The 2022 European Unicorn & Soonicorn Report

Most Aspiring Ventures in Europe

  • 130 Unicorns
  • 257 Soonicorns
  • 46 Exited Unicorns

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    The European Unicorn & Soonicorn Map 2022

    European technology companies have undeniably entered the global stage to compete with tech made in Silicon Valley. While the United States is still home to 4 times the amount of tech companies worth more than 1 billion USD (so-called “unicorns”), Europe is catching up at speed and breeding unicorns faster than the US ever did.

    With 84 new unicorns created in 2021, Europe currently counts 130 unicorns that created over 135,000 jobs and have a combined valuation of more than EUR 370bn.

    While unicorns have undoubtedly already made it, what about the companies trying to get there soon?

    This report sheds light on Europe’s most aspiring ventures: the uni- and soonicorns, that create impact well beyond the continent’s borders. It is not just a summary of the status quo, but even more so an outlook of what to expect in the months and years to come!

    Download the free report and get your hands on everything to know about Europe’s most aspiring ventures!

    This is version 1.2 – edited on April 7th 2022 | The data freeze for version 1.1 was Jan 20th 2022

    European Unicorn & Soonicorn Maps

    TOP 3 MOST VALUABLE UNICORNS
    Unicorns
    YOUNGEST SOONICORNS
    Soonicorns

    European Unicorn & Soonicorn Logomaps

    UNICORNS PER REGION
    34
    DACH Region
    44
    UK & Ireland
    14
    Northern Europe
    26
    Southern Europe
    8
    BENELUX Region
    4
    Eastern Europe
    34
    DACH Region
    44
    UK & Ireland
    14
    Northern Europe
    26
    Southern Europe
    8
    BENELUX Region
    4
    Eastern Europe
    Unicorns
    SOONICORNS PER REGION
    85
    DACH Region
    77
    UK & Ireland
    26
    Northern Europe
    45
    Southern Europe
    20
    BENELUX Region
    4
    Eastern Europe
    85
    DACH Region
    77
    UK & Ireland
    26
    Northern Europe
    45
    Southern Europe
    20
    BENELUX Region
    4
    Eastern Europe
    Soonicorns

    Founding Teams & Female Founders

    Founding Teams
    ♀️ Female Founders

    Regional Insights

    DACH Region
    Germany, Austria, Switzerland
    • Germany remains on place 2 in the European ranking of the most unicorns
    • Austria in 4th place in the European ranking of most unicorns after a record year 2021
    • Europe’s fastest unicorn is Gorillas and comes from Berlin
    • Germany’s startup elite becomes more female
    UK & Ireland
    • 23 new Tech Unicorns created 2021 in the UK alone
    • With 41 unicorns in total, the UK remains the #1 breeding ground for unicorns in Europe
    • More than 38% of Europe’s combined unicorn valuation has been created in the UK
    Northern Europe
    Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland
    • 14 new unicorns created in Northern Europe alone
    • Swedish FinTech Klarna remains Europe’s most valuable unicorn with a valuation of EUR 37.5bn
    • According to European VCs, 26 companies in Northern Europe have the potential to turn into unicorns within the next 24 months
    Southern Europe
    France, Spain, Italy, Greece
    • 12 new unicorns were created in France, 1 new unicorn in Spain (4 more quickly followed in 2022)
    • France remains the country home to the 3rd most unicorns in Europe after UK and Germany
    • According to European VCs, 43 companies from France, Spain and Italy have the potential to turn into unicorns within the next 24 months
    BENELUX Region
    Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
    • 2 new unicorns created in the Netherlands, 1 in Belgium
    • 20 companies in BENELUX expected to achieve unicorn status soon
    Eastern Europe
    Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Croatia, Estonia
    • 1 new unicorn created in Poland, Czech Republic and Lithuania each
    • 4 companies in Eastern Europe expected to achieve unicorn status soon

    Exited Unicorns

    DOWNLOAD THE FULL 2022 REPORT FOR FREE

    The full report includes detailed information and portraits on all featured European Unicorns & Soonicorns, as well as on the Exited Unicorns in Europe, and includes a search index and vertical description.

    OTHER PUBLICATIONS
    (in cooperation with the WU Entrepreneurship Center)

    About the Publishers

    As an international tech M&A, corporate finance advisory, investor and venture builder, the primary focus of i5invest/i5growth is to support growth and manage corporate development and cross-border M&A processes for extraordinary tech companies. Operating out of Berlin, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Vienna, i5 has set up over 150 strategic partnerships and international M&A transactions with companies such as Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Verizon, Verisign, Samsung, Cisco, Telefonica, NBC, Naspers, Volkswagen, Amdocs, IAC, Pfizer/Zoetis, Nvidia, Airbus, Toronto Stock Exchange and many other global tier 1 technology giants.

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