18 Chinese Unicorn Startups Face Higher Hurdles As Next Jumps
Unicorns or venture-backed companies with a valuation of more than $1 billion that have popped up everywhere and total 131 worldwide, may face strong headwinds in these shaky economic times.
China, which has weighed in heavily claiming 18 companies with unicorn status — up from 11 just a year ago – could be particularly unsteady.
China’s economic slowdown and stock market volatility will likely impact the growth rate of these Chinese unicorns and other startups globally. Look for far fewer financings at stratospheric levels too as venture capitalists draw back and harvest their current set of portfolio companies for investment returns.
Those VC firms that invested early in these startup stars before valuations soared in later financings will be the winners. VCs speaking at Silicon Dragon forums admit it’s challenging to gauge when to go ahead for fear of missing out on a champion or when to hold back due to risks.
Silicon Dragon’s ranking of China’s top ten most valued Chinese startups (below) offers a snapshot today of these breakthrough leaders, ranging from fintech to hardware to social shopping and adtech. Notably, four of the ten most valuable startups in China are in e-commerce, pumped up by China’s advanced mobile commerce and payment platforms.
See top ten list at Silicon Dragon column at Forbes.
