If you're building a retail startup, you must check these 37 companies that have joined the unicorn club.
Countless retail startups are being launched every day, and many fail because they did not learn from the success of other companies who've managed to rise above and join the unicorn club.
We just published this list of 37 well-known retail companies in the retail industry that impressed investors enough to achieve a $1 billion valuation.
ABOUT YOU offers a wide selection of quality apparel and accessories at a great price, all in one place.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.00
B (
July 2018
)
Country:
Germany
City:
Hamburg
Started in:
2014
Founders:
Sebastian Betz, Tarek Muller
Industries:
E-Commerce, Fashion, Marketing, Personalization, Retail, Shopping
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
$300,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
2
Number of investors:
3
Away is a travel brand with a vision to transform their industry with thoughtful and purposeful products for consumers worldwide.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.40
B (
May 2019
)
Country:
United States
City:
New York
Started in:
2015
Founders:
Jen Rubio, Steph Korey
Industries:
Consumer, Consumer Goods, E-Commerce, Lifestyle, Retail, Travel
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
$181,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
5
Number of investors:
20
Bianlifeng designs, builds, and operates cashier-free convenience stores that sell snacks and beverages in China.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.60
B (
July 1905
)
Country:
China
City:
Beijing
Started in:
2016
Founders:
Chenchao Zhuang
Industries:
Consumer, Retail, Snack Food
Number of employees:
250-500
Funding Amount:
$400,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
2
Number of investors:
1
BigBasket is India's largest online marketplace providing India's one billion people with easy access to groceries and household needs.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.80
B (
February 2021
)
Country:
India
City:
Bangalore
Started in:
2011
Founders:
Abhinay Choudhari, Hari Menon, Vipul Parekh, VS Ramesh, VS Sudhakar
Industries:
Delivery, Delivery Service, E-Commerce, Grocery, Internet, Retail, Shopping
Number of employees:
5,000-10,000
Funding Amount:
$1,119,863,468
Number of funding rounds:
17
Number of investors:
17
Dmall is a solution that makes brick-and-mortar stores smarter and more connected to their customers.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$2
B (
October 2020
)
Country:
China
City:
Haidian
Started in:
2015
Founders:
Feng Zhang, Jiangfeng Liu, Jie Lin, Wenzhi Li, Wenzhong Zhang, Xin Han
Industries:
Food Delivery, Retail, Supply Chain Management
Number of employees:
50-100
Funding Amount:
$527,820,304
Number of funding rounds:
4
Number of investors:
8
Faire is a platform that helps local shops discover the best products to stock their stores risk-free.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$2.50
B (
October 2019
)
Country:
United States
City:
San Francisco
Started in:
2016
Founders:
Daniele Perito, Jeffrey Kolovson, Marcelo Cortes, Max Rhodes
Industries:
E-Commerce, Marketplace, Retail, Retail Technology, Wholesale
Number of employees:
250-500
Funding Amount:
$435,950,000
Number of funding rounds:
8
Number of investors:
14
Fanatics is a worldwide leader in licensed sports merchandise and fan gear, including jerseys, t-shirts, hats, and much more.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$12.80
B (
June 2012
)
Country:
United States
City:
Jacksonville
Started in:
1995
Founders:
Alan Trager, Michael Rubin, Mitch Trager
Industries:
Manufacturing, Retail, Sporting Goods, Sports
Number of employees:
1,000-5,000
Funding Amount:
$2,365,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
7
Number of investors:
15
FirstCry was created to make your life easy with a range of products that include feeding, bathing, diapering, and toys for baby.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$2.10
B (
February 2020
)
Country:
India
City:
Pune
Started in:
2010
Founders:
Amitava Saha, Prashant Jadhav, Sanket Hattimattur, Supam Maheshwari
Industries:
Baby, Consumer Goods, E-Commerce, Retail, Shopping
Number of employees:
1,000-5,000
Funding Amount:
$741,360,000
Number of funding rounds:
10
Number of investors:
17
Grove Collaborative is a direct-to-consumer, retail-driven ecommerce business that provides an end-to-end platform and community for natural home and personal care product companies.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.32
B (
January 2018
)
Country:
