What is Unicorn Screener?

Unicorn Screener is a startup analysis platform that scores any startup on its unicorn potential using a 100-point algorithm. It evaluates startups across five research-backed dimensions and delivers a detailed PDF report. Only 0.07% of startups ever reach a $1B valuation, and Unicorn Screener helps investors identify which ones have the highest probability of getting there.

What type of startup works best with Unicorn Screener?

Unicorn Screener is built for private startups valued between $20M and $1B. Below $20M, our deep search agents struggle to find enough public information to produce a reliable score. Above $1B, the engine still works well, but the company is already a unicorn, so the screener shifts to assessing decacorn potential instead.

What data sources does Unicorn Screener use?

Unicorn Screener aggregates publicly available data from corporate websites, news articles, industry databases, and more. Four specialized AI agents research founders, traction, market, and product in parallel. The Accuracy Score on each report indicates how complete the data was. No private or confidential information is ever accessed.

Who is Unicorn Screener for?

Unicorn Screener is designed for angel investors evaluating deals, venture capital firms screening deal flow, startup founders benchmarking their competition, accelerators assessing applicants, and anyone curious about a startup's potential. You get an instant, data-driven analysis with no signup required.

How does this compare to hiring an analyst?

A junior analyst typically takes 4 to 8 hours to do a comparable due diligence pass on one startup. Unicorn Screener does it in under 4 minutes for $9. The trade-off is that an analyst can pick up the phone and ask follow-up questions; we work from public data only. Use Unicorn Screener as the first filter, then send a human to the deals that pass.

I am an AI agent — can I use Unicorn Screener programmatically?

Yes. Full agent documentation is available at unicornscreener.vc/docs/ai-agents.

Think a startup deserves to be ranked? Run a free analysis to put it on the board.

Live ranking

Top 50 Startups Leaderboard

Name: Unicorn Screener Top 50 Startups Dataset
Creator: Unicorn Screener
License: https://unicornscreener.vc/terms-and-conditions

Every startup analyzed through Unicorn Screener lands here, ranked by unicorn potential by our algorithm. Want yours on the board? Run a free analysis.

Wanna learn more on our ranking methodology? Read our frequently asked questions.

50startups rankedValuations updated quarterly.

