These are the striking stories of 50 companies that emerged in the last 20-30 years, whose business models have enabled them to achieve billion-dollar (and sometimes multi-billion-dollar) market capitalization. They differ radically from established corporations in that, from their inception, they were attuned to new technologies and responsive interaction with consumers.

The essence of each company's business, history, monetization principles, financial information, and why customers love them are briefly and clearly described. Importantly, these companies come from various industries and have diverse business models, so the reader is sure to find a combination of success factors for their organization.

But this is not just a collection of company information. By analyzing their growth and operations, the authors (each in their own section) formulated 'lessons from unicorns'—principles that can help others make their companies equally successful.

Furthermore, even this small sample reveals socioeconomic trends that entrepreneurs can draw on when developing their own business models. The authors have collected them in the appendix.

The book will be appreciated by entrepreneurs, investors, and business school students.


About the authors
The authors are serial entrepreneurs and investors with a good sense of trends and who follow successful companies.

Mikhail Ivanov is the co-founder of Smart Reading and Mann, Ivanov, and Ferber publishing houses,
co-author of the book “Guide to Marketing Consulting Services,”

Alexander Gorny is the co-founder of the United Investors investor club and “Mo: Meditation and Sleep,” author of the “Startup of the Day” blog,

Alexey Chernyak is the co-founder of Groupon Russia and United Investors, author of Trends Weekly