Billion Dollar Unicorns: Alteryx is a Prospect

According to a Research and Markets report, the global Business Intelligence and Analytics Software Market is expected to grow from $17.90 billion in 2014 to $26.78 billion by 2019, at a CAGR of 8.4%. Gartner adds that with the proliferation of data sources and applications, analytics is shifting from being a singular tool to become more omnipresent, embedded in various applications and infrastructures. One vendor in this evolving BI and analytics space is Alteryx, which is seen as a prospective Billion Dollar Unicorn. >>>

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Ele.Me Shows Online-2-Offline Works

China’s total consumption in the food ordering industry is estimated to grow from 450 billion yuan (~$70.6 billion) in 2013 to 700 billion yuan (~$109.9 billion) by 2016, at an annual growth rate of 16%. Back in 2013, food delivering accounted for nearly 10% of this market, which indicates that the food ordering and delivery industry will reach 70 billion yuan (~$11 billion) by 2016. China’s Billion Dollar Unicorn Ele.me is a leading player in this segment.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Match.com Looking to Court the Stock Market Now

According to an IBISWorld report, dating sites in the US are expected to earn $1.17 billion in 2015 with dating apps expected to bring in $628.8 million. In 2014, dating sites had generated $1.08 billion in revenues with dating apps accounting for $572 million in revenues. The market has seen significant consolidation in the online dating industry with over 10 dating companies getting acquired last year. Analysts attribute the consolidation to there being “too many players and not a lot generating sufficient revenue for these sites”. Among the leading players in the segment is Billion Dollar Unicorn player Match.com, which recently filed to go public.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Atlassian Now Prepping for a US Listing

According to a Gartner report, the Application Development market is projected to be worth $8.7 billion this year. An IDC report estimates the Collaborative Applications market to be worth $13.5 billion and the Project and Portfolio Management market to be worth $3.8 billion in 2015. Australian entry to the Billion Dollar Unicorn club Atlassian has established a strong presence in these markets and is now looking to list on the US Stock exchange.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Kabbage Latest Unicorn in Slowing Online Lending Sector

Loan approvals from traditional banks to small businesses had taken a huge hit after the recession and this has led to the rise of alternative lending services and online lending platforms. According to a research study by TradeUp, more than $8.6 billion or 2.8% of small business loans in 2014 were from online lending platforms. Kabbage is one such online lending platform that has recently made its way to the Billion Dollar Unicorn Club . >>>

Facebook Keen on SMBs But Not on Monetizing WhatsApp

According to BIA/KELSEY, spending on local media by small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) will reach $50.4 billion in 2015, representing 35.8% of total local media spending in the US. Out of this, SMBs are expected to spend $12.4 billion on digital media. Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) is looking to tap this market with its focus on SMBs. >>>

Billion Dollar Unicorns: FanDuel Creates a Billion Dollar Company out of Fantasy Sports

According to an ESPN research, non-betting, yearly-based fantasy sports users are a fast growing demographic, reporting a 25% annual growth rate since 2011. The Fantasy Sports Trade Association estimates that there are nearly 51.8 million fantasy sports players in the US and Canada in 2015. Another research firm Eilers Research estimates the daily games to generate nearly $2.6 billion in entry fees in 2015 and grow 41% annually to $14.4 billion by the year 2020. The fast growing industry is also helping create Billion Dollar Unicorns. One such company is New York-based FanDuel.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Secretive Infinidat Makes its Way to the Club

According to an IDC report, the worldwide enterprise storage systems market is projected to grow to $37.3 billion in 2015, growing 3.9% annually over the period 2010 through 2015. Needham, Massachusetts-headquartered Infinidat is a secretive little company in the sector which has suddenly shot into the Billion Dollar Unicorn Club.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Square Files for IPO Below Last Round of Financing

I have constantly questioned the prudence in the venture funding of companies at unjustifiable valuations. I believe that some of these Billion Dollar Unicorn companies, when scrutinized through the stock market investor’s lenses, will see their valuations whittle down to more acceptable levels. Last week, mobile payment processing company Square filed their IPO and as predicted, they failed to sustain their valuation.

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ERII Finally Gets Its Due

Growing populations, increased demand for water, and diminishing freshwater sources due to environmental degradation and drought have created water shortages across the world. According to a report from BCC Research, the global market for seawater and brackish water desalination is expected to reach $7.2 billion in 2018 at a CAGR of 11.9%. Water desalination expert Energy Recovery Inc. (ERI) (NASDAQ: ERII) is seeing strong revenue growth driven by the strengthening of the global desalination market. However, what has caused the 220% jump in its stock is its $125 million 15-year deal with Schlumberger in the oil and gas industry. >>>