Looking back on VC news, stories and social media musings throughout 2015, it becomes clear that certain trends, industries and ideas drove the narrative more than others. Posted below are some of the buzzwords of 2015 that helped define the year and, in many cases, launched its most impassioned debates.
For more of our 2015 Year in Review coverage, click here.
Bubble
Following the infamous dot-com bubble, and subsequent stock market crash in 2000, this word seems to continually echo throughout the tech industry. 2015 was no exception, and we saw the conversation heat up as valuations skyrocketed and unicorns seemed to be christened daily. Usually the subject is rather polarizing, which isn’t surprising when people are putting money behind their stances, but this year the tides seemed to have shifted to where more and more people are in agreement that the current funding environment is, well, bubbly. There is no doubt this conversation will continue into 2016 and beyond.
Fintech
From payment platforms to mobile banks to digital currencies, the financial industry is looking at a major overhaul in the years to come, provided by the growing number of fintech companies. Fintech startups raised nearly $8 billion in venture capital during the year, up over $3 billion compared to 2014.
The industry, as hard as it is to define, is well spread out, with major hubs in San Francisco, New York and London, the latter of which has 72 fintech companies of its own. Fintech is touching every part of the financial industry, with companies from areas such as personal finance, lending, retail platforms, and institutional investing, among others.
Private IPO
The term became prominent in 2015 when the number of companies that would have traditionally made a public offering instead raised a large round of private financing. Late-stage rounds have generally been tagged private IPOs when the investment totaled $40 million or higher, and they have shot through the roof recently. During the year, U.S. VC-backed companies raised nearly $31 billion in private IPOs, compared with just $8 billion in VC-backed IPOs. These funding rounds have allowed companies to continue to grow at a rapid pace, though at the same time often keeping their investors all too illiquid.
Unicorn
Becoming a private company valued at $1 billion+ was once a major milestone. In 2015, however, more companies achieved the mark than had ever before in a single year; 48 companies headquartered in the U.S. and 28 non-U.S. companies reached unicorn status in 2015 (call it the Year of the Unicorn?). The term was used so often this year that many publicly petitioned for it to be dropped from VC lexicon, but ye
via pitchbook.com
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