The Highest-Valued Startups in the World

According to the CB Insights unicorn list, Chinese AI and media company ByteDance is the highest-valued startup – currently private, up-and-coming company – in the world. The parent company of TikTok is valued at $225 billion. ByteDance also runs content platform Toutiao in China, which uses machine learning to tailor a newsfeed for each individual viewer out of traditional and new media sources.

The list of the top 8 highest-valued startups in the world only features one non-U.S. and non-Chinese company, Fintech app and neobank Revolut out of the United Kingdom. As of November 2023, other highly ranked international entries are Australian software company Canva (rank 10) and Indonesian logistics provider J&T Express (rank 13). A quick riser on the list has been Chinese apparel retailer Shein, now valued at $66 billion.

According to CB Insights, there were more than 1,200 unicorn startups (companies valued at $1 billion or more) in the world as of October 2023. Around 40 are decacorns, valued at $10 billion or more, including OpenAI, Discord, Grammarly, JUUL, BYJU's and Reddit. Bytedance and Space X are the world's hectocorns, valued at more than $100 billion.