A unicorn is a magical beast, a horse-like, horned creature that is so uncommon, that in mythology even, you almost never run into a blessing of unicorns (which, I’ve learned is what a band of unicorns is called). One of the better visuals that I have seen increasing of Unicorns is within this Wall Street Journal article, and it not only allowed you to see the rise of individual companies but compare the numbers over time. Not surprisingly, almost all unicorns are US-based, though the true quantity of Asian entrants in to the rates is increasing.
The explosion in the amounts of these companies has also given rise to almost as much explanations for the phenomena, some based on rationality plus some on the prevalence of a bubble. If the traditional definition of the unicorn is an exclusive business with a valuation that exceeds a billion, how do you arrive at the valuation of such a business?
While you haven’t any share prices or market capitalizations for these businesses, you can extrapolate to the ideals of private businesses, when they raise fresh capital from business capitalists or private traders. 1 billion for the company, which makes it a Unicorn. There are, however, two issues that block the way of a good estimation.
- Institutional isses
- Testing Data
- Look for the green $$ and click on the link
- Chrome Finish 37.5 $
- Would you have your operation at a healthcare facility where you work
One is that the capital infusion changes the value of the business, making a differentiation between pre-money and post-money ideals. The other would be that the investor’s equity investment generally includes bells and whistles, designed to protect the investor from downside risk and these protections can skew the worthiness estimate.
In an earlier post on the offers and counter offers that the thing is on Shark Tank, the show where business owners pitch business ideas and ask competing business capitalists for the money, I drew the distinction between post and pre money valuations. 50 million valuation, it does illustrate why post money valuations may not always be comparable across businesses.
While the difference between pre and post money valuations is simple to handle, there is certainly another aspect of venture capital investing that is more untidy. Many venture capital investors are offered security against downside risk on their investments, although degree of safety may differ across deals. What type of safety? 100 million to get 10% of the business in the example above. That investor’s biggest risk is that the value of the business will drop and that investors in following rounds of capital raising or within an initial public offering can get far better deals for his or her investments.
To protect against this loss, the trader may seek (and get) a provision which allows his / her ownership stake to be adjusted for the low value. 500 million on the following capital event, the initial investor’s ownership stake will be altered up to 20% (reflecting the low value). That is termed a full ratchet.
500 million, depending on how the weighted average possession stake is computed. The key, though, is that this provision is safety against a value drop, but only when the company looks for out capital, and it is contingent on the capital event taking place thus. 100 million (at which point you would be eligible for 100% of the business).