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10 unicorn tech startups had major exits last quarter - and the biggest was worth $53 billion
10 unicorn tech startups had major exits last quarter - and the biggest was worth $53 billion
Becky PetersonAug 28, 2018, 03:19 IST
Unicorns have been going public at a growing pace.AP / Leo Correa
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The startup market has reached a point of maturity, with more and more startups seeing their valuations explode thanks to fruitful initial public offerings and acquisitions, according to Goldman Sachs' Views from the Valley report, published last week.
Despite a name that indicated uniqueness, quite a few startups are unicorns - private companies valued at $1 billion or more. In recent months, the number of unicorns has nearly tripled, rising from 54 at the beginning of 2017 to 158 in the second quarter of 2018, according to the report.
But as the market gets more mature, the number of new unicorns is decelerating. Between 2014 and 2016, there was an average of 15 to 16 new unicorns each quarter. Now, there is an average of 5 to 6, though Q2 2018 only saw one new unicorn: the gaming communication software company Discord, which was last valued at $1.6 billion.
Meanwhile, more and more of these $1 billion+ companies have seen big exits in the last few months, both through IPO and acquisition.
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In Q2 2018, 10 of these unicorn tech startups had major exits. These were the biggest exits, according to Goldman Sachs:
Spotify was worth $29.5 billion when it went public
The Stockholm, Sweden-based music streaming platform Spotify went public in April at a valuation of $29.5 billion — $10 billion more than its last funding round, which valued the company at $19 billion.
DocuSign was valued at $4.5 billion when it went public
When the e-signature and transaction company DocuSign went public in April, it was valued around $4.5 billion, far above its last funding round, which valued it at $3 billion.
Avast Software went public with a valuation around $3.08 billion
When the Czech cybersecurity company Avast Software went public in May, it was valued at around £2.4 billion, or $3.08 billion. Its last funding round valued the company at $1 billion.
Pluralsight was valued around $2 billion in its IPO
When the Utah-based online education company Pluralsight went public in May, it was valued around $2 billion. That's double its last valuation of $1 billion.
GreenSky went public at a $4.4 billion valuation
GreenSky, an Atlanta, Georgia-based financial tech company, went public in May, with a valuation around $4.4 billion. That was just below its last valuation of $4.5 billion.
GitHub got acquired by Microsoft for $7.5 billion
GitHub, a social networking site for coders, got acquired by Microsoft in June for $7.5 billion. It was last valued at $2 billion.
Adyen went public in June at a $8.3 billion valuation
The Netherlands-based global payments company Adyen went public in June, with a valuation of $8.3 billion — far past its last valuation of $2.3 billion.
AppNexus was acquired by AT&T for a reported $1.6 billion
AppNexus was acquired by AT&T in June for a reported $1.6 billion — slightly below its last funding round, which valued the company at $1.8 billion.
The most expensive deal was Xiaomi, which went public with a value of $53 billion
The Beijing, China-based electronics company Xiaomi went public in June at the highest valuation of the quarter, $53 billion. Its last funding round valued the company at $46 billion.
U51.com went public at a $1.4 billion valuation
The Chinese U51.com, also known as 51 Credit Card Company, went public on the Hong Kong markets in June, at a valuation around $1.4 billion. The credit card technology company was last valued at $1 billion.
