The Full List of 14 Unicorn Startups in Redwood City (2026)
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
Impossible 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.
| Unicorn Startup | Main Industry | Year Founded | Amount Raised | Valuation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 BigPanda | Cloud | 2012 | $312.5M | $1.2B |
 Material Security | Security | 2017 | $162M | $1.1B |
 MinIO | Data | 2014 | $126.3M | $1B |
 Rokid | AI | 2014 | $643.9M | $1B |
