The unicorns among us | TechCrunch


Ten years ago, Cowboy Ventures founder Aileen Lee coined the term “unicorn” to describe startups that reached $1 billion valuation. At the time, there were only 39 startups on the list, but cut to today, where more than 500 companies now live on the list.


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Not only did the number of unicorns boom, but also what they’re focused on shifted: The pendulum swung hard in the direction of B2B startups over the last decade — but the thing with pendulums is that eventually they swing back.

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Ask Sophie: What visas could work to come to Silicon Valley for customer discovery?

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Dear Sophie,

I’m a founder of a startup in Estonia. I listened to your podcast about the importance of international founders coming to the U.S. to meet collaborators and do customer discovery before expanding in the market. Should I come on a visitor visa? Any other visa options I should consider?

— Eager in Estonia

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A startup pitch is not a presentation and founders must understand the differences

Anthill presents at Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco on October 18, 2022. Image Credit: Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch

Image Credits: Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch

Startups have limited time to engage their audience, which is why it’s critical for founders to make their pitch persuasive from the start, according to Bill Reichert, a partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures.

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Image Credits: DrAfter123 (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

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