Startups
The World’s Top 5 Most Valuable Unicorns In 2021, the world saw the highest rate of startups hitting a $1 billion valuation ever, with 136 new unicorns born in Q2 2021 alone, according to Forbes. Here are the five most valuable unicorn startups in the world, according to CBInsights. The firms were chosen based on Forbes Middle East’s definition of a unicorn—a private company with a valuation of over $1 billion and no more than seven years old. Figures are as of December 2021.
Revolut Cofounders: Nik Storonsky; Vlad Yatsenko Value: $33 billion Total funding: $1.7 billion Last round of funding: $800 million in July 2021 Industry: Fintech / Digital banking Country: U.K. Established: 2015 London-based Fintech Revolut was founded by billionaires Nik Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko in 2015. Forbes estimated Storonsky’s net worth at $7.1 billion and Yatsenko’s at $1.1 billion as of December 13, 2021. Revolut offers currency exchange, surcharge-free ATMs, global transfer payments, and budgeting services. The company has 16 million customers worldwide. It became the U.K.’s most valuable startup in July 2021 when it announced that it had raised $800 million in a Series E round from SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Tiger Global Management. This increased the startup’s value to $33 billion. Revolut’s value increased by 500% in just over a year—it was worth $5.5 billion in February 2020. F O R B E S M I D D L E E A S T.C O M
Sam Bankman
JANUARY 2022
BY LAYAN ABO SHKIER, SAM BANKMAN-FRIED BY GUERIN BLASK FOR FORBES
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