Redwood City is home to 14 unicorn startups, with companies spanning industries from AI and food technology to marketing.
The local ecosystem includes established players like Impossible Foods, a plant-based food company with a $7 billion valuation. It also features fast-growing newcomers such as Fireworks AI, which reached a $4 billion valuation within two years of its 2022 founding.
Below is the full list of 14 Redwood City unicorn startups at this time.
Top 10 Most Valuable Redwood City Unicorns
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250 BioTech & Health Investors
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250 AI Investors
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Get the Sheet for $50Impossible Foods makes popular plant-based meat alternatives, including their flagship Impossible Burger. They are working to create a more sustainable food system by developing substitutes for meat, dairy, and fish that mimic the taste and texture of the real thing.
| Valuation | $7B (Joined May 2019) |
| Year Founded | 2011 |
| Founders | Monte Casino, Patrick Brown |
| Funding Amount | $1.9B |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series H |
| Top Investors | Trinity Capital, Coatue, Khosla Ventures, Temasek Holdings, Serena Ventures |
Snorkel AI builds a data development platform that helps teams programmatically label and prepare data for AI applications. Their approach accelerates model training by moving past the bottleneck of manual data labeling.
| Valuation | $6.35B (Joined August 2021) |
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Alexander Ratner, Braden Hancock, Chris Re, Henry Ehrenberg, Manas Joglekar, Paroma Varma, Vincent Sunn Chen |
| Funding Amount | $235.3M |
| Company Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Accel, Lightspeed Venture Partners, SV Angel, Addition, BlackRock |
Fireworks AI created a platform for developers to build and scale applications using open-source AI models. Their service is optimized for high-speed inference, enabling teams to run generative AI products quickly and cost-effectively.
| Valuation | $4B |
| Year Founded | 2022 |
| Founders | Dmytro Ivchenko, Lin Qiao |
| Funding Amount | $327M |
| Company Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Sequoia Capital, NVIDIA, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Index Ventures, Benchmark |
Learneo operates a platform of businesses aimed at boosting productivity and learning. Their portfolio features widely used tools like Course Hero, Grammarly, and QuillBot, supporting millions of students and professionals worldwide.
| Valuation | $4B |
| Year Founded | 2006 |
| Founders | Andrew T. Grauer, Gregor Carrigan |
| Funding Amount | $492.4M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | IDG Capital, TPG, 137 Ventures, Wellington Management, SV Angel |
Liftoff provides a growth acceleration platform that specializes in mobile app marketing and monetization. They help app publishers acquire and retain high-value users through performance-based advertising and retargeting campaigns.
| Valuation | $4B |
| Year Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | Harry Robertson, Mark Ellis, Phil Crosby |
| Funding Amount | $6.8M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | Akkadian Ventures, Blackstone Group, Harrison Metal, Core Ventures, General Atlantic |
Carbon developed a complete 3D printing platform that takes products from idea to production. Their system combines proprietary Digital Light Synthesis technology and advanced materials to manufacture durable parts for a wide range of industries.
| Valuation | $2.4B (Joined August 2015) |
| Year Founded | 2013 |
| Founders | Joseph M. DeSimone, Philip DeSimone, Steve Nelson |
| Funding Amount | $683.4M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Sequoia Capital, GV, Temasek Holdings, Fidelity, Autodesk |
Moloco offers a cloud platform that uses machine learning to run programmatic advertising campaigns. They specialize in helping mobile apps and online marketplaces grow through automated user acquisition, retention, and monetization.
| Valuation | $2B (Joined April 2021) |
| Year Founded | 2013 |
| Founders | David Sehyuk Park, Ikkjin Ahn |
| Funding Amount | $215.7M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | Tiger Global Management, Fidelity, LG Technology Ventures, Premier Partners, EDBI |
Dexterity creates AI-powered robotic systems to automate tasks within warehouses and supply chains. Their full-stack robotics platform handles complex jobs like palletizing and fulfillment, making logistics operations more intelligent and adaptable.
| Valuation | $2B (Joined October 2021) |
| Year Founded | 2017 |
| Founders | Samir Menon |
| Funding Amount | $291.2M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Kleiner Perkins, Obvious Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Ballistic Ventures, Liquid 2 Ventures |
Alation created a data intelligence platform for large organizations to find, understand, and govern their data. Their system is built around a central data catalog that helps teams trust their information and make better decisions.
| Valuation | $2B (Joined June 2021) |
| Year Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | Aaron Kalb, Feng Niu, Satyen Sangani, Venky Ganti |
| Funding Amount | $315M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | General Catalyst, Sapphire Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Thoma Bravo |
Zum builds and operates a modern student transportation platform for school districts seeking safer and more efficient solutions. They are known for an end-to-end service that provides real-time visibility to parents and administrators, along with a strong focus on sustainability.
| Valuation | $1.3B (Joined January 2024) |
| Year Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Ritu Narayan, Vivek Garg |
| Funding Amount | $399.6M |
| Company Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | SoftBank Vision Fund, Ulu Ventures, NGP Capital, FundersClub, Sequoia Capital |
The Remaining 4 Unicorns Founded in Redwood City
The ten most valuable unicorns are only part of what makes Redwood City special. Other founders are also building important companies and growing them at a fast pace.
Together, these next companies have raised over $1.2 billion and work in fields from AI to data security. Here’s a look at the other unicorn startups shaping Redwood City.