Valuation

Bret Taylor’s AI startup, Sierra, achieved unicorn status with a $350 million funding round, valuing it at $10 billion. Sierra joins a select group of AI companies exceeding this valuation, fueled by investor enthusiasm. Founded in 2023, Sierra focuses on AI agents for customer service, claiming to assist millions with diverse tasks. The funding, led by Greenoaks, will support platform development, infrastructure scaling, and R&D. This follows Anthropic’s recent funding and highlights the intense AI investment landscape, emphasizing ethical AI development for long-term success.

OpenAI is expanding its secondary share sale to approximately $10.3 billion, up from the initially planned $6 billion, valuing the AI firm at $500 billion. This provides current and former employees a chance to liquidate equity. Key investors include SoftBank, Dragoneer, and T. Rowe Price. The move gives OpenAI flexibility to invest in R&D, scale infrastructure, and attract talent, while avoiding the pressures of an immediate IPO. This increased sale reflects confidence in OpenAI’s long-term prospects and validates its leading position in generative AI.

Anthropic, an AI company founded by ex-OpenAI researchers, secured $13 billion in Series F funding, boosting its valuation to $183 billion. Led by Iconiq, Fidelity, and Lightspeed, the round signifies strong investor confidence. Fueled by its AI assistant, Claude, Anthropic’s revenue run rate exceeded $5 billion in August with over 300,000 business customers. Capital will support safety research, enterprise demand, and global expansion, intensifying its rivalry with OpenAI, valued potentially at $500 billion.

OpenAI has secured $8.3 billion in funding, pushing its valuation past $300 billion. Dragoneer Investment Group led the round with a $2.8 billion investment. OpenAI’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) has surged to $13 billion and is projected to exceed $20 billion by year-end, with paying users reaching 5 million. This funding round occurs as OpenAI seeks to transition to a for-profit entity while negotiating with Microsoft. The investment solidifies OpenAI’s position and supports its future expansion, and a potential IPO.

Xiaohongshu has officially denied rumors of an acquisition by Alibaba, labeling the speculation as “groundless.” This isn’t the first time such rumors have surfaced, with similar claims made in 2019. Xiaohongshu, founded in 2013, has seen its valuation reportedly surge to $26 billion, a significant increase from its previous $17 billion valuation at the end of 2023. Alibaba has not yet commented on the reports.

Hurun’s 2025 Global Unicorn Index reveals record-breaking growth, with 1,523 privately held companies valued over $1 billion. The US leads with nearly 50% of the unicorns, followed by China. Software & services dominate, particularly in fintech and AI. SpaceX takes the top spot, followed by ByteDance and OpenAI, highlighting trends in space exploration and artificial intelligence. AI-related unicorns are particularly prominent, with a combined valuation of nearly $1 trillion.

Xiaomi’s stock is trading around HK$53.2, nearing a previous high. Its P/E ratio of 54 indicates strong growth potential. Facing the question of whether to buy, CEO Lei Jun emphasizes Xiaomi’s improving fundamentals and long-term performance, expressing confidence in future growth for long-term investors.