【编译】美国七大估值最高的初创企业文章

~ 过去几年，我们见证了一批估值超过十亿美元的公司飞速发展。它们被称为“独角兽”。

然而，当太多的初创企业成为独角兽，一个新的公司层级正在冉冉上升，即所谓的“十角兽”：它们的估值超过了百亿美元。

以Uber和Airbnb为代表，这些企业正在寻求更多的投资，以达到越来越高的估值，同时，它们坚定地保持了独立运营。

以下是估值超过百亿美元的美国初创企业。

7. Dropbox

估值: 100亿美元

CEO Drew Houston

在2014年获得新一轮61.7亿美元的融资之后，Dropbox的估值达到了百亿美元。从那时起，这家公司开始将重心转向企业客户，并于去年发布了Dropbox企业版。

2016年，这家公司开始削减其在员工额外津贴上的过度开支。虽然Dropbox并没有披露它的财务数据，但据报道称，它去年的收入超过了50亿美元。CEO Drew Houston六月份称，公司已经实现了正向现金流，这对一家快速发展的科技企业是一个里程碑。

数个报道称，Dropbox将于2017年进行IPO（首次公开募股）。

6. Pinterest

估值：110亿美元

CEO Ben Silbermann

2015年5月，Pinterest获得了53.3亿美元的G轮融资，投资方包括Andreessen Horowitz,First Mark和高盛。此轮融资后，这家总部位于旧金山的公司估值迅速攀升到了110亿美元。

这个发现、“钉住”图片的平台拥有超过1.75亿的月活用户，其中半数以上的用户是国际化的。最近几个月，公司将重心拓展到了海外市场，比如英国、法国、德国、日本和巴西，并且将投放在平台上的广告增加了一倍。去年8月，Pinterest

收购了提供在线标签服务的公司Instapaper.

2016年，到处流传着Pinterest即将上市的小道消息。10月，Pinterest任命了它的第一任首席财务官，这是它接近IPO的一个征兆。

5. SpaceX

估值: 120亿美元

CEO Elon Musk

Elon Musk的 Space X 公司于2015年1月获得了来自富达和谷歌的10亿美元投资，其估值上升到120亿美元。

不到一年之后，Space X 发射的猎鹰9号火箭进入太空，与卫星分离后，安全着陆，一举创造了历史。其发射与着陆的成功证明了可回收火箭的可能性（而非让火箭坠入大海）。

然而，2016年，对这家公司来说，是更加艰难的一年。9月，Space X 的一支火箭在试发射阶段爆炸，并摧毁了一颗facebook意图租用的卫星。因此，Space X 推迟了另外一支重型火箭 Falcon Heavy的亮相。这一型号的火箭搭载NASA宇航员，并将于2018年发射。

4. WeWork

估值: 180亿美元

联合创始人Miguel McKelvey、Adam Neumann

去年3月，专注于联合办公的初创企业Wework获得来自软银的30亿美元投资，其估值升至180亿美元，成为美国估值第四高的初创企业。根据财富杂志Erin Griffith的报道，Wework已经暗示，它将于2017年上市，期间还会收购一些小公司。

3. Palantir

估值: 200亿美元

CEO Alex Karp

去年，在获得新一轮2亿美元融资后，Palantir的估值达到了200亿美元。虽然据报道称，它在2015年有17亿美元的合同收入，但Palantir可能并不盈利。

这家数据挖掘公司以其神秘性“臭名昭著”，6月，有报道称，Palantir从其员工手里回购了22.5亿的股票，用来交换他们的保持沉默。

Palantir得到了CIA风投公司Arm的支持，据称，它与政府保持着合作关系。一度有报道暗示，它在斯诺登棱镜门事件中扮演了一定角色。

然而，最近，Palantir陷入了与劳工部的纠纷中。这家公司被指控，在招聘工程师实习生的过程中歧视亚裔。为解决这一指控，Palantir同意向受影响的员工支付1，659,424美元欠款与期权。

2. Airbnb

估值: 310亿美元

CEO Brian Chesky,

product chief Joe Gebbia,

CTO Nathan Blecharczyk.

房屋租赁公司Airbnb在206年遇到了挑战，然而，这家公司仍然是全美估值第二高的初创企业。

去年，Airbnb在旧金山、纽约面临了法律难题，但仍然获得了高达8.5亿的新一轮融资，并且于11月推出了一项名为Trips的新服务，致力于成为一家提供更全面服务的旅游公司。

2017年3月，Airbnb获得了1亿美元融资，其估值升至310亿美元。据说目前Airbnb正密切关注传闻中Spotify直接上市的路径。如果可行，我们可能将会在明年看到Airbnb的股票的公开交易。

1. Uber

估值：680亿美元

CEO Travis Kalanick

Uber是全美及全世界估值最高的初创企业，超过了其劲敌滴滴出行，后者的估值为200亿美元。

这家专车服务公司最近几年获得了多笔十亿美元的融资，包括来自一家沙特阿拉伯投资公司的3.5亿美元投资，以及以杠杆贷款形式获得的2亿美元融资。5月，Uber宣称它2017年第一季度亏损7.08亿，相较于之前再之前3个月9.91亿的亏损额有所下降。这家公司正在招聘具有上市公司经验的首席财务官，这意味着它可能再考虑上市。

抛开财务数据不谈，Uber的2017年也过得异常艰难。其性别歧视、性骚扰案，高管离职潮以及与Waymo（一家从谷歌分离出来的无人驾驶公司，它指控Uber偷窃自己的技术）的激烈诉讼被大量报道。

原文：

THE $10 BILLION CLUB：Meet the 7 most valuable startups in the US

Over the past several years, we've seen a rise in private companies valued at more than a billion dollars—the so-called "unicorns."

