Unicorn

A unicorn company refers to a private startup that has an enterprise value of at least $1 billion (KRW 1 trillion) and was founded less than 10 years ago. Here, "unicorn" is the English word "unicorn," and "uni-" is a prefix meaning one. Therefore, startups with an enterprise value of at least $10 billion (KRW 10 trillion) are called decacorns, using the prefix "deca-" meaning ten, as if they had ten horns.

In the early 2010s, thanks to the widespread adoption of smartphones, unicorn companies rapidly increased and the original meaning faded. In 2022, when central banks around the world significantly lowered benchmark interest rates to curb high inflation caused by excessive liquidity, an economic slowdown set in, venture capital funds were tied up, and corporate values generally fell sharply.

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Topics: corporation
Category: Wiki/Economy