PitchBook Publishes Unicorn Class of 2017, Mobike and NIO Make the List
PitchBook, a global data research institution based in the Silicon Valley, names its Unicorn Class of 2017. In 2017, 57 start-ups were valued at more than $1 billion, and their total value was as high as $116 billion. Eighteen Chinese enterprises were on the list, and 10 were among the top 20. Toutiao, Mobike and VIPKID are among the 10 companies.
SEE ALSO: 2017’s Top 10 Unicorn Round-up: 5 from China, 5 from US
PitchBook is one of the most authoritative data statistics institutions in the world, mainly engaged in global enterprise data survey, analysis, investment data and recommendations. According to Pitch Book, the annual “unicorns” generally refer to unlisted companies that are valued at more than $1 billion and have huge potential for development.
Founded in 2012, the $20 billion Toutiao was at the top of the list. Toutiao provides search, personalized information, music, movies and games based on data mining, user location and interest. This creates a huge traffic entrance. So far, Toutiao has 600 million active users. The number of daily active users is 120 million.
Mobike and ofo ranked eighth and ninth respectively. By using intelligent rental and return technology and geo-positioning, Mobike has entered more than 180 cities in nine countries around the world in less than two years. Mobike has more than 200 million registered users, and is the shining example of sharing economy.
It is worth mentioning that VIPKID, an online English platform for children, has also been nominated for the annual “unicorns” list, making it the only listed Chinese education company. In less than four years, with the help of the Internet technology and artificial intelligence, VIPKID successfully connected more than 30,000 teachers in North America with 200,000 Chinese children who want to learn English. VIPKID creates a sharing model in global education resources, and provides personalized teaching with quality education resources. VIPKID also launched Lingo Bus, an online Chinese learning platform, in August 2017 as an important force for promoting Chinese cultural output.
In addition to famous unicorns like Toutiao, Mobike, ofo and VIPKID, several Chinese companies, such as Lianjia, NIO, Sense Time, BAIC BJEV, souche.com and UR Work, were among the global Rop 20. These companies cover information, travel, real estate, education, artificial intelligence and other fields, and have become strong innovators in China.
