Top ten unicorns

They’re called “unicorns”—private companies valued at $1 billion or more. The billion-dollar technology startup was once the stuff of myth. Today they’re seemingly everywhere, backed by a bull market and a new generation of disruptive technology.

 

1. – Uber

Company Information:

Valuation:  $62 billion

Sector:  Software

Headquarters:   San Francisco, Calif.

Founded:  2009

CEO:  Travis Kalanick

2. – Xiaomi

Company Information:

Valuation:  $46 billion

Sector:  Hardware

Headquarters:  Beijing, China

Founded:  2010

CEO:  Lei Jun

3. –Airbnb

Company Information:

Valuation:  $25.5 billion

Sector:  Software

Headquarters:   San Francisco, Calif.

Founded:  2008

CEO:  Brian Chesky

4. – Palantir

Company Information:

Valuation:  $20.5 billion

Sector:  Software

Headquarters:   Palo Alto, Calif.

Founded:  2004

CEO:  Alex Karp

5. – Didi Kuaidi

Company Information:

Valuation:  $16 billion

Sector:  Software

Headquarters:   Beijing, China

Founded:  2012

CEO:  Cheng Wei

6. – Snapchat

Company Information:

Valuation:  $16 billion

Sector:  Media

Headquarters:   Venice, Calif

Founded:  2011

CEO:  Evan Spiegel

7. – China Internet Plus

Company Information:

Valuation:  $15 billion:

Sector:  Software

Headquarters:   Beijing, China

Founded:  2003

CEO:  Wang Xing

8. – Flipkart

Company Information:

Valuation:  $15 billion

Sector:  Retail

Headquarters:   Bangalore, India

Founded:  2007

CEO:  Sachin Bansal

9.- SpaceX

Company Information:

Valuation:  $12 billion

Sector:  Aerospace

Headquarters:   Hawthorne, Calif

Founded:  2002

CEO:  Elon Musk

10.- Pinterest

Company Information:

Valuation:  $11 billion

Sector:  Media

Headquarters:   San Francisco, Calif

Founded:  2010

CEO:  Ben Silbermann.