FX.co ★ Top-5 startups valued at over $1 billion

Compass

Startup from New York, founded in 2012, was able to raise $75 million of investment for the development of its service of rental housing. As the result, the total estimated value of the company turned out to be more than $1 billion.

Today, there are many different real estate sites; however, Compass aims to surpass them, focusing on the larger range of the offered for rent objects. The company takes a commission on each transaction, arguing that handles about $7 billion a year.

Zoox

Founded in 2014, the startup ZOOX is the developer of its own unmanned car - in the framework of a round of financing it raised $50 million, and it was estimated at $1.55 billion.

The creators of the company, working in secrecy, are the businessman from Australia Tim Kentri-Clay and Jesse Levinson, the graduate of the unmanned machines program of Stanford University. We only know that Zoox does not plan to sell their cars directly to consumers, and wants to create a service that would be able to compete with Uber.

Instacart

The company Instacart (estimated cost is $1.9 billion), which was opened in 2012 in San Francisco, allows users to order products from different stores with the delivery to their door. The average delivery time is less than one hour. Startup is not only responsible for the delivery, but also independently assigns a price goods. Thus, the margin may be up to 20% and the delivery will cost $3.99.

Currently, the company is represented in 18 US cities. In all the years of its existence, it has managed to raise $250 million.

Blue Apron

Also, in 2012, the company Blue Apron was founded. It delivers ingredients for cooking by the selected menu. In spring 2014, the startup raised $50 million in its assessment of $500 million. In June 2015, the company was able to attract another $135 million and it was estimated at $2 billion.

The main reason of the Blue Apron dinners' popularity is their low cost. For example, the subscription price for a set of 3-course dinner for two persons is $59.94 per week ($9.99 per meal per person), and the cost of the kit, designed for four people, is $139.84 per week ($8.74 per person) for 4 different dishes. For comparison, the subscription for two of their nearest competitor Hello Fresh costs $69 ($11.50 per person), and for four - $129 ($10.75 per person) for 3 different dishes.

Pivotal

The Startup Pivotal began operations in 2013. At the moment, its estimated cost has reached $2.8 billion. The company specializes in the development and advancement of cloud and Big Data products. Among its investors are the carmaker Ford Motor and Microsoft.

The total amount of funds raised by the company totals $253 million. The most part of investemnets ($182.2 million) was provided by Ford in exchange for a 6.6% stake in the EMC's former subsidiary firm. The Microsoft's share of investments is not specified, but the company said that its bought shares won't be placed on the stock exchange.