Five years later, we seem to be numb to the billion-dollar acquisitions and valuations around us. WhatsApp was acquired for $19 billion. Uber is valued at $72 billion .
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47 red-hot tech startups that became worth billions this year
When Instagram sold to Facebook for $1 billion in 2013, it felt like a massive sum of money.
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Yet, to build a billion-dollar company from scratch is still an incredibly difficult feat. Last year, CB Insights reported that the odds of becoming a unicorn a company valued at $1 billion or more was less than 1% for companies that had raised venture capital.
In 2018, there were 47 tech companies in the US to reach this unicorn status, according to data provided by PitchBook .
Others were included in PitchBook's list, like the makeup company Pat McGrath Labs, the fancy healthcare provider One Medical, and the publicly traded weed dispensary company MedMen. There were also international companies. For our list, we selected US companies with technology at the core of their business.
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Here are the 47 US tech companies that reached unicorn status in 2018:
47. ThoughtSpot
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What it does: Search and AI-based analytics
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What it's worth now: $1 billion
Year founded: 2012
46. WalkMe
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What it does: Guides users to navigatewebsites and apps more efficiently
What it's worth now: $1 billion
Year founded: 2011
45. Seismic
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Seismic
What it does: Software for sales team productivity
What it's worth now: $1 billion
Year founded: 2010
44. Tresata
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Tresata
What it does: Analytics software company
What it's worth now: $1 billion
Year founded: 2011
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43. Talkdesk
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Talkdesk
What it does: Cloud-based call center software
What it's worth now: $1 billion
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Year founded: 2011
42. JFrog
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JFrog/screenshot
What it does: Deploys software to the cloud
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What it's worth now: $1 billion
Year founded: 2008
41. OutSystems
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What it does: Platform for "low code" app creation. Think Squarespace, but for mobile apps.
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What it's worth now: $1 billion
Year founded: 2001
40. SoundHound
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Google Play Store
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What it does: Audio and speech recognitionsoftware
What it's worth now: $1.05 billion
Year founded: 2005
39. Formlabs
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Formlabs
What it does: 3D printer manufacturer
What it's worth now: $1.065 billion
Year founded: 2011
38. Rubicon
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Rubicon/screenshot
What it does: Waste management and recycling
What it's worth now: $1.066 billion
Year founded: 2008
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37. Postmates
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What it does: Food delivery
What it's worth now: $1.076 billion
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Year founded: 2011
36. Convoy
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Convoy
What it does: Tech-powered trucking services
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What it's worth now: $1.085 billion
Year founded: 2015
35. Tradeshift
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Tradeshift
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What it does: Open-source trade platform
What it's worth now: $1.1 billion
Year founded: 2008
34. Brex
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Brex
What it does: Corporate credit cards for startups
What it's worth now: $1.1 billion
Year founded: 2017
33. Airtable
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Airtable
What it does: Spreadsheet and database product
What it's worth now: $1.1 billion
Year founded: 2012
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32. Lime
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What it does: Electric scooters and e-assist bikes
What it's worth now: $1.1 billion
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Year founded: 2017
31. Cohesity
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Cohesity
What it does: Data infrastructure and storage
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What it's worth now: $1.1 billion
Year founded: 2013
30. Gitlab
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Gitlab/screenshot
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What it does: Asingle application for development operations, from project planning to source code management.
What it's worth now: $1.1 billion
Year founded: 2011
29. TripActions
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TripActions
What it does: Corporate travel management
What it's worth now: $1.2 billion
Year founded: 2015
28. Intercom
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Intercom
What it does: Customer messaging platform
What it's worth now: $1.275 billion
Year founded: 2011
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27. Starry
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Starry
What it does: Internet for $50 per month
What it's worth now: $1.29 billion
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Year founded: 2014
26. Chargepoint
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What it does: Charging stations for electric cars
What it's worth now: $1.3 billion
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Year founded: 2007
25. PagerDuty
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PagerDuty
What it does: Surfaces technical issues for companies
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What it's worth now: $1.3 billion
Year founded: 2009
24. Toast
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Toast
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What it does: Restaurant point-of-sale and management system
What it's worth now: $1.4 billion
Year founded: 2011
23. Allbirds
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What it does: Merino wool shoes
What it's worth now: $1.4 billion*
Year founded: 2014
*This valuation has been reported but never confirmed by the company.
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22. Netskope
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Shutterstock
What it does: Cloud software security
What it's worth now: $1.4 billion
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Year founded: 2012
21. Samsara
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Samsara
What it does: Fleet management system
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What it's worth now: $1.4 billion
Year founded: 2015
20. Freshworks
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Courtesy of Freshworks
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What it does: Customer support and sales software
What it's worth now: $1.5 billion
Year founded: 2010
19. Asana
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Asana
What it does: Collaboration and productivity software
What it's worth now: $1.5 billion
Year founded: 2008
18. ZipRecruiter
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ZipRecruiter/Screenshot
What it does: Job listings and recruiting platform
What it's worth now: $1.5 billion
Year founded: 2010
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17. Dataminr
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Dataminr
What it does: Discovers critical, breaking information before its in the news
What it's worth now: $1.592 billion
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Year founded: 2009
16. ServiceTitan
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ServiceTitan
What it does: Management software for home services companies
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What it's worth now: $1.6 billion
Year founded: 2013
15. Discord
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Discord
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What it does: Voice, video, and text app designed for gamers
What it's worth now: $1.65 billion
Year founded: 2012
14. Looker
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Looker
What it does: Database software
What it's worth now: $1.7 billion
Year founded: 2012
13. Automation Anywhere
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Automation Anywhere
What it does: Software that helps companies automate repetitive and routine tasks, which industry folks like to call "robotic process automation," or RPA.
What it's worth now: $1.8 billion
Year founded: 2003
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12. HashiCorp
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HashiCorp
What it does: Cloud computing infrastructure
What it's worth now: $1.9 billion
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Year founded: 2012
11. InVision
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InVision App
What it does: Digital product design platform
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What it's worth now: $2 billion
Year founded: 2011
10. Bird
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What it does: Electronic scooters
What it's worth now: $2 billion
Year founded: 2017
9. Roblox
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Roblox
What it does: Online game creation platform
What it's worth now: $2.4 billion
Year founded: 2005
8. Plaid
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Plaid
What it does: Financial software that connects users' bank accounts
What it's worth now: $2.6 billion
Year founded: 2013
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7. Procore
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Procore
What it does: Construction management software
What it's worth now: $3 billion
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Year founded: 2003
6. Circle
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Circle
What it does: Cryptocurrency investment platform
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What it's worth now: $3 billion
Year founded: 2013
5. UiPath
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UiPath
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What it does: Automates routine tasks for businesses. Similar to Automation Anywhere, it calls its technology, "robotic process automation."
What it's worth now: $3 billion
Year founded: 2005
4. Snowflake
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Snowflake
What it does: Cloud-based data-warehousing
What it's worth now: $3.95 billion
Year founded: 2012
3. DoorDash
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DoorDash
What it does: Food delivery
What it's worth now: $4 billion
Year founded: 2013
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2. Epic Games
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What it does: Video game developers and the makers of "Fortnite."
What it's worth now: $15 billion
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Year founded: 1991
1. Juul Labs
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JUUL Labs
What it does: Electronic cigarettes
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What it's worth now: $38 billion
Year founded: 2017
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