CA-AFFINITY
Affinity — the relationship intelligence platform for dealmakers— today launched The Relationship Intelligence Benchmark Report: Unicorn Edition , which shares industry trends and analyzes over 390 unicorns in Europe and the United Kingdom with a deep dive into relationship intelligence and deal flows of the firms that invest in them.
Integrated data from the Affinity and Dealroom.co’s intelligence platforms found Europe has a unicorn growth rate more than twice that of the US and is home to 65 “unicorn cities.” These unicorn cities consist of London, Berlin, Paris, Stockholm, and Amsterdam, with more than half of all European unicorns located in the UK and Germany. Recognizing the growth internationally, U.S. investors have flocked to join and now account for 35% of all funding in Europe. This flood of investment has also increased unicorn valuations which are up by 305% in the last five years.
“The past decade has seen an exponential increase in the volume and diversity of new capital investing in startups - and is now entering turbulent economic times,” said Ray Zhou, co-CEO and co-founder at Affinity. “Our report highlights how Europe has adapted and grown, despite the effects of the pandemic, and shows how relationship intelligence plays a role in these major industry trends.”
As expected, many firms experienced a period of “bounce back” from 2020. In 2021, European unicorns raised over $45B, twice the amount raised in 2020. However, these unicorns only account for 14% of new unicorns globally. This means the competition among VC’s is significant as they try to time the right investment. Index Ventures is a single venture responsible for backing 10 European decacorns by itself. The combination of high valuations and less late-stage funding rounds requires VC’s to capitalize on their networks, warm introductions, and outreach. But as these firms and startups face uncertain economic conditions, it is important to understand the drivers for the previous success and how investors identify the next generation of high-growth startups in Europe.
Other key takeaways from the report include:
- Unicorns are roaming : Europe produced 5 times more unicorns in 2021 than in 2020.
- Germany is now a hotspot : German funding of unicorns grew over 300% in the last 5 years. Together with the UK, they have funded 2/3 of all Europe-based unicorns.
- Decacorns are on the rise : Over the past five years, this percentage of multibillion-dollar unicorns has risen by a staggering 560%. The total value of decacorns in 2021 was $777.4B; to date in 2022 is at $718.3B, guaranteeing it will exceed 2021’s numbers.
- The rebound is over : While firms saw an increase in deals, meetings and email volume in 2021, the beginning of 2022 tells a different story. In the first quarter of 2022, firms experienced 27% less meetings and deals, likely due to the inflation in Europe and predictions of an impending recession.
Read the full report here and then watch Affinity’s webinar “European Unicorn Trends: How to Make Unicorn Hunting More Predictable ,” which brings industry experts together to discuss the trends impacting dealmakers in this report as well as the role relationship intelligence plays in the evolving market landscape.
About Affinity
Affinity is a relationship intelligence platform that empowers dealmakers in relationship-driven industries to find, manage and close more deals. With the most automated relationship intelligence insights and technology, Affinity enables leaders to drive deals, free themselves from data drudgery and ensure their teams can take action with confidence, knowing the context and history of every relationship. The Affinity platform, including Affinity CRM, is used by over 2,000 relationship-driven organizations worldwide. Founded in 2014, Affinity is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by leading investors, including Menlo Ventures, Advance Venture Partners, 8VC and MassMutual Ventures.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220616005351/en/
Link:
Social Media:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Andersen Consulting styrker sit udbud af cybersikkerhed med tilføjelsen af S-RM11.12.2025 00:05:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Consulting indgår en samarbejdsaftale med S‑RM, en global efterretnings- og cybersikkerhedsvirksomhed, og styrker dermed sin evne til at understøtte globale kunder med risikostyring, hændelsesrespons og strategisk rådgivning. S-RM har hovedsæde i Storbritannien og leverer integrerede ydelser, der spænder over cyberrådgivning, digital efterforskning, hændelseshåndtering, virksomhedsefterretning og due diligence i forbindelse med transaktioner. Firmaet betjener family offices, kapitalfonde, Fortune 500-virksomheder og mellemstore virksomheder inden for bl.a. finans-, olie- og sundhedssektoren, og tilbyder praktisk cybersikkerhedsstyring samt tilpassede risikoplatforme. Med døgnåben hændelseshåndtering og dybdegående efterforskningsekspertise hjælper S-RM organisationer med at styrke deres modstandsdygtighed og træffe informerede beslutninger i komplekse miljøer. "I en tid, hvor trusler konstant udvikler sig, skal organisationer være proaktive, ikke reaktive," udtaler Heyrick Bon