But when too many startups became unicorns, a new class of startups emerged: "decacorns," companies valued at over $10 billion.

These are the Ubers and Airbnbs of the world, the startups that steadfastly remain private companies as they seek more millions in funding at higher and higher valuations.

Following are the US startups valued at more than $10 billion.

7. Dropbox

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Valuation: $10 billion

CEO Drew Houston

Dropbox reached its $10 billion valuation in 2014 after a $617 million funding round. Since then, the company has shifted its focus to business customers, launching Dropbox Enterprise last year.

The company began to cut back on lavish spending an employee perks in 2016, something that was costing the company $25,000 per year per employee. While Dropbox doesn't disclose its financials, it's reported to have generated more than $500 million in revenue last year. CEO Drew Houston said in June that the company is free cash flow positive now, which is a milestone for a fast-growth tech company.

Various reports have pegged a Dropbox IPO as taking place sometime in 2017.

6. Pinterest

John Lamparski/Getty

Valuation: $11 billion

CEO Ben Silbermann

In May 2015, Pinterest raised a $533 million Series G funding round from investors like Andreessen Horowitz, First Mark, and Goldman Sachs, bumping the San Francisco-based company's valuation up to $11 billion.

The virtual discovery and pinning platform has more than 175 million monthly active users, over half of whom are international. The company has expanded its focus in recent months to overseas markets like the UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Brazil, and has doubled down on increasing the advertising on its platform. Last August, Pinterest acquired online bookmarking service Instapaper.

Rumors swirled throughout 2016 that Pinterest was on the brink of going public, and in October, the company named its first chief financial officer, a signal that Pinterest could be inching closer to an IPO.

5. SpaceX

TED

Valuation: $12 billion

CEO Elon Musk

After raising a $1 billion funding round from Fidelity and Google in January 2015, Elon Musk's SpaceX reached a $12 billion valuation.

Less than a year later, SpaceX made history when it launched its Falcon 9 rocket into space, dropped off a satellite, then landed back on the ground safely. The success of the launch and landing proved it was possible to reuse expensive rockets, rather than letting them fall into the ocean.

But 2016 was a more challenging year for the company. In September, a SpaceX rocket exploded during a launch-pad test, destroying a satellite Facebook intended to lease. SpaceX has since delayed the debut of another, more powerful rocket system—the Falcon Heavy—and delayed launches crewed by NASA astronauts until 2018.

4. WeWork

Valuation: $18 billion

WeWork cofounders Miguel McKelvey and Adam Neumann

Coworking startup WeWork raised $300 million in funding from SoftBank this past March, putting its valuation at about $18 billion and making it the fourth-most-valuable startup in the US.

WeWork has hinted at going public in 2017, and may also buy up a few smaller companies in the meantime, according to Fortune's Erin Griffith.

3. Palantir

Valuation: $20 billion

CEO Alex Karp

Palantir has raised about $2 billion in investment, reaching a $20 billion valuation last year. But despite a reported $1.7 billion in "bookings" in 2015 (revenue under contract), Palantir may not be profitable yet.

The data-mining startup is notoriously secretive, and in June, reports surfaced that Palantir was buying back $225 million in stock from employees in exchange for their silence.

Palantir is backed by the CIA's venture-capital arm and is said to have worked with the government, at one point being implicated as a player in Edward Snowden's revelations about government spying. It was also said to help the US find Osama bin Laden, and help police sift through massive amounts of video, using facial recognition, to find the Boston Marathon bombers.

But Palantir recently ran into trouble with the Department of Labor, and the company settled allegations that its hiring practices for engineers discriminated against Asian people. It has agreed to pay $1,659,434 in back wages and stock options to impacted employees.

2. Airbnb

Valuation: $31 billion

CEO Brian Chesky, product chief Joe Gebbia, CTO Nathan Blecharczyk.

Home-rental startup Airbnb had a challenging 2016, but the company is still the second most-valuable startup in the US.

Airbnb faced legal setbacks in San Francisco and New York last year, but also raised a massive, $850 million round of funding and launched a new service called Trips in November with the intent of becoming a more full-service travel company.

In March of 2017, Airbnb raised a $1 billion funding round that valued the company at $31 billion. Now, Airbnb is reportedly keeping a close eye on Spotify's rumoured route to going public through a direct listing—if it goes well, we may see a publicly traded Airbnb stock next year.

1. Uber

Valuation: $68 billion

CEO Travis Kalanick

Uber is the most valuable startup in the US and across the globe, outpacing the valuation of its arch-rival, Didi Chuxing, by nearly $20 billion.

The ride-hailing startup raised several billion dollars in recent years, including $3.5 billion from a Saudi Arabian investment fund and $2 billion in the form of a leveraged loan. Uber announced in May that it lost $708 million in the first quarter of 2017, a narrower loss than the $991 million that Uber lost in the prior three months. The company is also hunting for a new CFO with public company experience, a sign that Uber could be considering going public.

Finances aside, Uber has had a fraught 2017 amid reports of gender discrimination and sexual harassment, a string of executive departures and an acrimonious lawsuit by Waymo, the self-driving car firm spun out of Google, which has accused Uber of stealing its technology.

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