Harvard Produces ~9 Unicorns a Year
~9 unicorns worth $45B are produced by Crimson entrepreneurs each year!
Join me on X (Twitter) @devontriplett21
I analyzed 136 unicorns (exited + private) founded by Harvard alumni to understand how many $1B+ outcomes are founded each year by Crimson entrepreneurs. I also wanted to understand the value created by these unicorns in any given year. The results as shown below are quite impressive.
Crimson Entrepreneurs Produce ~9 New Unicorns Per Year
The data shows that Crimson entrepreneurs produce ~9 new unicorns per year! Since 2006—the starting point of my dataset—Harvard has yet to have a year producing fewer than 5 unicorns! This level of consistency in outlier production is pretty incredible.
2012 and 2015 lead with 16 and 15 unicorns born, respectively. The 2018, 2019, and 2020 cohorts are quite impressive too, having already generated 9, 11, and 5 unicorns, respectively, in less than 6 years.
Harvard Produces ~$43B in Future Unicorn Value Per Year
Not only is Harvard producing a long list of unicorns, but the ecosystem is also producing many generational companies that become incredibly valuable—like Stripe, Airbnb, Cloudflare, and more. Below, I’ve charted the valuation of Harvard-founded unicorns at the time of IPO or, if still private, their latest valuation. Turns out, Harvard produces an average of $43B in future value created every year, with a median of $24B.
Just as Harvard has never had a year since 2006 producing fewer than 5 unicorns, Harvard has also never had a year producing less than $11B in future outcomes in any given year. Harvard has only had 3 years since 2006 where less than $20B in future value has been created. Harvard has had three years—2010, 2012, and 2015—where $100B+ in value was created.
Previous Posts
About Phoenix Fund
We invest in a diversified portfolio of early-stage Harvard startups, harnessing the power of the Harvard ecosystem to provide outsized value through collaboration
We host events, treks, and happy hours to build community among Harvard founders, funders, students, & alumni (subscribe to stay up-to-date)
We research Harvard’s startup and venture ecosystem, bringing the latest updates, insights, and stories directly to your inbox
Best,
Phoenix Fund