‘Soonicorn’ Watch 2026: 5 private companies with the potential to make unicorn status
Unicorns don’t appear overnight; many spend years building toward a $1 billion valuation as product traction and fresh capital start to converge. This latest batch of “soonicorns” listed on Forge Global are all sitting in the late-stage sweet spot, with post-money valuations in the $600M–$1B range, giving them the potential of reaching $1 billion in valuation and therefore their unicorn status in the near-term. While there are no guarantees for future valuations, below are five names worth watching in defense and aerospace, enterprise AI, digital engineering, industrial intelligence and modern travel.
Loft Orbital, valued at $954 million
San Francisco-based Loft Orbital is a space infrastructure company focused on simplifying satellite deployment and operations through a software-driven model. The company provides “satellites-as-a-service,” enabling customers to deploy missions faster without managing the complexity of spacecraft design, launch logistics, or in-orbit operations.
Loft Orbital leads the pack as nearing unicorn status, given its January 2025 Series C fundraise of $170 million, which put its post money valuation at $954 million. In February, the company announced the launch of a dedicated AI-for-space business unit aimed at integrating AI-enabled infrastructure into satellite missions, further strengthening its value proposition for both government and commercial partners.1
Founded in 2016, the private company’s price per share is $24.77 as of its most recent funding round. The company is backed by investors including Uncork Capital, Kima Ventures, Axial Partners and Temasek.
Domino Data Lab, valued at $915 million
San Francisco-based Domino Data Lab is an enterprise data science platform that provides end-to-end infrastructure for managing the full AI and data science lifecycle. From model development and collaboration to governance and deployment, Domino enables large organizations to operationalize AI initiatives with greater speed, control and reproducibility.
Founded in 2013, Domino is approaching unicorn status following its August Series F funding round, which brought its post-money valuation to over $900 million. Around the same time, the company announced significant enhancements to its AI capabilities. Its Spring 2025 platform release introduced updates designed to help enterprises develop and deploy AI products faster while maintaining reliability and governance — further reinforcing Domino’s position in the rapidly evolving enterprise AI landscape.2
Domino’s last price per share was $16.40 as of its most recent funding round. The company is backed by prominent investors, including Coatue Management, Sequoia Capital, Zetta Venture Partners and Highland Capital Partners.
Rescale, valued at $870 million
The third company poised to reach unicorn status in the near term is San Francisco-based Rescale. Founded in 2011, Rescale has built a high-performance computing (HPC) platform that enables engineers and scientists to run complex simulations, process large datasets and execute other compute-intensive workloads efficiently through the cloud.
Rescale’s Series D funding round last year brought its post-money valuation to approximately $870 million, positioning the company firmly in soonicorn territory. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in engineering and R&D workflows, Rescale has accelerated its AI-enabled initiatives. In October, the company announced platform upgrades designed to integrate advanced AI and automation tools, helping customers modernize and streamline digital engineering processes.3
Rescale’s last price per share was $17.73 as of its most recent funding round. The company is backed by prominent investors, including Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, Jump Capital and Keen Venture Partners.
DroneDeploy, valued at $611 million
San Francisco-based DroneDeploy moved closer to unicorn status after completing its $265 million Series E funding round last September, bringing its post-money valuation to approximately $611 million. Founded in 2013, the company develops software that enables businesses to capture, analyze, and interpret data from drones, robotic systems and other autonomous devices.
In September, DroneDeploy also announced it had reached break-even, marking a key milestone in its path toward sustainable growth. Achieving profitability allows the company to reinvest incremental revenue into product innovation and platform expansion. Today, DroneDeploy supports operations across 1.7 million sites in more than 180 countries and has signaled plans to further advance development in next-generation robotics and humanoid systems.4
DroneDeploy’s last price per share was $9.01 as of its most recent funding round. The company is backed by notable investors, including Emergence Capital, Scale Venture Partners, Airtree Ventures and Bessemer Venture Partners.
Kindred, valued at $603 million
Founded in 2021, San Francisco-based Kindred operates a members-only home swapping network designed to offer travelers an alternative to traditional accommodations. By enabling members to stay in one another’s homes, the platform emphasizes authentic, community-driven travel experiences while reducing lodging costs.
Kindred entered soonicorn territory last month following its $85 million Series C funding round, which brought its post-money valuation to approximately $603 million. The new capital is expected to support the expansion of its sub-community program, allowing members to share access within extended personal and professional networks. The platform has scaled rapidly, growing to nearly 300,000 members across more than 150 U.S. cities.5
Kindred’s last price per share was $17.48 as of its most recent funding round. The company is backed by leading venture investors, including Index Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Andreessen Horowitz.
The takeaway
This new group of soonicorns highlights how late-stage private companies are scaling across technology-driven, real-world industries. From space and enterprise AI to high-performance computing, automation and travel, each is operating in large, growing markets. While future valuations are never guaranteed, with recent funding rounds pushing valuations close to $1 billion, these companies have the potential to reach unicorn status in the year ahead.
