Shanghai was one of the three cities home to fast-growing Chinese startups last year. (Photo by Arusa Pisutthipan) China fostered 97 unicorns -- startups valued at least US$1 billion (31.5 billion baht) -- last year, despite an economic slowdown and a prolonged trade war with the United States, according to Shanghai-based research firm Hurun Report. The world’s second largest economy had a total of 186 unicorn startups last year, with a combined valuation of more than 5 trillion yuan (23 trillion baht). Alipay operator Ant Financial Services, an affiliate of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding, led all Chinese unicorns with a valuation of more than 1 trillion yuan, according to the Hurun Greater China Unicorn Index 2018. Alibaba is the parent company of the South China Morning Post. Jinri Toutiao, the popular Chinese news aggregator owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, was the country’s second largest unicorn with an estimated value of 500 billion yuan. Didi Chuxing, … [Read more...] about China created a unicorn every 3.8 days in 2018
Unicorns
IPO Hopes Trigger Scramble for Shares of Top Unicorns
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By Julie Steinberg WSJ Stella Yifan Xie WSJ Fri., Jan. 25, 2019 The coming listings of some of the world’s most valuable startups are heating up an opaque market for private trades in their shares. Bankers, brokers and investors that specialize in buying or selling unlisted shares of companies say there has been a significant increase in interest and activity. Hedge funds, wealthy individuals and family offices—as well as some large institutions—are lining up to buy shares that venture-capital firms, company employees and others are trying to cash out of. Some shares of ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies Inc. as well as Chinese news aggregator and short-video company Bytedance Ltd. changed hands in recent months, according to people familiar with the matter. Both companies could launch IPOs this year. Potential investors have also expressed interest in the shares of messaging company Slack Technologies Inc. and data-mining giant Palantir … [Read more...] about IPO Hopes Trigger Scramble for Shares of Top Unicorns
The natural history of unicorns
Long before comic books, Gritty and "Game of Thrones," humanity was doing crackerjack business in creating myths and monsters out of what was in nature. Manatees became mermaids. Octopuses became krackens. Crocodiles became dragons. In an effort to draw the line and distinction between "scientific fact and mythical fiction," the Academy of Natural Sciences has announced a new exhibit "Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids," which opens Saturday, Feb. 16. During that weekend and including Monday, Feb. 18, the academy says museum goers can: Examine specimens — a manatee, octopus and skull of a crocodile — and compare them to their mythical counterparts — the mermaids, krackens and dragons. Mix secret ingredients to make unicorn poop soap slime. Watch live sea monkeys in action. Observe a squid dissection and see how the anatomy compares to the kraken, the iconic sea monster. Practice writing with real squid ink. Meet some live … [Read more...] about The natural history of unicorns
‘I have a vision that we will be the first tech unicorn to come from Northern Ireland’
'I have a vision that we will be the first tech unicorn to come from Northern Ireland' BelfastTelegraph.co.uk It may be small, but when it comes to ambition, scale is not an issue for Belfast firm B-Secur. Based in the city's bustling start-up hub Catalyst Inc, the tech firm's chief executive is a man with a billion-dollar goal. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/northern-ireland/i-have-a-vision-that-we-will-be-the-first-tech-unicorn-to-come-from-northern-ireland-37726423.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/northern-ireland/article37726422.ece/60cd4/AUTOCROP/h342/2019-01-22_bus_47309523_I3.JPG Email It may be small, but when it comes to ambition, scale is not an issue for Belfast firm B-Secur. Based in the city's bustling start-up hub Catalyst Inc, the tech firm's chief executive is a man with a billion-dollar goal. "I have a vision that we will make this the first, or one of the first, unicorns to come from Northern Ireland," said Co Down man Alan Foreman … [Read more...] about ‘I have a vision that we will be the first tech unicorn to come from Northern Ireland’
The Week in Tech: It’s Not Easy Being a Unicorn
Sections SEARCH Skip to content Skip to site index Technology Subscribe Log In Log In Today’s Paper Technology | The Week in Tech: It’s Not Easy Being a Unicorn Supported by Bits ByErin Griffith Jan. 11, 2019 Each week, technology reporters and columnists from The New York Times review the week’s news , offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry. Want this newsletter in your inbox? Sign up here . Hello, It’s Erin Griffith, reporting, happily, from my home base in San Francisco and not the carnival of virtual assistants, shiny screens, crowded smart homes and greasy VR demos in Las Vegas. Our correspondents made the CES maze of gadgets look almost fun, which anyone who has been there before knows is an impressive feat. Back in the land of magical, billion-dollar start-up unicorns, things have been quieter, thanks to the federal … [Read more...] about The Week in Tech: It’s Not Easy Being a Unicorn