RankStartupSector

1
Sierra
Better customer experiences. Built on Sierra.
$16B
—AI/ML90/100
2
Saronic
Saronic builds cutting-edge unmanned surface vessels for maritime security and domain awareness, including autonomous surface vessels for the US military.
$9B
—Defense Tech89/100
3
Huntress
Wrecking Hackers 24/7
$1.5B
—Cybersecurity89/100
4
Cyera
Protect Data & Secure AI
$12Bfrom $9B
×1.3Cybersecurity89/100
5
Panthalassa
Planetary-scale energy. From the middle of the ocean.
$1B
—CleanTech88/100
6
Mistral AI
Open, frontier AI for all.
$14B
—AI/ML88/100
7
Harvey
Practice Made Perfect
$11B
—Legal Tech88/100
8
ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs is an AI research and product company transforming how we interact with technology by developing natural-sounding speech synthesis software using deep learning.
$11Bfrom $6.6B
×1.7AI/ML88/100
9
DeelYC
The all-in-one HR and payroll platform for global teams.
$17B
—HR Tech88/100
10
Decart
Decart is an Israeli artificial intelligence startup building real-time generative video models that transform live footage into immersive digital environments.
$3.1B
—AI/ML88/100
11
Hightouch
The Agentic Marketing Platform powered by the Composable CDP.
$2.8B
—AI/ML87/100
12
Hippocratic AI
Safest Generative AI Healthcare Agent
$3.5B
—HealthTech86/100
13
Gamma
Gamma is an AI-powered platform that transforms how presentations, documents, and pitch decks are created and shared, enabling users to design stunning visual content without code or design experience
$2.1B
—AI/ML86/100
14
Anthropic
Anthropic is an AI safety and research company working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
$380B
—AI/ML86/100
15
9fin
The AI-native platform for modern credit teams
$1.3B
—Fintech86/100
16
StackBlitz
StackBlitz is a collaborative browser-based IDE for web developers, enabling instant dev environments and eliminating local configuration.
$700M
—Web Development85/100
17
Dust
Dust provides an AI platform for businesses to build and deploy customized virtual assistants tailored to their specific needs, connecting leading AI models with company knowledge.
≈$90M
—AI/ML85/100
18
Glean
Work AI that works for people.
$7.2B
—AI/ML84/100
19
Decagon
Decagon is a conversational AI platform that helps businesses automate and manage customer support across channels like chat, email, voice, and SMS.
$4.5Bfrom $1.5B
×3.0AI/ML84/100
20
Tines
Tines is an AI-driven workflow automation company that provides a no-code platform for security teams to build, run, and monitor intelligent workflows.
$1.1B
—Workflow Automation83/100
21
Pennylane
Pennylane provides a financial operating system for European SMEs, offering a single source of truth for financial data used by entrepreneurs and accountants.
$4.3B
—Fintech83/100
22
LightSolver
Pioneering laser-based processing for complex optimization problems.
$16M
—Deep Tech83/100
23
Klarna
The smarter way to shop and pay.
$6.7Bfrom $5.4B
×1.2Fintech83/100
24
Pigment
Pigment is an AI-powered business planning and performance management platform that helps finance, sales, and HR teams analyze, model, and plan with agility and scale.
$1B
—Business Planning Software82/100
25
Nothing
Building a world where tech is fun again.
$1.3B
—IoT82/100
26
Factorial
Factorial is a technology company that provides human resources software as a service, helping businesses manage tasks such as employee leave, payroll, recruitment and training.
$2.5Bfrom $2B
×1.3HR Software82/100
27
Attio
Attio is an AI-native CRM platform for go-to-market teams, offering a flexible and data-driven solution to manage customer relationships and automate workflows.
Undisclosed
—CRM82/100
28
Abnormal Security
Protect Humans From Cybercrime
$5.1B
—Cybersecurity82/100
29
Stripe
Stripe is an Irish-American multinational financial services and software as a service (SaaS) company that provides payment processing software and APIs.
$159Bfrom $95B
×1.7Fintech81/100
30
Polymarket
The World's Largest Prediction Market
$15Bfrom $9B
×1.7Blockchain/Crypto81/100
31
PhotoroomYC S20
Photoroom is an AI-powered photo editor and listing studio that enables users to create studio-quality product pictures in seconds, primarily for e-commerce.
$500Mfrom $535M
×0.9AI/ML, Image Editing81/100
32
Perplexity
Accurate answers to any question, backed by sources and citations.
$23Bfrom $20B
×1.1AI/ML81/100
33
Oligo Security
Runtime AI Security for applications, workloads, and cloud infrastructure.
$300M
—Cybersecurity81/100
34
Linear
Linear is a purpose-built tool for tracking issues, managing sprints, and organizing project roadmaps for software development teams.
$1.3B
—Software81/100
35
Hypatos
AI agents for GBS: measurable, governed, and scalable for transactional processing.
$28M
—AI/ML81/100
36
Granola
The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings.
$1.5B
—AI/ML81/100
37
Cognition
Cognition builds autonomous software engineering agents.
$26Bfrom $10B
×2.5AI/ML81/100
38
AvocaYC W23
The AI Workforce for Service Businesses
$1B
—AI/ML81/100
39
VapiYC
Vapi is a voice AI platform that allows developers to build, test, and deploy advanced voice AI agents for phone calls and customer support.
$500Mfrom $130M
×3.8AI/ML80/100
40
VantaYC W18
Vanta is the #1 Agentic Trust Platform, helping businesses earn and prove trust by unifying data and workflows across compliance, risk, and security.
$4.2B
—Software80/100
41
Shield AI
AI pilots powering military aircraft, drones, ships, satellites, and submarines.
Undisclosed
—Aerospace80/100
42
Patronus AI
Simulating the World's Intelligence
$85M
—AI/ML80/100
43
LangfuseYC W23
Langfuse is an open-source LLM engineering platform that helps teams collaboratively debug, analyze, and iterate on their LLM applications.
Undisclosed
—AI/ML80/100
44
Descartes Underwriting
We believe insurance should be faster, clearer, and more reliable.
$565M
—InsurTech80/100
45
Silverfort
Maximum security, minimal effort. Identity security done right.
$1B
—Cybersecurity79/100
46
MintlifyYC
The Intelligent Knowledge Platform
$500M
—Developer Tools79/100
47
Hyperliquid
Hyperliquid is a decentralized Layer 1 blockchain with fully onchain order books, enabling trading of 100+ perpetual futures and spot assets.
$40B
—DeFi79/100
48
Hebbia
Hebbia is an AI platform that helps companies transform heaps of information into insights, offering generative AI tools for financial and legal research.
$700M
—AI/ML79/100
49
Figure AI
Bringing a general purpose humanoid to life.
$39B
—Robotics79/100
50
Colossal Biosciences
The world's first de-extinction company.
$10B
—Biotech79/100

