Startup Trends: Fresh unicorns enter the market early in 2026
In the constantly evolving startup landscape, early 2026 has seen a strong first wave of unicorn creation — companies reaching valuations of $1 billion or more after recent funding rounds. This year’s unicorn class thus far highlights a range of cutting-edge innovation areas, from space launch systems and fintech to cloud security and global marketplaces. These newly minted billion-dollar private companies not only demonstrate investor conviction but also could signal where future tech momentum is building. Below, we spotlight five unicorns that have joined the “unicorn club” so far in 2026.
1. Stoke Space, valued at $3.42 billion
Leading the pack, Stoke Space has become one of the most-watched aerospace startups this year. The Kent, Washington-based rocket developer completed its Series D financing in January and now boasts a valuation well over $3 billion.
Stoke is building the Nova rocket with the aim of making access to space more frequent and cost-efficient, a major step forward for orbital transport and satellite deployments. Investors are backing the company’s vision of a production-ready, reusable medium-lift launcher at a time when demand for launch capabilities is steadily increasing.1
Founded in 2019, the private aerospace company’s Forge Price™ is $49.42 as of February 19, 2026. Its notable investors include Spark Capital, Y Combinator, Glade Brook Capital and Washington Harbour Partners.
2. Rain, valued at $1.95 billion
New York-based fintech company Rain landed its nearly $2 billion valuation and unicorn achievement in January after closing its Series C funding round, amounting to $250 million. Rain is building a stablecoin-powered payment infrastructure designed to make tokenized money a default rail for enterprise payments. Rain’s technology allows businesses to issue compliant digital-asset cards and wallets that operate within interfaces such as Visa networks.2
Founded in 2021, the fintech company’s CEO said in a statement that the firm has experienced 30x growth in its card-based users in the last year, and a 38x growth in its platform payment volume. The firm also claimed that they are focused on entering new markets and scaling up their product offerings in the near-term.3
Rain’s last price per share as of its January 2026 fundraise is $14.26. The private company’s notable investors include Sapphire Ventures, Norwest, Goldcrest Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
3. Whop, valued at $1.65 billion
Creating the next wave of creator-driven commerce, New York-based Whop closed a Series C fundraising round in February, putting its post-money valuation at $1.65 billion and cementing its status as a unicorn. Whop’s marketplace enables creators and small businesses to sell digital products and services directly to online audiences.
Since Whop’s founding in 2021, the firm has expanded its product offerings to include livestreaming services for creators and a course creator.4 While the commerce company’s funding history has included early venture support and rapid user expansion, reaching unicorn status may point to the rising importance of creator economies in the broader tech market.
As of its latest funding round, Whop’s price per share was $73.60. Among the firm’s roster of investors are Insight Partners, Bain Capital, Peter Thiel and Zinal Growth.
4. Upwind, valued at $1.24 billion
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in San Francisco, Upwind has emerged as a player in the cybersecurity sector. The cloud security platform raised a sizable Series B fundraise in January that pushed its valuation to nearly $1.2 billion. Upwind’s platform focuses on runtime-powered, AI-assisted protection for live cloud environments, aiming to give enterprises real-time visibility and defense across workloads, containers, and multi-cloud stacks.
According to Upwind’s co-founder and CEO, Amiram Shachar, in just four years the startup has secured partnerships with the likes of Siemens, Peloton, Roku, Wix, Nextdoor and Nubank. Along with its high-profile customer base, Upwind’s revenue growth for 2025 was 900% from the prior year, according to the company.5
Upwind’s price per share as of its January 2026 funding round was $3.37. The firm’s investors include Bessemer Venture Partners, Greylock, Leaders Fund and Craft Ventures.
5. Preply, valued at $1.20 billion
Rounding out the list of unicorns so far this year is the global learning marketplace, Preply. Founded in 2012 and based in Brookline, Massachusetts, the private company secured a Series D fundraising round in January of 2026, putting its post-money valuation at a unicorn level of $1.2 billion. Preply’s platform connects learners with tutors across more than 90 languages, combining human-led sessions with AI augmented tools to tailor learning journeys and boost outcomes.6
This latest funding round, led by WestCap, can be seen as an indicator of sustained growth in the online and edtech sectors. According to the company, it has been EBITDA profitable for the past 12 months and supports over 100,000 tutors on its platform.7
As of the latest January funding round, Preply’s price per share is $7.06. Its investors include Horizon Capital, EBRD, Owl Ventures and Point Nine Capital.
Looking ahead
These five companies, spanning space, fintech, creator marketplaces, cloud security, and edtech illustrate the diverse innovation capturing investor dollars so far this year. The breadth of sector representation could matter. Capital so far this year hasn’t chased one narrow theme, but is instead backing scalable businesses across fundamentally different models. If the trend continues, 2026 could shape up to be a year defined more by durable leaders across multiple industry fronts.
