The venture capital industry sees a billion-dollar startup creation velocity that it hasn't witnessed since the pandemic-era boom of 2021. With the help of its tracking provided by TechCrunch based on data from Crunchbase and PitchBook, nearly 90 startups have become unicorns in the first half of 2026, which is more than twice the number of 40 unicorns made in the same six months of 2025. If the current rate persists through the whole year, then there could be up to 150 or even more new unicorns, which would equal the highest rates of funding for startups.
Though artificial intelligence businesses take the lead of making unicorns in 2026, the boom goes beyond the AI technology. Companies in the healthcare sector, robotics, fintech, cybersecurity, space and defense technology, as well as crypto companies, are among those making billion-dollar unicorns in 2026, according to the list compiled by TechCrunch.
The most striking name on that list is Prometheus, a startup co-founded by Jeff Bezos that develops AI tools to automate general engineering processes. The startup raised a whopping $12 billion Series B, the biggest single investment deal in a unicorn startup this year, from companies such as JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock, which are institutions in financial services rather than typical venture capitalists. The deal made the company worth $41 billion and total fundraising reach up to $18.2 billion.
Other startups to watch out for include MainFunc, an AI workspace startup that achieved a $2.6 billion valuation through a $485 million Series B; EXA, a web search engine designed for AI agents, which became worth $1.95 billion; and MiRus, a cardiovascular and orthopedic medical device company that reached a valuation of $4.41 billion after a $1.5 billion late-stage investment by Boston Scientific.
Not just in AI but also in healthcare, there have been many companies forming unicorns in addition to the AI infrastructure sector in 2022. For example, Pomelo Care, which provides virtual maternity care solutions, has achieved a valuation of $1.7 billion after raising $92 million in a Series C round.
Forus, another healthcare start-up that automates patient care processes, like benefit verification and enrollment forms, has raised $160 million in Series B funding from Accel, Bain Capital Ventures, and Thrive Capital, valuing the company at over $1 billion.
Another notable change in the context of this year’s unicorn investments is the source of the money. The appearance of names such as JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock as leading investors in the Series B round of funding for some AI startup indicates that AI infrastructure investments are becoming considered as long-term money investments, not speculative investments typical for venture investment.
At the same time, a relatively narrow circle of venture investors consistently appears on the list of this year’s unicorns. One such venture investor is Andreessen Horowitz, which appears among deals such as EXA, Pomelo Care, Tenex.AI, and other investments, as do Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins, and General Atlantic.
The 2026 cohort of unicorns also features a number of startups operating in sectors that have little or nothing to do with software. True Anomaly, a startup from Colorado specializing in manufacturing for space defense, has raised $650 million in a Series D round, giving it a valuation of $2.2 billion.
Hermeus, a company constructing high-speed unmanned aircraft supported by the Founders Fund of Peter Thiel, has received $350 million of funding to hit the billion-dollar valuation point. Valar Atomics, an atomic energy startup with investments tied to Palantir and Lockheed Martin, has raised $450 million at a $2 billion valuation.
Even though the number of unicorns emerging from Silicon Valley may still be dominant, there seems to be some geographical shift regarding the emergence of unicorns, as firms from Europe and Asia are increasingly becoming unicorns too.
This is according to industry experts who say that one of the reasons for the phenomenon is the increased availability of AI tools and people in places other than venture capitals.
Going by the total number of unicorns across the globe by the year 2026 that BestBrokers tracks through Crunchbase, TechCrunch, and PitchBook, the United States has the highest number of unicorns, accounting for approximately 1,700+ in the world, but the AI-related formation of companies has been more international this year.
As it might seem that everything is looking good, experienced investors are cautioning on certain aspects. The fast rate at which unicorns are being created has been causing some concern regarding whether the valuations are far ahead of the fundamentals of the businesses.
Those behind the present-day trend maintain that AI represents disruptive technology, which entails certain production advantages beyond pure speculation, and realize that it will be put to the test when the companies grow and have to defend their valuations in terms of revenues and profitability.
