November named as best month for UK firms to become unicorns
November has been named as the best month for UK firms to achieve unicorn status.
Analysis by comparison website Money.co.uk has found that November is the most popular month for firms to achieve $1bn ($730,000) valuations, with four businesses achieving this status during the month since 2010.
In contrast, the data from the past 11 years shows January, February, March, May, July and October are the months that have equally seen the least number of businesses attain unicorn status in United Kingdom at two each.
There are 847 unicorn businesses in the world as of September 2021, according to Money.co.uk.
These businesses, including fintech and artificial intelligence firms in the UK, have a combined total valuation of $2.7trn.
Read more: 100 UK tech companies valued at $1bn or more
Globally, July is the most popular month for firms to gain unicorn status, with 96 businesses achieving this status from 2010 to 2021, according to the research.
February is the month that has seen the least number of businesses attain unicorn status at 43 between 2010 and 2021.
The US has the most unicorn businesses at 424, followed by 165 in China, 41 in India, 33 in the UK and 19 in Germany.
P2P lender Lendable was earlier this year rumoured to have reached unicorn status in sterling terms.
The consumer lender, which is unlisted, was valued at more than £1bn based on secondary market fundraisings.
Read more: UK technology investment hits record levels but challenges remain