AI is minting billion-dollar startups faster than the dot-com era, with 100 unicorns born in the last two years

There are now roughly 498 artificial intelligence unicorns — privately held AI companies valued at $1 billion or more — with a combined valuation of about $2.7 trillion, according to CB Insights.

Of that group, 100 were founded just since 2023, highlighting the breakneck pace of growth in the sector. More than 1,300 AI startups are currently valued above $100 million.

One example is Mira Murati, the former CTO of OpenAI. Her new venture, Thinking Machines Lab, recently raised $2 billion in seed funding, giving it a valuation of $12 billion.

The surge recalls the late-1990s and early-2000s dot-com boom, which brought companies like Google and eBay into prominence. While the “unicorn” term wasn’t in use then and billion-dollar private valuations weren’t tracked, today’s AI wave is producing billionaires at a historic pace — and some observers say it could even pave the way for the world’s first trillionaires.

The AI billionaire boom

Skyrocketing valuations are translating into huge fortunes for founders, executives, and investors.

In March, Bloomberg reported that just four of the largest private AI firms — OpenAI, Anthropic, Safe Superintelligence, and Anysphere — had already created at least 15 billionaires with a combined wealth of $38 billion. Since then, more unicorns have joined the list.

Venture funding is fueling this rise. Crunchbase data shows global VC investment in 2024 has already surpassed last year’s totals, with AI seeing the steepest year-over-year increase.

At Anthropic, co-founded by CEO Dario Amodei, reports suggest the company is seeking $5 billion in new funding at a staggering $170 billion valuation. Amodei himself has crossed into billionaire territory.

Liang Wenfeng, founder and CEO of China’s DeepSeek, has also reportedly reached a net worth above $1 billion, thanks to the surging value of his low-cost AI enterprise