That is why Launch Mappers have continued to create a dedicated report on The 10 Future Unicorns launched in 2021. Throughout this paper, we've combined different types of businesses from which we can all gather some insights on how they are laying down the foundations for explosive growth cycles.
What happened to companies featured in 2020?
During 2020, we've witnessed many early-stage startups go to market and grow rapidly, whether it's related to capital raised, the number of employees hired or revenue generated. Many of these companies have become household names and have reached unicorn status within a short time. Among our initial list of 15 companies, seven of them are now valued at more than £500M.
Trends from 2021
When creating the second edition of this report, we've analysed more than 100 startups founded in 2021 or late 2020. There are some key differences within the European startup landscape:
- Rise of blockchain: More and more companies are leveraging blockchain technology. As the crypto economy continues to grow in 2022, we will see more startups reward their clients in the form of tokens thanks to this technology. Consumers will push and use companies' products more if they can invest in their success through tokens.
- New solutions vs hiring: Many companies sometimes struggle with recruitment due to the lack of capital and/or attractiveness. This issue isn't necessarily new but creating products that non-specialists can manage enables them to continue growing without hiring new talent.
- Understanding the state of current industries: Sometimes creating entirely new products isn't necessarily needed within specific industries. Understanding what's missing and essential within the day to day is also laying some strong foundations down for a successful product – for example, the demand from B2B buyers to use fewer platforms to make purchasing decisions.
What you will uncover in this report
Strategies are continuously evolving and changing year on year. In 2021, the startups we have found are very different. Many companies we've featured have decided to operate in stealth mode for a long time before launching publicly. Companies are way less capital intensive and are instead focused on serving a particular audience's needs.
Discover many more learnings within our latest report, The 10 Future Unicorns Launched in 2021.
