Letterbox flower delivery firm Bloom & Wild is among Dealroom’s tipped ‘futurecorns’
(Picture: Bloom & Wild)What would you do if you could go back in time? Buy shares in Apple, of course. It’s a frequent flippant comment with a serious edge. How do we know which companies are going to be the stars of tomorrow?
The honest answer is that we don’t. But Amsterdam-based data provider Dealroom.co has compiled a list of London startups with a current value of between $250m (£179 million) and $1 billion (£718 million) that its experts consider most likely to be on the path to unicorn status.
A unicorn is a tech firm valued at $1billion or more, and Dealroom is dubbing its selection “futurecorns”.
Examples of UK unicorns include money transfer service Wise, now valued at £3.5 billion, and online events platform, Hopin, which has been valued at £4 billion.
Dealroom, which releases data on startups, growth companies and tech ecosystems in Europe and around the world, says it aims “to provide transparency, analysis and insights on startups and venture capital activity”.
The government is keen to promote Britain as a tech hub. DCMS minister Oliver Dowden said he was “delighted to see so many of our stellar scale ups racing to becoming the next $1 billion businesses” and that he is working to “bring about a golden age of UK tech.”
Here is Dealroom’s list of London’s top 15 “futurecorns”, ranked by valuation:
1. Digital bank Zopa
2. Children’s entertainment platform Moonbug
3. Ethically-sourced engagement rings and fine jewellery firm Vashi
4. Letterbox flower delivery startup Bloom & Wild
5. Digital connectivity software provider Truphone
6. Buy now, pay later fintech Zilch
7. Mobile gaming firm Tripledot Studios
8. Insurance startup Gryphon Group Holdings
9. Fintech aimed at helping banks connect with SMEs Pollinate
10. Renewable energy provider Bulb
11. Banking platform provider Thought Machine
12. Pet insurance firm Bought By Many
13. Media platform Minute Media
14. Data privacy software provider Privitar
15. ID verification provider Onfido
