Unicorns with fewest employees

Big teams are no longer a sign of a successful company.

Big teams are no longer a sign of a successful company.

Yet for now you still need people to scale a successful AI company.

I looked at 30 leading AI unicorns to see how close (or far) we are from achieving the "$1B one person startup".
The idea that with AI you can augment all roles relevant to a startup.

Based on this review its not happening anytime soon.
But we are seeing astonishing numbers from the new generation of AI companies.

SOME KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Midjourney reached $200M ARR without any venture funding and fewer than 50 employees.
• Bolt.new, Cursor, and Devin exemplify explosive revenue growth with tiny teams (less than 30).
• 14/30 AI startups have revenue per employee above $200K and 3 are above$3M per employee!
• Consumer-focused AI companies with a self-serve motion require fewer employees vs B2B-focused startups which need more people for GTM functions.
• Some AI unicorns raise over $10M per employee, with the average being around$3.5M.
• AI valuations explode with lean teams: Valuations per employee exceed $200M at Midjourney and just short of$20M per employee, highlighting unprecedented efficiency and potential in AI-driven businesses.

Author

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