1
Sierra
Better customer experiences. Built on Sierra.
90/100
Val.$16BAI/ML
2
Saronic
Saronic builds cutting-edge unmanned surface vessels for maritime security and domain awareness, including autonomous surface vessels for the US military.
89/100
Val.$9BDefense Tech
3
Huntress
Wrecking Hackers 24/7
89/100
Val.$1.5BCybersecurity
4
Cyera
Protect Data & Secure AI
89/100
Val.$12B×1.3Cybersecurity
5
Panthalassa
Planetary-scale energy. From the middle of the ocean.
88/100
Val.$1BCleanTech
6
Mistral AI
Open, frontier AI for all.
88/100
Val.$14BAI/ML
7
Harvey
Practice Made Perfect
88/100
Val.$11BLegal Tech
8
ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs is an AI research and product company transforming how we interact with technology by developing natural-sounding speech synthesis software using deep learning.
88/100
Val.$11B×1.7AI/ML
9
Deel
YC
The all-in-one HR and payroll platform for global teams.
88/100
Val.$17BHR Tech
10
Decart
Decart is an Israeli artificial intelligence startup building real-time generative video models that transform live footage into immersive digital environments.
88/100
Val.$3.1BAI/ML
11
Hightouch
The Agentic Marketing Platform powered by the Composable CDP.
87/100
Val.$2.8BAI/ML
12
Hippocratic AI
Safest Generative AI Healthcare Agent
86/100
Val.$3.5BHealthTech
13
Gamma
Gamma is an AI-powered platform that transforms how presentations, documents, and pitch decks are created and shared, enabling users to design stunning visual content without code or design experience
86/100
Val.$2.1BAI/ML
14
Anthropic
Anthropic is an AI safety and research company working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
86/100
Val.$380BAI/ML
15
9fin
The AI-native platform for modern credit teams
86/100
Val.$1.3BFintech
16
StackBlitz
StackBlitz is a collaborative browser-based IDE for web developers, enabling instant dev environments and eliminating local configuration.
85/100
Val.$700MWeb Development
17
Dust
Dust provides an AI platform for businesses to build and deploy customized virtual assistants tailored to their specific needs, connecting leading AI models with company knowledge.
85/100
Val.≈$90MAI/ML
18
Glean
Work AI that works for people.
84/100
Val.$7.2BAI/ML
19
Decagon
Decagon is a conversational AI platform that helps businesses automate and manage customer support across channels like chat, email, voice, and SMS.
84/100
Val.$4.5B×3.0AI/ML
20
Tines
Tines is an AI-driven workflow automation company that provides a no-code platform for security teams to build, run, and monitor intelligent workflows.
83/100
Val.$1.1BWorkflow Automation
21
Pennylane
Pennylane provides a financial operating system for European SMEs, offering a single source of truth for financial data used by entrepreneurs and accountants.
83/100
Val.$4.3BFintech
22
LightSolver
Pioneering laser-based processing for complex optimization problems.
83/100
Val.$16MDeep Tech
23
Klarna
The smarter way to shop and pay.
83/100
Val.$6.7B×1.2Fintech
24
Pigment
Pigment is an AI-powered business planning and performance management platform that helps finance, sales, and HR teams analyze, model, and plan with agility and scale.
82/100
Val.$1BBusiness Planning Software
25
Nothing
Building a world where tech is fun again.
82/100
Val.$1.3BIoT
26
Factorial
Factorial is a technology company that provides human resources software as a service, helping businesses manage tasks such as employee leave, payroll, recruitment and training.
82/100
Val.$2.5B×1.3HR Software
27
Attio
Attio is an AI-native CRM platform for go-to-market teams, offering a flexible and data-driven solution to manage customer relationships and automate workflows.
82/100
Val.UndisclosedCRM
28
Abnormal Security
Protect Humans From Cybercrime
82/100
Val.$5.1BCybersecurity
29
Stripe
Stripe is an Irish-American multinational financial services and software as a service (SaaS) company that provides payment processing software and APIs.
81/100
Val.$159B×1.7Fintech
30
Polymarket
The World's Largest Prediction Market
81/100
Val.$15B×1.7Blockchain/Crypto
31
Photoroom
YC S20
Photoroom is an AI-powered photo editor and listing studio that enables users to create studio-quality product pictures in seconds, primarily for e-commerce.
81/100
Val.$500M×0.9AI/ML, Image Editing
32
Perplexity
Accurate answers to any question, backed by sources and citations.
81/100
Val.$23B×1.1AI/ML
33
Oligo Security
Runtime AI Security for applications, workloads, and cloud infrastructure.
81/100
Val.$300MCybersecurity
34
Linear
Linear is a purpose-built tool for tracking issues, managing sprints, and organizing project roadmaps for software development teams.
81/100
Val.$1.3BSoftware
35
Hypatos
AI agents for GBS: measurable, governed, and scalable for transactional processing.
81/100
Val.$28MAI/ML
36
Granola
The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings.
81/100
Val.$1.5BAI/ML
37
Cognition
Cognition builds autonomous software engineering agents.
81/100
Val.$26B×2.5AI/ML
38
Avoca
YC W23
The AI Workforce for Service Businesses
81/100
Val.$1BAI/ML
39
Vapi
YC
Vapi is a voice AI platform that allows developers to build, test, and deploy advanced voice AI agents for phone calls and customer support.
80/100
Val.$500M×3.8AI/ML
40
Vanta
YC W18
Vanta is the #1 Agentic Trust Platform, helping businesses earn and prove trust by unifying data and workflows across compliance, risk, and security.
80/100
Val.$4.2BSoftware
41
Shield AI
AI pilots powering military aircraft, drones, ships, satellites, and submarines.
80/100
Val.UndisclosedAerospace
42
Patronus AI
Simulating the World's Intelligence
80/100
Val.$85MAI/ML
43
Langfuse
YC W23
Langfuse is an open-source LLM engineering platform that helps teams collaboratively debug, analyze, and iterate on their LLM applications.
80/100
Val.UndisclosedAI/ML
44
Descartes Underwriting
We believe insurance should be faster, clearer, and more reliable.
80/100
Val.$565MInsurTech
45
Silverfort
Maximum security, minimal effort. Identity security done right.
79/100
Val.$1BCybersecurity
46
Mintlify
YC
The Intelligent Knowledge Platform
79/100
Val.$500MDeveloper Tools
47
Hyperliquid
Hyperliquid is a decentralized Layer 1 blockchain with fully onchain order books, enabling trading of 100+ perpetual futures and spot assets.
79/100
Val.$40BDeFi
48
Hebbia
Hebbia is an AI platform that helps companies transform heaps of information into insights, offering generative AI tools for financial and legal research.
79/100
Val.$700MAI/ML
49
Figure AI
Bringing a general purpose humanoid to life.
79/100
Val.$39BRobotics
50
Colossal Biosciences
The world's first de-extinction company.
79/100
Val.$10BBiotech