United States
City:
San Francisco
Started in:
2012
Founders:
Chris Clark, Jordan Savage, Stuart Landesberg
Industries:
Consumer Goods, E-Commerce, Internet, Retail, Sustainability
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
$337,256,219
Number of funding rounds:
7
Number of investors:
27
Gymshark is an online retailer and technology company that brings together the hottest fitness brands, latest sportswear styles, and high-performance training gear.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.45
B (
August 2020
)
Country:
United Kingdom
City:
Solihull
Started in:
2012
Founders:
Ben Francis
Industries:
E-Commerce, Fitness, Lifestyle, Retail, Sporting Goods
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
£200,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
1
Number of investors:
1
Huimin is a B2B e-commerce platform that offers online supermarket websites with a community network. Now anyone can start a business for communities and build a community e-commerce website easier than anyone else.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$2.00
B (
September 2016
)
Country:
China
City:
Beijing
Started in:
2013
Founders:
Zhang Yichun
Industries:
B2B, Communities, E-Commerce, Internet, Retail, Shopping
Number of employees:
250-500
Funding Amount:
$516,946,859
Number of funding rounds:
3
Number of investors:
11
Huitongda is an integrated logistics service provider with a broad range of solutions enabling Chinese consumers to shop at home for the widest selection of trusted imported brands.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$3.18
B (
December 2017
)
Country:
China
City:
Nanjing
Started in:
2010
Founders:
Xiuxian Xu
Industries:
E-Commerce, Logistics, Retail, Supply Chain Management
Number of employees:
10-50
Funding Amount:
CN¥6,300,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
5
Number of investors:
8
Hyperion offers a wide range of risk management solutions to businesses and individuals across the globe.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$5.00
B (
September 2020
)
Country:
United Kingdom
City:
London
Started in:
1994
Founders:
David Howden
Industries:
Auto Insurance, Insurance, Retail, Wholesale
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
$1,900,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
4
Number of investors:
4
Ibotta is a money-saving app that pays its users back for their everyday purchases.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.00
B (
August 2019
)
Country:
United States
City:
Denver
Started in:
2011
Founders:
Bryan Leach
Industries:
Apps, Coupons, Mobile, Retail, Shopping
Number of employees:
250-500
Funding Amount:
$92,915,076
Number of funding rounds:
7
Number of investors:
12
Jollychic is a premier online fashion destination, offering the latest looks straight from the runways for women and men.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.50
B (
May 2018
)
Country:
China
City:
Hangzhou
Started in:
2012
Founders:
Aaron Li
Industries:
E-Commerce, Fashion, Retail, Sales
Number of employees:
1,000-5,000
Funding Amount:
$95,798,797
Number of funding rounds:
3
Number of investors:
6
Meesho run a successful operation that frees entrepreneurs to start a business without investing money.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$2.10
B (
April 2021
)
Country:
India
City:
Bangalore
Started in:
2015
Founders:
Sanjeev Barnwal, Vidit Aatrey
Industries:
E-Commerce, E-Commerce Platforms, Mobile Apps, Retail, Social Media
Number of employees:
1,000-5,000
Funding Amount:
$515,200,000
Number of funding rounds:
9
Number of investors:
25
Musinsa is a fast-growing online fashion store and marketplace that offers stylish clothes, accessories, shoes, and bags from over 200 global fashion brands and designers.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$2.20
B (
November 2019
)
Country:
South Korea
City:
Seoul
Started in:
2001
Founders:
Cho Man Ho
Industries:
E-Commerce, Fashion, Retail
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
No Data
Number of funding rounds:
1
Number of investors:
1
The Paytm Mall store is an easy to shop, safe and secure online shopping destination for all your online shopping needs.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$2.86
B (
July 2019
)
Country:
India
City:
Noida
Started in:
2010
Founders:
Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Industries:
E-Commerce, E-Commerce Platforms, Internet, Marketplace, Retail, Shopping
Number of employees:
1,000-5,000
Funding Amount:
$795,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
3
Number of investors:
4
