In search of EU unicorns - What do we know about them?

Giuseppina Testa, Ramón Compañó, Ana Correia and Eva Rückert ()

No JRC127712, JRC Research Reports from Joint Research Centre

Abstract: This paper provides insights into the geographical and sectorial distribution of EU unicorns. Using the Unicorn club data from Dealroom up to mid-2021, it explores where they are located, how old they are and how they reached unicorn status. The analysis takes the form of a comparative study of unicorns from the EU, the US and China. We compare the three locations in terms of the age of companies at which unicorn status is reached, the number of financing rounds and the overall amount of financing raised by the time unicorn status is attained. We also profile the top investors in European unicorns and their acquisition strategies. We then look at the unicorn founders in terms of gender, place of origin and educational background. Finally, we discuss the role of government intervention, in particular of the European Innovation Council, in supporting the development of fast-growing companies.

Keywords: unicorn; startups; scaleups; venture capital; finance; innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O25 O31 O32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 59 pages
Date: 2022-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ent and nep-sbm
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc127712

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