach. The key to unlocking investment is understanding the stage of your startup.
“In the race of life, always back self-interest; at least you know it’s trying,” the late former premier of NSW, Jack Lang, once said.
Self-interest is defined as “regard for one’s own interest or advantage, especially with disregard for others… personal interest or advantage”. READ MORE
Why Corporate-Startup Partnerships Are The Route To Resilience
The world is throwing all sorts of adversity our way, and business hubs—no matter how developed—are not immune to the turbulence. Natural disasters restrict supply chains, political unrest forces companies to close stores, and cybersecurity failure comes with high-cost infrastructural improvements.
These are just a handful of possible crisis scenarios, and they reinforce the need for businesses to make contingency plans now to maintain stability during inevitable future shockwaves. READ MORE