In the tenth annual Disruptor 50 list, CNBC highlights private companies that grew through the ups and downs of the pandemic and are poised to meet increasing economic and consumer challenges.
All told, these firms have raised a half-trillion dollars in venture capital. At least 41 are unicorns, with valuations of $1 billion or more – 14 are valued at over $10 billion. But becoming a unicorn has become all too common, and as market volatility pressures valuations in both public and private markets, other stats stand out:
Forty of the companies have a social or environmental purpose that is core to their business model. Ten of this year’s Disruptors are from the logistics sector, tackling the broken global supply chain that has fueled four-decade high inflation. Eight are reducing costs in a bloated health-care system and reaching underserved populations. Several more are dedicated to the climate crisis. Nine of this year’s Disruptors have a female founder. Sixteen feature CEOs from racial and ethnic minorities.
The 50 companies selected using the proprietary Disruptor 50 methodology have raised over $56 billion in venture capital, according to PitchBook, at an implied Disruptor 50 valuation of more than $552 billion.