然而，當太多的初創企業成為獨角獸，壹個新的公司層級正在冉冉上升，即所謂的“十角獸”：它們的估值超過了百億美元。
以Uber和Airbnb為代表，這些企業正在尋求更多的投資，以達到越來越高的估值，同時，它們堅定地保持了獨立運營。
以下是估值超過百億美元的美國初創企業。
7. Dropbox
估值:?100億美元
CEO Drew Houston
在2014年獲得新壹輪61.7億美元的融資之後，Dropbox的估值達到了百億美元。從那時起，這家公司開始將重心轉向企業客戶，並於去年發布了Dropbox企業版。
2016年，這家公司開始削減其在員工額外津貼上的過度開支。雖然Dropbox並沒有披露它的財務數據，但據報道稱，它去年的收入超過了50億美元。CEO Drew Houston六月份稱，公司已經實現了正向現金流，這對壹家快速發展的科技企業是壹個裏程碑。
數個報道稱，Dropbox將於2017年進行IPO（首次公開募股）。
6. Pinterest
估值：110億美元
CEO Ben Silbermann
2015年5月，Pinterest獲得了53.3億美元的G輪融資，投資方包括Andreessen Horowitz,First Mark和高盛。此輪融資後，這家總部位於舊金山的公司估值迅速攀升到了110億美元。
這個發現、“釘住”圖片的平臺擁有超過1.75億的月活用戶，其中半數以上的用戶是國際化的。最近幾個月，公司將重心拓展到了海外市場，比如英國、法國、德國、日本和巴西，並且將投放在平臺上的廣告增加了壹倍。去年8月，Pinterest
收購了提供在線標簽服務的公司Instapaper.
2016年，到處流傳著Pinterest即將上市的小道消息。10月，Pinterest任命了它的第壹任首席財務官，這是它接近IPO的壹個征兆。
5. SpaceX
估值:?120億美元
CEO Elon Musk
Elon Musk的 Space X 公司於2015年1月獲得了來自富達和谷歌的10億美元投資，其估值上升到120億美元。
不到壹年之後，Space X 發射的獵鷹9號火箭進入太空，與衛星分離後，安全著陸，壹舉創造了歷史。其發射與著陸的成功證明了可回收火箭的可能性（而非讓火箭墜入大海）。
然而，2016年，對這家公司來說，是更加艱難的壹年。9月，Space X 的壹支火箭在試發射階段爆炸，並摧毀了壹顆facebook意圖租用的衛星。因此，Space X 推遲了另外壹支重型火箭 Falcon Heavy的亮相。這壹型號的火箭搭載NASA宇航員，並將於2018年發射。
4. WeWork
估值:?180億美元
聯合創始人Miguel McKelvey、Adam Neumann
去年3月，專註於聯合辦公的初創企業Wework獲得來自軟銀的30億美元投資，其估值升至180億美元，成為美國估值第四高的初創企業。根據財富雜誌Erin Griffith的報道，Wework已經暗示，它將於2017年上市，期間還會收購壹些小公司。
3. Palantir
估值:?200億美元
CEO Alex Karp
去年，在獲得新壹輪2億美元融資後，Palantir的估值達到了200億美元。雖然據報道稱，它在2015年有17億美元的合同收入，但Palantir可能並不盈利。
這家數據挖掘公司以其神秘性“臭名昭著”，6月，有報道稱，Palantir從其員工手裏回購了22.5億的股票，用來交換他們的保持沈默。
Palantir得到了CIA風投公司Arm的支持，據稱，它與政府保持著合作關系。壹度有報道暗示，它在斯諾登棱鏡門事件中扮演了壹定角色。
然而，最近，Palantir陷入了與勞工部的糾紛中。這家公司被指控，在招聘工程師實習生的過程中歧視亞裔。為解決這壹指控，Palantir同意向受影響的員工支付1，659,424美元欠款與期權。
2. Airbnb
估值:?310億美元
CEO Brian Chesky,
product chief Joe Gebbia,
CTO Nathan Blecharczyk.
房屋租賃公司Airbnb在206年遇到了挑戰，然而，這家公司仍然是全美估值第二高的初創企業。
去年，Airbnb在舊金山、紐約面臨了法律難題，但仍然獲得了高達8.5億的新壹輪融資，並且於11月推出了壹項名為Trips的新服務，致力於成為壹家提供更全面服務的旅遊公司。
2017年3月，Airbnb獲得了1億美元融資，其估值升至310億美元。據說目前Airbnb正密切關註傳聞中Spotify直接上市的路徑。如果可行，我們可能將會在明年看到Airbnb的股票的公開交易。
1. Uber
估值：680億美元
CEO Travis Kalanick
Uber是全美及全世界估值最高的初創企業，超過了其勁敵滴滴出行，後者的估值為200億美元。
這家專車服務公司最近幾年獲得了多筆十億美元的融資，包括來自壹家沙特阿拉伯投資公司的3.5億美元投資，以及以杠桿貸款形式獲得的2億美元融資。5月，Uber宣稱它2017年第壹季度虧損7.08億，相較於之前再之前3個月9.91億的虧損額有所下降。這家公司正在招聘具有上市公司經驗的首席財務官，這意味著它可能再考慮上市。
拋開財務數據不談，Uber的2017年也過得異常艱難。其性別歧視、性騷擾案，高管離職潮以及與Waymo（壹家從谷歌分離出來的無人駕駛公司，它指控Uber偷竊自己的技術）的激烈訴訟被大量報道。
原文：
THE $10 BILLION CLUB：Meet the 7 most valuable startups in the US
Over the past several years, we've seen a rise in private companies valued at more than a billion dollars—the so-called "unicorns."
