It is fascinating reading and makes these mythical creatures that little bit more real with the range of facts and information compiled, reminding us all of the immense value created by founders in the UK ‘s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
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Read the Unicorn Tracker
Here are some of their key facts...
- There are currently 32 private $1b+ businesses headquartered in the UK—a further 11 have exited, whilst 2 are no longer active
- 11 UK companies became unicorns in H1 2021—the largest concentration of new unicorns to date
- 4 in 5 of the UK’s unicorn companies are based in London, including all 14 fintech unicorns
- The average unicorn is 7 years old when it reaches its billion-dollar valuation
- There’s a severe lack of gender diversity amongst unicorn company founders—just 5% are women
- Prior to reaching unicorn status, the average unicorn has raised £100m in equity investment, across 4 funding rounds
- 1 in 3 UK unicorns have made at least one acquisition prior to reaching their billion-dollar valuations
- 60% of unicorn companies have previously attended an accelerator programme
Source: UK Unicorn Companies: A free report on the UK's $1b businesses