Canva Unveils 2026 Design Trends: The Year of ‘Imperfect by Design’10.12.2025 23:52:00 CET | Press release
Canva’s third annual Design Trends Report uncovers insights from millions of Canva users and billions of designs to predict the must-know visual trends for creators and brands in 2026.90% surge in DIY-inspired searches, reflecting a shift toward raw, personal, and imperfect design.85% increase in searches for Zine and Substack inspired layouts as creators gravitate toward editorial style storytelling.80% of creators say 2026 is the year to regain creative control, embracing AI as a partner while prioritizing styles that feel human.54% growth in searches for clean layouts and simple branding as audiences gravitate toward pared back styles.527% surge in lo-fi aesthetic searches in favor of nostalgia driven, emotionally expressive visuals.220% jump in searches for “liminal” and “uncanny” content as lines between real and surreal blur. Canva, the world’s leading all-in-one visual communication platform, today unveiled its third annual Design Trends Report with bold predictions for creativi
Audiencerate Achieves Google Customer Match Partner Status, strengthening its role as a Global Data Provider10.12.2025 22:40:00 CET | Press release
Audiencerate, an international technology company specializing in data activation solutions and platforms within the AdTech and MarTech sectors, has been officially awarded by Google as a Customer Match Upload Partner. This certification is granted to a restricted number of global operators (https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7361372?hl=en) authorized to manage and onboard first-party data into the Google Ads and DV360 ecosystem. The company strengthen its strategic partnership with Google by adding the Customer Match Upload Partner accreditation to its existing status as a certified Google Data Provider. This new credential enables Audiencerate to seamlessly integrate proprietary audience segments and data into Google’s advertising platforms. The combination of these two accreditations represents an exceptionalsituation in the international landscape and solidifies Audiencerate's position in the digital advertising market, which is increasingly reliant on first-party data. T
Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB) Development Group – Official Statement10.12.2025 21:06:00 CET | Press release
On 8 September 2025, the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB) Development Group convened a high-level meeting in the City of London with representatives from 37 nations, including all G7 members, alongside the European Commission, NATO, European Parliament, Global Banks, and Ratings Agencies to discuss the DSRB. A number of countries have now indicated their intention to begin the formal steps required to bring the DSRB into existence. This phased pattern of engagement is standard in the creation of international financial institutions, which typically begin with a core group of anchor nations and expand as additional members join through charter negotiations and subsequent capital rounds. The DSRB is designed to complement the European Union’s SAFE initiative, offering a broader multilateral platform that brings together NATO and Indo-Pacific nations and mobilises global capital to build the balance-sheet capacity required to finance nations’ defence spending and long-term res
ClickUp 4.0's Craft & Quality is Available Today, Maximizing Human Productivity10.12.2025 19:26:00 CET | Press release
Hand-crafted to deliver the most polished, powerful ClickUp experience ever created ClickUp today announced the launch of ClickUp 4.0, a groundbreaking release designed to end the chaos of work sprawl and usher in a new era of work. With a bold vision for the convergence of software, people, and AI, ClickUp 4.0 delivers a suite of powerful new features that empower teams to do their best work in one converged workspace. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251210712132/en/ A new era of ClickUp For years, organizations have struggled with fragmented workflows, siloed tools, and the constant friction of context switching. ClickUp 4.0 is the answer: a single, beautifully crafted workspace that brings together tasks, docs, goals, chat, and AI-powered automation. The result is a platform that not only saves time but also sparks creativity and collaboration at every level. “Software is converging - we always knew it woul
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom