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- Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi driving an Uber.
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- Uber
Technology companies continue to be some of the most valuable private companies in the world, according to PitchBook’s most recent list of the highest valuations of VC-backed companies.
Uber tops the list as of May 2018, but it’s followed closely by its Chinese competitor, DiDi. In fact, there are a total of five ride-hailing companies on the list; Lyft, Indonesian GO-JEK, and Singapore’s Grab are also on there.
Of the 26 tech companies on the list, 12 are based out of the US and 10 are headquartered in China. Eight of the companies’ most recent deals were led by SoftBank Capital – the US-based venture capital firm that invests heavily in technology – and ranged from $20 million (Palantir) to $4.6 billion (Didi).
Here are the most valuable tech companies in the world, from lowest valuation to highest:
Ubtech: $5 billion
The Shenzhen, China-based maker of entertainment and educational robots last raised $820 million in a deal led by Tencent Holdings on May 4, 2018.
Machine Zone: $5 billion
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- Machine Zone
Machine Zone is based out of Palo Alto and develops multi-player mobile games. Its latest deal was a $330 million funding round in 2016, led by undisclosed investors.
Coupang: $5 billion
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- Coupang
A Korean e-commerce marketplace for consumer products, tickets, and more that raised $1 billion in 2015, in a deal led by SoftBank Capital.
GO-JEK: $5 billion
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- GO-JEK website
This Indonesian ride-hailing company is the largest unicorn company based out of Jakarta, Indonesia. In its most recent funding round in February 2018, the company raised $1.5 billion, led by Astra International and Tencent Holdings.
Slack: $5.1 billion
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- FILE PHOTO: The Slack messaging application is seen on a phone screen
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- Thomson Reuters
The San Francisco-based internal communication tool for companies most recently raised $250 million in funding in 2017, in a round led by SoftBank Group.
WeDoctor: $5.5 billion
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- WeDoctor website
The Chinese mobile app for medical service raised $500 million, led by AIA Company and NWS Holdings, in May 2018.
Robinhood: $5.6 billion
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- Robinhood
Robinhood is a stock and cryptocurrency trading app based out of San Francisco. Its most recent funding round took place in May 2018, when the startup raised $363 million, led by DST Global.
Grab: $6 billion
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- Thomson Reuters
Another ride-hailing company, this time based out of Singapore, Grab most recently completed a $2.5 billion funding round in January 2018, led by SoftBank and Didi Chuxing.
Lianjia.com: $6 billion
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- App store: Lianjia
Chinese company Lianjia.com is an online real estate platform for sales and rentals. Its last funding round took place in 2017, when it raised $377 million in a deal led by Sunac China Holdings.
Magic Leap: $6.4 billion
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- Magic Leap
The Florida-based AR company raised $963 million in a funding round that closed in March 2018, led by Temasek Holdings and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Manbang Group: $6.5 billion
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- Scott Olson/Getty
This Chinese company created a mobile app that connects truck drivers and distributors. In April 2018, it raised $1.9 billion in a funding round led by SoftBank Group and China Reform Fund Management.
Jiedaibao: $7.6 billion
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- Jiedaibao website
Jiedaibao is an app that helps facilitate loan transactions, and the company is based out of China. Its most recent funding round took place in 2016, when it raised $381 million in a round led by undisclosed investors.
DJI: $8 billion
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- FILE PHOTO: Drones are displayed inside DJI’s first flagship store of DJI in Shenzhen
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- Thomson Reuters
SZ DJI Technology Company is based out of China and is currently the largest aerial drone maker in the world. In 2015, it completed a $75 million funding round from Accel and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Stripe: $9.2 billion
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- Stripe CEO and founder Patrick Collison
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- Wikimedia Commons
San Francisco-based online payment platform Stripe completed a $400 million funding round in 2016, led by Capital G and General Catalyst Partners.
Paytm: $10 billion
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- An advertisement of Paytm, a digital wallet company, is pictured at a road side stall in Kolkata, India, January 25, 2017.
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- REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri
The mobile payment and e-commerce platform makes for easy bill payments in India. In May 2017, Paytm raised $1.4 billion in financing from SoftBank Group.
Lyft: $11.7 billion
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- Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Another ride-hailing company based out of San Francisco, Lyft raised $1.7 billion in March 2018, in a round led by CapitalG.
Pinterest: $12.3 billion
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- Ken Yeung/VentureBeat
The social platform for sharing pictures and content from the web, also based out of San Francisco, raised $150 million in June 2017 thanks to Emerson Collective, Coffin Capital & Ventures, SharesPost, Sinai Ventures, and other undisclosed investors.
Pinduoduo: $15 billion
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- Pinduoduo app download page
Pinduoduo is a Chinese discount deal platform that raised $3 billion in April 2018. The round was led by Tencent Holdings.
Toutiao: $20 billion
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- Thomson Reuters
A China-based news app that raised $2 billion in a 2017 funding round led by General Atlantic.
Palantir: $20.5 billion
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- Palantir CEO Alex Karp
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- Getty / Drew Angerer
Co-founded by Alex Karp and Peter Thiel in Palo Alto, Palantir develops data-gathering and data-analyzing platforms for government agencies and private enterprises. It most recently raised $20 million in 2016, thanks to funding from Decacorn Capital, Oceanic Partners, Prometheus Capital, and undisclosed investors.
WeWork: $21.1 billion
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- WeWork Chelsea headquarters in New York.
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- Courtesy of WeWork
A shared workspace provider based out of San Francisco, WeWork raised $3 billion in a 2017 round led by SoftBank Group’s Vision Fund.
SpaceX: $24.7 billion
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- SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket stands ready for launch on February 5, 2018.
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- Dave Mosher/Business Insider
Elon Musk’s California-based aerospace company most recently completed a $214 million funding round in 2018, led by Fidelity Investments.
Meituan-Dianping: $30 billion
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- Meituan Mobile site
The online marketplace for on-demand services, tickets, and restaurant reservations in China completed a $4 billion funding round in 2017, led by Tencent.
Airbnb: $31 billion
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- Tero Vesalainen / Shutterstock.com
The peer-to-peer online rental company completed its last funding round in 2015, when it raised $1.6 billion in a deal led by General Atlantic, Hillhouse Capital, and Tiger Gobal Management.
Didi Chuxing: $56 billion
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- Thomson Reuters
The creator of the largest ride-hailing app in China, Didi Chuxing raised $4.6 billion in February 2018, thanks to a round led by Softbank Capital, Mubadala Development, and JUMP Investors.
Uber: $69.9 billion
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- Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber.
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- Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Topping the list is the largest ride-hailing company in the US, Uber, which raised $1.3 billion in January 2018 in a funding round led by SoftBank Group.