It's Pretty Stunning How Many Billion-Dollar Startups There Are Now

Venture capitalists and investors are continuing to pour money into startups.

In fact, there is a vast number of startups that are worth billions, The New York Times' Quentin Hardy reports.

"An unprecedented number of high technology start-ups, easily 25 and possibly exceeding 40, are valued at $1 billion or more," Hardy writes.

"Many employees are quietly getting rich, or at least building a big cushion against a crash, as they sell shares to outside investors."

But the owners of these companies say the high valuations make them a bit nervous. That's because bigger valuations mean higher expectations.

As Hardy reports, there are a few reasons for these high valuations:

• Lower interest rates
• Wealthy, private investors are putting more money into startups
• Many of these high-valued companies sell products and services directly to other businesses