Hover the i icon next to a valuation to see when each startup was first screened, the entry valuation, the realized multiple, and the source.

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First report is free. $9 per report after.

Frequently Asked Questions

Unicorn Screener's proprietary scoring model evaluates startups across five key dimensions: Founder Background, Strategic Position, Execution Velocity, Traction Momentum, and Market & Scalability. Each dimension is weighted based on peer-reviewed academic research on venture capital performance, statistically validated data from algorithmic fund strategies, and proven frameworks from top-performing angel investors and venture capitalists. The result is a score out of 100 with a detailed breakdown.

Venture capital returns follow the Power Law: according to Horsley Bridge Partners data from 7,000+ investments, roughly 2-3% of startups generate the vast majority of returns. Unicorn Screener identifies the predictive signals that separate potential outliers from the rest, validated by academic research from Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. The model is deliberately simple: only what has been proven to predict success stays in.

No model can guarantee the accuracy of any screening result. Unicorn Screener is tested and refined continuously, and every data point is selected based on what academic research and top-performing investors have shown to actually predict success. It is an excellent first filter to help you make faster, more informed decisions. It is not a substitute for deep due diligence. Always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Top 50 Startups Leaderboard

Live startup rankings by unicorn potential

Sierra

Saronic

Huntress

Cyera

Panthalassa

Mistral AI

Harvey

ElevenLabs

Deel

Decart

Hightouch

Hippocratic AI

Gamma

Anthropic

9fin

StackBlitz

Dust

Glean

Decagon

Tines

Pennylane

LightSolver

Klarna

Pigment

Nothing

Factorial

Attio

Abnormal Security

Stripe

Polymarket

Photoroom

Perplexity

Oligo Security

Linear

Hypatos

Granola

Cognition

Avoca

Vapi

Vanta

Shield AI

Patronus AI

Langfuse

Descartes Underwriting

Silverfort

Mintlify

Hyperliquid

Hebbia

Figure AI

Colossal Biosciences

Think a startup belongs on the board?

Frequently Asked Questions