2017 IPO Prospects: ForeScout Files “Confidentially”

Last year, only 40 VC-backed US startups went public. This was the lowest number since 2009. The volatile public market at the beginning of the year forced several startups to delay their IPO plans. One of them was cyber security Billion Dollar Unicorn ForeScout. But it has recently filed confidentially for an IPO.  >>>

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Twilio Focuses on Enterprises

Twilio’s (NYSE: TWLO) roller coaster start on the stock markets appears to have settled down. After soaring more than three times within a few months of listing, the stock appears to have calmed down to more realistic levels.

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For Salesforce, it is all About AI Now

Earlier this week, Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) reported its quarterly results, surpassing market expectations. For a while now, Salesforce has been targeting to become the first $10 billion cloud services company. Recent outlook reveals that the milestone may not be too far off now.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Global Switch Wants to be Leader in Data Centers

According to a report by Research Beam, the Global Data Center Market is estimated to grow at 10.7% annually through the period 2016 to 2020. The growth in the industry is attributed to the increasing demand among organizations to move to virtualization and automation while demanding higher operational efficiency. London-based Global Switch is a Billion Dollar Unicorn player in the data center industry.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: BlackLine Continues to Grow Post IPO

Last October, Los Angeles-based BlackLine (Nasdaq: BL) known for its SaaS financial reconciliation software, had gone public despite the weak IPO market. But the company’s strong product offering and a keen business sense have kept it in good stead. It recently reported its fourth quarter earnings and the market was pleased with its performance.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Putting Flipkart’s Struggles in Perspective

Flipkart had a turbulent time in 2016 as it struggled with management changes and exits of top-level executives as well as against the might of Amazon. It started the year 2017 with yet another management change to focus on profitability and prepare it for going public. >>>

Billion Dollar Unicorns: Zhihu Imitates Quora to Build a Valuation Without Revenue Company

For a while now, VCs’ delusional competitive bidding in startup investing had resulted in skyrocketing valuations. Last year, several venture funds re-evaluated their valuation and several startups saw valuations reduce to more realistic levels. But the market correction is not yet complete. There continue to exist Billion Dollar Unicorns that have no sustainable business or financial model and yet are members of the club. China’s Zhihu is one such case.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Kendra Scott Shows that Women CAN Build Unicorns

According to a report by IBISWorld, the US jewelry store industry is estimated to have grown 1.2% annually through the years 2011 to 2016 to be worth $35 billion in 2016. The industry is expected to grow at a modest 0.4% annually through till 2021, primarily due to the decline in precious metal cost over the years. But decelerating growth rates do not seem to bother the new member of the Billion Dollar Unicorn brigade Kendra Scott.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: SimpliVity Exits in HPE’s Arms

According to IDC, the worldwide converged systems market grew 12.1% to $2.9 billion in Q2 2016. Hyperconverged sales grew 137.5% to $480.62 million or 16.2% of the converged systems market. Riding on this hypergrowth, SimpliVity entered the Billion Dollar Unicorn Club and was recently acquired by HPE. >>>

Billion Dollar Unicorns: Huochebang is the Uber of Trucks in China

According to a report by Transparency Market Research, the global logistics market is expected to grow 7.5% annually from $8.1 trillion in 2015 to $15.5 trillion by 2023. The report believes that roadways will continue to be the most favored mode of logistic transport in terms of revenues. In recent years, China has been the biggest contributor to growth due to the growing presence of a large manufacturing base. A separate report pegs the Chinese logistics industry to be worth $1.6 trillion in 2016. That has spurred the entry of Truck Alliance Inc., known in China as Huochebang, to become the latest Billion Dollar Unicorn entrant in the region.

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