Every startup dreams of becoming a unicorn. Reaching that $1 billion valuation is a rite of passage for would-be tech giants and by no means an easy feat. Yet despite this lofty goal, new unicorns get minted every year.
There are only a handful of tech unicorns that are based out of the greater Seattle area. These companies operate across a variety of industries — including logistics, artificial intelligence, gaming and more — and are often well-known within their field.
In 2021, five more Seattle companies reached unicorn valuation — joining this exclusive list. Built In has gathered these companies in one list to celebrate their achievement, and show off the growth within the Seattle tech scene.
$2.3B Valuation as of February
Not only is Highspot valued at over $1 billion, it’s valued at over $2 billion too. The sales enablement platform raised a $200 million Series E funding round in February at a $2.3 billion valuation. This comes after a big year of growth for the company, which saw its platform usage double from 2019 to 2020. Highspot has grown so much that it made this year’s Deloitte Tech Fast 500 list.
$1.25B Valuation as of March
Just three months after raising its $20 million Series C, gaming platform Rec Room became a unicorn when it raised $100 million at a $1.25 billion valuation. Rec Room has created a video game metaverse where players can interact, build worlds, play mini games and hang out in a virtual world. Not surprisingly, this type of platform did well during the Covid-19 pandemic because it gave people a place to spend time with friends in a virtual setting. In December 2020, Rec Room hit 10 million users. By March 2021, that number ballooned to 15 million.
$1B+ Valuation as of July
Amperity’s platform allows brands to collect and store their customer data in a central location so they can make the most out of that information. Customer data is very valuable to brands, so it makes sense that a company that built a platform to store it is valuable too. In July, Amperity raised a $100 million Series D funding round which put its valuation just above $1 billion.
$1.33B Valuation as of August
Not only did TaxBit just become a unicorn, it also just became a Seattle company. In July, TaxBit announced that it was opening up an HQ2 in Seattle. Then a month later, TaxBit raised a $130 million Series B at a $1.33 billion valuation. TaxBit created software that helps people file their taxes, manage portfolios and make trades that minimize the impact of taxes.
$1.1B Valuation as of October
Karat has designed a platform that allows companies to conduct technical interviews for engineering job candidates. In today’s world, technology is baked into nearly every company in one way or another. Because of this, professional software developers and engineers are always in high demand. Karat helps companies find and vet these professionals to make sure they’re a fit. In October, the company raised a $110 million Series C funding round at a $1.1 billion valuation. As demand for its product grows, Karat is looking to scale its business internationally.
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