This column was originally published in Forbes Mexico in its Spanish edition.
Currently, the concept of a «unicorn» in the tech world is widely known, with more than 1,300 such startups around the globe. Two surprising phenomena over the past 10 years give us glimpses of the future of innovation and tech entrepreneurship.
The term «unicorn» was first coined in 2013 by Aileen Lee, founder of the venture capital firm Cowboy Ventures, based in Palo Alto, California. During an analysis of the valuations of hundreds of startups, Lee discovered that out of approximately 60,000 companies founded between 2003 and 2013, only 39 had reached a valuation of over a billion dollars. This rarity led Lee to introduce the term «unicorn» in her article titled «Welcome to the Unicorn Club: Learning from Billion-Dollar Startups.«
Since then, 11 years have passed, and two surprising facts illuminate the potential future of innovation that we’ll see in the coming years.
