10 Unicorn Companies In The UK

A unicorn is a private startup or scaleup that is worth over $1 billion. The term was coined by Aileen Lee in 2013 due to just how rare and difficult it can be to reach that value. The UK currently has 43 active unicorn companies, and most of these successful companies are London-based, making the city a great place for investment and startup opportunities. AI startups are quickly becoming more and more valuable, as the world moves towards using the technology.

The UK places 4th in the world with the highest amount of unicorns, and this year so far, we have gained 2 unicorns. Hopefully, more come before the year ends as an improvement of last year, because only 2 unicorns came about then.

Interestingly, over 20 unicorns came out of 2021, making it one of the best years for startups, despite the pandemic. The number began to slow down as time went by.
 

Unicorns Around The World

 
Outside of the UK, more or less the same narrative applies. Dealroom reports, “Since 2018, over 100 new unicorns have been minted each year, with the exception of 2021, when this number spiked to 787 – a rate of more than two unicorns per day.”

At the moment, ByteDance is the most valuable unicorn, valued at over $200 billion. For reference, this is the company that created TikTok. The second most valuable unicorn is SpaceX, Elon Musk’s startup. His spacetech company is worth $150 billion, as reported by data from CB Insights. Across the board, there’s a lot of new AI investment coming through, and so there might possibly begin to bring in more unicorn status companies within a few years time.
 

Best Unicorn Companies Who Innovate Their Spaces

 
These 10 companies reached unicorn status within the last few years. Although some companies took longer or shorter than others, its still worth celebrating this milestone that places UK businesses on the map. These are UK-based, or UK-investor unicorns…
 

1. Zyber 365

 
Founded in 2023, Zyber 365 is a Web3 and AI-based operating system that combines cybersecurity with quantum proofing to create blockchain solutions. It helps industries such as cybersecurity, operating systems, and blockchain networks. The company is an Indian owned company, with the headquarters and investors, SRAM & MRAM Group, being in the UK.
 

2. Beamery

 
This company was founded in 2013 but joined the unicorns in 2022. Beamery is a platform for cloud-based applicant tracking system suite solutions. They help companies with candidate sourcing, recruitment CRM, and other HR and recruitment processes.
 

3. Marshmallow

 
Marshmallow was introduced to the UK in 2017 and first black-owned unicorn as of 2021. It is an insurtech company that uses big data and AI to bring clients uniquely curated insurance products. This company prides itself in being the go-to for new UK residents, with 70% of their clientele being “new to the UK”. On their website, they shared, “In July 2023, our average quote for UK newcomers was more than 45% cheaper than the equivalent quote with zero years of driving and claim-free experience. At Marshmallow, we accept driving and claim-free history from all countries.”
 

4. BeZero Carbon

 
This is a startup unicorn founded in 2020, and reached unicorn in December 2022. In fact, they were the only fintech to reach unicorn in that month. BeZero Carbon focuses on creating markets for environmental assets, beginning with the Voluntary Carbon Market. They also help with transactions in the carbon credit markets.
 

5. Accelerant

 
Accelerant, founded in 2018, reached unicorn status in 2022. Similar to BeZero Carbon, this was one of the first fintech unicorns for January 2022. Accelerant is a specialty underwriting group that uses data-driven strategies to assist underwriters in the insurance industry, focusing on a network of select, high-quality members. They explained more on what they do, saying, “We operate a data-driven risk exchange that connects selected specialty insurance underwriters (the “sellers” on our platform) with risk capital partners (the “buyers” on our platform).”
 

 

6. Stability AI

 
Stability AI launched in 2021, and reached unicorn status already in November 2022. This platform has AI-powered tools that convert text into visual content across different mediums, such as images and videos. Their product, Stable Diffusion, has become popular because it creates detailed visuals quickly and efficiently, so artists and creators have a new way to create.
 

7. Copper

 
Copper reached unicorn about 4 years since it launched in 2018 and essentially what they focus on is bringing security services for digital assets. The digital world can be risky when it comes to keeping safe. So, they bring solutions that make sure nothing happens, for example, to your crypto wallets.
 

8. Multiverse

 
Founded in 2016, Multiverse gives non-graduates apprenticeship opportunities by providing them with training services, in favoured and in-demand topics for startup owner, like digital marketing and business administration. They reached unicorn level in 2022, making them the first UK edtech company to do so.
 

9. Rapyd

 
Having reached unicorn status in 2019, this fintech company that was founded in 2016, serves as a payment platform that integrates financial services into any app, so that businesses, such as ecommerce stores, can accept payments around the world.
 

10. Paddle

 
Paddle launched in 2012 and became unicorn 10 years later, in 2022. Their proposition involves helping software companies manage their global transactions well. It takes on the job of managing international payments and adapting to different tax regulations, so that their clients can expand their markets across regions.