These are the largest global startups and best unicorns in 2021.

Author: Jozo Knez

December 10, 2021

Currently, there are over 800 unicorn startups, meaning their value exceeds one billion dollars. Some unicorns are lesser-known companies that are quietly but strongly advancing in software, healthcare, the automotive industry, and other fields, while others have already become well-known industry leaders, such as the spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX or the gaming company Epic Games.

However, among them are startups referred to as decacorns, which are unicorns valued at over 10 billion dollars. In December 2021, there were 35 startups valued at over 10 billion dollars, distributed across various countries and industries.

Many of the most valuable startups are already giants in their fields. For example, the company Bytedance, which is behind the development of the online platform Douyin in China and its international version, TikTok, is valued at 140 billion dollars. The financial services and payment software company Stripe jumped from 36 billion dollars to 95 billion dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Even lesser-known names like the Swedish fintech Klarna (45.6 billion dollars) and the Australian graphic design platform Canva (40.0 billion dollars) are well-known in their fields.

But private valuations do not last forever. Many eventually go public, like the electric vehicle manufacturer and Tesla competitor Rivian, which had a valuation of 27.6 billion dollars before being listed on NASDAQ.

The largest startups by industry and country

Breaking down the largest global startups by industry highlights that technology is still king when it comes to investment. More than 77 percent of unicorns valued at over 10 billion dollars come directly from technology-related fields, primarily in financial and commercial software.

And many unicorns categorized in non-technology areas are still technology companies at their core. In fact, the Indonesian logistics and package delivery company J&T Express is one of the few unicorns not directly in technology.

More than 77 percent of unicorns valued at over 10 billion dollars are categorized directly in technology-related fields, primarily in the financial and commercial sector, and 70 percent of the 35 decacorns are from the USA and China. They are followed by the United Kingdom with three, while Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, and Sweden each produced one in that category.

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