AI leads the way on new unicorn creation

Plus, investors still swiping right on dating startups February 13, 2024 Hi, {NAME}. Ten years after the term “unicorn” was coined to denote those private startups valued at $1 billion or more, there are [over 1,500 current unicorn companies globally]( collectively valued at more than $5 trillion based on their most recent fundings. But, fewer than 100 new companies joined the Unicorn Board in 2023 — the lowest count in more than five years. What does that tell us about [the state and fate of the largest, most highly valued startups]( this year? Plus, be it for love or be it for money, [VCs still seem attracted to interesting new dating startups](. 🦄 [AI leads the way on new unicorn creation]( Of the 95 companies that joined [The Crunchbase Unicorn Board]( in 2023, AI was the [leading sector](. We dive into that and other unicorn company trends at the start of 2024. See also: [The Crunchbase Unicorn Board]( 💕 [VCs still swiping right on dating startups]( VCs still seem to have warm and fuzzy feelings for dating startups, [Crunchbase]( data shows, with the latest cohort of funded romance apps particularly geared toward a generation of singles weary of the shallowness and tedium of endless swiping. Related Crunchbase Pro list: [Dating- And Romance-Centric Startups]( 🖥️ [Hacker-for-hire platform Bugcrowd raises $102M]( Despite the beating the [cybersecurity sector took in 2023]( funding has picked up a little through the first month-plus of this year. The latest was a [General Catalyst]( $102 million Series E to San Francisco-based [Bugcrowd](. Related Crunchbase Pro list: [Cybersecurity Funding]( 🔁 [Resetting entrepreneurial expectations in 2024]( Over the years, entrepreneurial success has become disconnected from reality and now is the time for an expectation reset, writes [Incendium Strategies]( [Nathaniel Houghton]( who shares tips to help founders set realistic goals. 🚰 [Funding flows freely to water-saving startups]( Venture funding [may be running dry]( but money for water conservation-related startups has not, [Crunchbase]( data shows. In fact, [startups working on water industry-related technologies raised more money last year than they did in 2021](. Related Crunchbase Pro list: [Water-Related Funding]( 🏅 [Top 10 deals: Disney makes an Epic investment, but that’s not all]( [Disney]( $1.5 billion investment in [Epic Games]( certainly grabbed headlines last week — it is tied for the [largest round this year]( in the U.S. — but there were a good number of other large deals as well. Let’s look at the 10 largest. See also: [The Crunchbase Megadeals Board]( Final week: CNBC is now accepting nominations for the 2024 Disruptor 50 list The Disruptor 50 list is an annual look at the most innovative venture-backed companies. Private startups are scored on criteria including scalability, revenue and user growth, the use of breakthrough technology, and workforce diversity. The deadline to apply is Friday at 11:59pm ET. [SUBMIT NOMINATION]( Recent Investments [Automotive Cells Company]( [4.4B EUR]( / [Debt Financing]( Automotive Cells Company designs and manufactures a range of sustainable automotive batteries for electric vehicles. Categories: Automotive • Battery • CleanTech • Electronics • Industrial Manufacturing Investors: [Mercedes-Benz Group AG]( [Saft]( [Stellantis]( [Bugcrowd]( [$102M]( / [Series E]( Bugcrowd is a cybersecurity company that operates as a platform for crowdsourced security testing. Categories: Crowdsourcing • Cyber Security • Penetration Testing • Security Founders: [Casey Ellis]( [Chris Raethke]( [Sergei Belokamen]( Investors: [General Catalyst]( (Lead), [Costanoa Ventures]( [Rally Ventures]( [ConveGenius]( [150M INR]( / [Series A]( ConveGenius is an EdTech company that provides personalized and adaptive learning solutions to improve learning outcomes. Categories: E-Learning • Education • Software Founders: [Jairaj Bhattacharya]( [Shashank Pandey]( Investors: [Searce]( (Lead) More Fundings Company Amount / Round Lead Investor [Koloma]( $246M / [Debt Financing]( [Khosla Ventures]( [Cascading AI]( $3.9M / [Pre Seed Round]( [Peterson Ventures]( [Koloma]( Unknown / [Grant]( [US Department of Energy]( [All Recent Funding Activity]( Recent Acquisitions [Skiff]( Pending acquisition by [Notion]( for Unknown More Acquisitions Company Acquired By Amount [Alexis Hospital]( [Max Healthcare]( 4.1B INR [All Recent Acquisition Activity]( #{Rails.configuration.daily.cb_url} Discover innovative companies and the people behind them. [Follow Us on Crunchbase]( [View Jobs on LinkedIn]( [Follow Us on Twitter]( [Like Us on Facebook]( 564 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94104 © 2024 Crunchbase Inc. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Service]( [Unsubscribe]( from Crunchbase Daily.