But when too many startups became unicorns, a new class of startups emerged: "decacorns," companies valued at over $10 billion.
These are the Ubers and Airbnbs of the world, the startups that steadfastly remain private companies as they seek more millions in funding at higher and higher valuations.
Following are the US startups valued at more than $10 billion.
7. Dropbox
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Valuation: $10 billion
CEO Drew Houston
Dropbox reached its $10 billion valuation in 2014 after a $617 million funding round. Since then, the company has shifted its focus to business customers, launching Dropbox Enterprise last year.
The company began to cut back on lavish spending an employee perks in 2016, something that was costing the company $25,000 per year per employee. While Dropbox doesn't disclose its financials, it's reported to have generated more than $500 million in revenue last year. CEO Drew Houston said in June that the company is free cash flow positive now, which is a milestone for a fast-growth tech company.
Various reports have pegged a Dropbox IPO as taking place sometime in 2017.
6. Pinterest
John Lamparski/Getty
Valuation: $11 billion
CEO Ben Silbermann
In May 2015, Pinterest raised a $533 million Series G funding round from investors like Andreessen Horowitz, First Mark, and Goldman Sachs, bumping the San Francisco-based company's valuation up to $11 billion.
The virtual discovery and pinning platform has more than 175 million monthly active users, over half of whom are international. The company has expanded its focus in recent months to overseas markets like the UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Brazil, and has doubled down on increasing the advertising on its platform. Last August, Pinterest acquired online bookmarking service Instapaper.
Rumors swirled throughout 2016 that Pinterest was on the brink of going public, and in October, the company named its first chief financial officer, a signal that Pinterest could be inching closer to an IPO.
5. SpaceX
TED
Valuation: $12 billion
CEO Elon Musk
After raising a $1 billion funding round from Fidelity and Google in January 2015, Elon Musk's SpaceX reached a $12 billion valuation.
Less than a year later, SpaceX made history when it launched its Falcon 9 rocket into space, dropped off a satellite, then landed back on the ground safely. The success of the launch and landing proved it was possible to reuse expensive rockets, rather than letting them fall into the ocean.
But 2016 was a more challenging year for the company. In September, a SpaceX rocket exploded during a launch-pad test, destroying a satellite Facebook intended to lease. SpaceX has since delayed the debut of another, more powerful rocket system—the Falcon Heavy—and delayed launches crewed by NASA astronauts until 2018.
4. WeWork
Valuation: $18 billion
WeWork cofounders Miguel McKelvey and Adam Neumann
Coworking startup WeWork raised $300 million in funding from SoftBank this past March, putting its valuation at about $18 billion and making it the fourth-most-valuable startup in the US.
WeWork has hinted at going public in 2017, and may also buy up a few smaller companies in the meantime, according to Fortune's Erin Griffith.
3. Palantir
Valuation: $20 billion
CEO Alex Karp
Palantir has raised about $2 billion in investment, reaching a $20 billion valuation last year. But despite a reported $1.7 billion in "bookings" in 2015 (revenue under contract), Palantir may not be profitable yet.
The data-mining startup is notoriously secretive, and in June, reports surfaced that Palantir was buying back $225 million in stock from employees in exchange for their silence.
Palantir is backed by the CIA's venture-capital arm and is said to have worked with the government, at one point being implicated as a player in Edward Snowden's revelations about government spying. It was also said to help the US find Osama bin Laden, and help police sift through massive amounts of video, using facial recognition, to find the Boston Marathon bombers.
But Palantir recently ran into trouble with the Department of Labor, and the company settled allegations that its hiring practices for engineers discriminated against Asian people. It has agreed to pay $1,659,434 in back wages and stock options to impacted employees.
2. Airbnb
Valuation: $31 billion
CEO Brian Chesky, product chief Joe Gebbia, CTO Nathan Blecharczyk.
Home-rental startup Airbnb had a challenging 2016, but the company is still the second most-valuable startup in the US.
Airbnb faced legal setbacks in San Francisco and New York last year, but also raised a massive, $850 million round of funding and launched a new service called Trips in November with the intent of becoming a more full-service travel company.
In March of 2017, Airbnb raised a $1 billion funding round that valued the company at $31 billion. Now, Airbnb is reportedly keeping a close eye on Spotify's rumoured route to going public through a direct listing—if it goes well, we may see a publicly traded Airbnb stock next year.
1. Uber
Valuation: $68 billion
CEO Travis Kalanick
Uber is the most valuable startup in the US and across the globe, outpacing the valuation of its arch-rival, Didi Chuxing, by nearly $20 billion.
The ride-hailing startup raised several billion dollars in recent years, including $3.5 billion from a Saudi Arabian investment fund and $2 billion in the form of a leveraged loan. Uber announced in May that it lost $708 million in the first quarter of 2017, a narrower loss than the $991 million that Uber lost in the prior three months. The company is also hunting for a new CFO with public company experience, a sign that Uber could be considering going public.
Finances aside, Uber has had a fraught 2017 amid reports of gender discrimination and sexual harassment, a string of executive departures and an acrimonious lawsuit by Waymo, the self-driving car firm spun out of Google, which has accused Uber of stealing its technology.