Foreign media: China added 67 new unicorn companies in the first half of 2026, reaching a five-year high, equivalent to one new unicorn emerging every less than three days, with growth rate being the fastest since the second half of 2021.
Artificial intelligence and robotics accounted for over 53%, becoming the core driving forces. Among them, Hangzhou-based AI company DeepSeek, valued at approximately $59.2 billion, stood out as the highlight, ranking fourth among Chinese unicorns. However, about 78% of the new unicorns have valuations between $10 billion and $20 billion, indicating they are still in early growth stages, with no company entering the $50 billion to $100 billion valuation range.
Notably, nearly half of the new companies were established within the past three years, closely aligning with the generative AI startup boom following the launch of ChatGPT at the end of 2022, highlighting a clear distinction from the previous cycle spanning 2021 to 2022, which covered multiple fields such as new energy and biopharmaceuticals.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870065612762112/
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