Pharmapacks is an e-commerce company that offers products for daily health and wellness needs, including vitamins and supplements, as well as pharmacy medical products.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.10
B (
November 2020
)
Country:
United States
City:
Islandia
Started in:
2010
Founders:
Adam Berkowitz, Andrew Vagenas, Bradley Tramunti, Jonathan Webb
Industries:
Beauty, E-Commerce, Health Care, Retail, Wellness
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
$472,500,000
Number of funding rounds:
4
Number of investors:
10
POIZON is an e-commerce platform that focuses on the secondary market of limited edition streetwear and sneakers. They were the first website to sell limited edition shoes from mainstream fashion designers, including Kanye West, Louis Vuitton, and Raf Simons.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.00
B (
April 2019
)
Country:
Hong Kong
City:
Hong Kong
Started in:
2015
Founders:
Yang Bing
Industries:
E-Commerce, Fashion, Information Technology, Retail
Number of employees:
1,000-5,000
Funding Amount:
No Data
Number of funding rounds:
2
Number of investors:
4
Qdama is a vertically integrated provider that offers fresh food and frozen good intermediary services to processors, distributors, retailers, and consumers.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.20
B (
December 2019
)
Country:
China
City:
Guangzhou
Started in:
2012
Founders:
Jisheng Feng, Song Tan, Weihua Feng
Industries:
Agriculture, Food and Beverage, Retail
Number of employees:
1,000-5,000
Funding Amount:
$142,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
4
Number of investors:
10
Rent the Runway is a membership rental service that offers designer dresses for women to rent.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.00
B (
March 2019
)
Country:
United States
City:
New York
Started in:
2009
Founders:
Jennifer Fleiss, Jennifer Hyman, Jenny Fleiss
Industries:
Consumer Goods, E-Commerce, Fashion, Retail
Number of employees:
1,000-5,000
Funding Amount:
$541,150,000
Number of funding rounds:
12
Number of investors:
18
Saks.com provides the ultimate shopping experience.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$2
B (
March 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
New York
Started in:
1924
Founders:
No Data
Industries:
E-Commerce, Retail
Number of employees:
5,000-10,000
Funding Amount:
$965,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
2
Number of investors:
3
Savage X Fenty is an innovative fashion brand specializing in underwear, sleepwear, training gear, and accessories for women.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.00
B (
February 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
El Segundo
Started in:
2017
Founders:
Robyn Rihanna Fenty
Industries:
E-Commerce, Fashion, Lingerie, Retail, Women's
Number of employees:
100-250
Funding Amount:
$185,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
3
Number of investors:
7
Skims is the creator of innovative underwear, loungewear, and shapewear designed to fit, flatter, and beautify.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.60
B (
April 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
Culver City
Started in:
2019
Founders:
Jens Grede, Kim Kardashian
Industries:
Fashion, Lingerie, Retail
Number of employees:
100-250
Funding Amount:
$154,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
1
Number of investors:
3
Snapdeal is the place to discover, buy and sell great products at unbelievable prices.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.00
B (
May 2014
)
Country:
India
City:
Gurgaon
Started in:
2010
Founders:
Kunal Bahl, Rohit Bansal
Industries:
Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, Internet, Marketplace, Retail, Shopping
Number of employees:
1,000-5,000
Funding Amount:
$1,776,260,825
Number of funding rounds:
13
Number of investors:
26
Standard Cognition provides a checkout tool that allows retailers to increase the efficiency and speed of their transactions.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.00
B (
February 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
San Francisco
Started in:
2017
Founders:
Brandon Ogle, Daniel Fischetti, David Valdman, John Novak, Jordan Fisher, Michael Suswal, TJ Lutz
Industries:
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Retail, Retail Technology, Shopping
Number of employees:
100-250
Funding Amount:
$238,479,194
Number of funding rounds:
7
Number of investors:
15
TechStyle is a global membership-based, fashion commerce company that provides state-of-the-art technology and a completely reimagined mobile-first consumer experience to millions of consumers worldwide.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.00
