unicorn startup
- noun
- Jargon
:
startup unicornio
- Becoming a unicorn startup has become a benchmark for success among tech entrepreneurs.
Examples
-
Many investors are eager to identify the next unicorn startup before it achieves a billion-dollar valuation.
-
The latest unicorn startup has just raised $200 million.
-
She landed a job at a rapidly growing unicorn startup in Silicon Valley.
-
Have you heard about that new unicorn startup in Silicon Valley?
-
Airbnb is considered a classic example of a unicorn startup due to its valuation exceeding one billion dollars.
-
The rise of tech companies in Silicon Valley has led to many unicorn startups emerging in recent years.
-
Investors are always on the lookout for the next unicorn startup that could revolutionize an industry.
Synonyms
7
6.5
A private startup worth one billion dollars or more
How Valuable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'unicorn' (in the business sense, a company valued at one billion dollars) combined with 'startup' yields a startup valued at over $1B. This noun+noun compounding follows standard English formation, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent senses would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Unicorn startup comes from the image of a unicorn — a rare, magical horse — and a startup, a new company. One popular story says investors used the unicorn to show how rare a private company worth 'one billion dollars' is, so the term now means a private company valued at over 'one billion dollars'.