A record 42 startups became decacorns so far in 2026, beating 2021's 34; PitchBook: the average time to hit $10B dropped to 5.5 years in 2025 vs. 9.4 in 2020
THE SO WHAT
Forty-two new decacorns and a sub-6-year path to $10B valuations mean late-stage private markets are compressing timelines and expectations. If you're operating in these cohorts, assume less patience for experimentation—go-to-market efficiency and defensibility will be under the microscope well before IPO.
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