Move Over Unicorns. ‘Soonicorns’ Are Taking Over the Startup World in 2026.
AI is flooding the startup world with cash, creating a new class of companies — and there are now more than 2,000 of them in the U.S. alone.
Unicorns are so 2021. The hottest status symbol for start-ups right now are “soonicorns,” a term coined by Stanford professor Ilya Strebulaev, as reported by the New York Times.
A soonicorn is a venture-backed company valued between $500 million and $999 million. It’s set to cross the billion-dollar unicorn threshold, but not quite there yet. Think of it as a minor league star before they hit the bigs.
There are now more than 2,000 soonicorns in the U.S. alone, up dramatically from a decade ago. Why the sudden surge? AI has made it easier than ever to launch a company at a sky-high valuation. Some start-ups are hitting soonicorn status on their very first funding round.
But “soon” doesn’t guarantee “ever.” Soonicorns won’t necessarily become unicorns. Some will go public at lower valuations, others will stall, and some will fail altogether. It’s all about how quickly they’ll hit their stride. Before 2015, reaching unicorn status took about 6.5 years. Today, it takes closer to 3.5 years—and AI is accelerating that timeline even further.
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Unicorns are so 2021. The hottest status symbol for start-ups right now are “soonicorns,” a term coined by Stanford professor Ilya Strebulaev, as reported by the New York Times.
A soonicorn is a venture-backed company valued between $500 million and $999 million. It’s set to cross the billion-dollar unicorn threshold, but not quite there yet. Think of it as a minor league star before they hit the bigs.
There are now more than 2,000 soonicorns in the U.S. alone, up dramatically from a decade ago. Why the sudden surge? AI has made it easier than ever to launch a company at a sky-high valuation. Some start-ups are hitting soonicorn status on their very first funding round.
But “soon” doesn’t guarantee “ever.” Soonicorns won’t necessarily become unicorns. Some will go public at lower valuations, others will stall, and some will fail altogether. It’s all about how quickly they’ll hit their stride. Before 2015, reaching unicorn status took about 6.5 years. Today, it takes closer to 3.5 years—and AI is accelerating that timeline even further.
Sign up for the Entrepreneur Daily newsletter to get the news and resources you need to know today to help you run your business better. Get it in your inbox.