B (
August 2014
)
Country:
United States
City:
El Segundo
Started in:
2010
Founders:
Adam Goldenberg, Don Ressler
Industries:
E-Commerce, Fashion, Lifestyle, Retail, Shoes
Number of employees:
1,000-5,000
Funding Amount:
$336,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
7
Number of investors:
11
Trendy International Group is a vertically integrated fashion company that incorporates art and business to produce luxury goods.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$2.00
B (
February 2012
)
Country:
China
City:
Guangzhou
Started in:
1999
Founders:
Jacky Xu
Industries:
Fashion, Lifestyle, Retail
Number of employees:
1,000-5,000
Funding Amount:
$200,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
1
Number of investors:
1
Udaan brings manufacturers’ product catalogs, trading companies supply-chains, retailers’ orders, and wholesalers’ warehouses into a single platform to make business more efficient.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$3.10
B (
September 2018
)
Country:
India
City:
Bangalore
Started in:
2016
Founders:
Amod Malviya, Sujeet Kumar, Vaibhav Gupta
Industries:
B2B, Business Development, E-Commerce, Internet, Retail
Number of employees:
5,000-10,000
Funding Amount:
$1,179,919,112
Number of funding rounds:
6
Number of investors:
13
Veepee is a multi-platform e-commerce company that helps connect customers to sellers around the world.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
No Data
B (
-
)
Country:
France
City:
La Plaine-saint-denis
Started in:
2001
Founders:
Michael Benabou
Industries:
E-Commerce, Fashion, Marketing, Retail, Sales
Number of employees:
5,000-10,000
Funding Amount:
No Data
Number of funding rounds:
2
Number of investors:
2
Vestiaire Collective is a luxury, pre-owned fashion marketplace. It provides people with the perfect way to sell and buy high-quality, designer clothing and accessories at a more affordable price.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.00
B (
March 2021
)
Country:
France
City:
Paris
Started in:
2009
Founders:
Alexandre Cognard, Christian Jorge, Fanny Moizant, Henrique Fernandes, Sebastien Fabre, Sophie Hersan
Industries:
E-Commerce Platforms, Fashion, Marketplace, Retail, Social Shopping
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
$454,571,116
Number of funding rounds:
8
Number of investors:
15
Warby Parker is a revolutionary brand that offers the latest in designer eyewear while being socially conscious and socially responsible.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$3.00
B (
April 2015
)
Country:
United States
City:
New York
Started in:
2010
Founders:
Andrew Hunt, David Gilboa, Jeffrey Raider, Neil Blumenthal
Industries:
E-Commerce, Fashion, Retail
Number of employees:
1,000-5,000
Funding Amount:
$535,500,000
Number of funding rounds:
9
Number of investors:
31
Womai net is a comprehensive B2C food store platform that helps urban middle-class and youth families to discover and order healthy food online.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.00
B (
October 2015
)
Country:
China
City:
Beijing
Started in:
2008
Founders:
No Data
Industries:
E-Commerce, Internet, Retail, Shopping
Number of employees:
100-250
Funding Amount:
$330,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
3
Number of investors:
4
Xingsheng Youxuan is the only one-stop community shopping platform for consumers to buy products and services in one place.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$8.00
B (
July 2020
)
Country:
China
City:
Changshahsien
Started in:
2018
Founders:
Lihua Yue
Industries:
E-Commerce, Food and Beverage, Grocery, Retail, Shopping
Number of employees:
10,000+
Funding Amount:
$3,894,600,000
Number of funding rounds:
9
Number of investors:
11
Yiguo.com is a fresh food e-commerce platform offering Asia’s best choices in online grocery shopping.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$1.20
B (
November 2016
)
Country:
China
City:
Changning
Started in:
2005
Founders:
Zhang Ye
Industries:
E-Commerce, Grocery, Online Portals, Retail
Number of employees:
5,000-10,000
Funding Amount:
$500,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
3
Number of investors:
3
Yunwang Wandian is an eCommerce and online retail service that provides the ultimate shopping experience to the customers.
Details of the startup:
Valuation:
$3.80
B (
Dcember 2020
)
Country:
China
City:
Shenzhen
Started in:
2020
Founders:
No Data
Industries:
E-Commerce, Retail
Number of employees:
No Data
Funding Amount:
CN¥6,000,000,000
Number of funding rounds:
1
Number of investors:
4
