Hurun Releases First Global Cheetah Index
-
Hurun releases its first Global Cheetah Index, with China leading at 291 companies.
Pictured is the launch event.
Shenzhen News Network, December 20, 2023 (Reporter Zhang Ying, Shenzhen Commercial Daily) On December 19, Hurun Research Institute and Guangzhou Nansha jointly released the 2023 Hurun Global Cheetah Index, listing high-growth companies founded after 2000 that are most likely to reach unicorn-level valuations of $1 billion within five years. These companies, known as "Cheetah Enterprises," are considered to represent the future economy and are the most valuable for investment.
Hurun Research Institute identified 747 Cheetah Enterprises globally. China and the U.S. lead with 291 and 246 companies respectively, accounting for 72% of the total. This is the first time Hurun has released the "Global Cheetah Index."
According to the list, Shanghai is the global capital of Cheetah Enterprises, with 64 companies, followed by Beijing (59) and San Francisco (46). Shenzhen ranks fourth nationally with 30 companies, trailing Hangzhou (35). Guangzhou has 20 Cheetah Enterprises, while the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has 56, accounting for 19% of the national total. The Yangtze River Delta region has 149 Cheetah Enterprises, representing 51% of the national total.
The most represented industries among the listed companies are healthcare and financial services, followed by enterprise management solutions and retail. Biotechnology and health tech lead with 99 and 89 Cheetah Enterprises respectively, followed by enterprise services (70), fintech (62), e-commerce (46), and software services and artificial intelligence (40 each).
Hurun stated: "Although these Cheetah Enterprises are relatively young, their scale is already significant, with an average valuation of nearly 3 billion RMB. They represent the future economy. What they do and where they operate indicate which industries attract the world's top young talent and smartest capital, as well as which countries and cities have the best entrepreneurial ecosystems. For example, biotechnology and health tech are the two most favored sectors among Cheetah Enterprises, suggesting that unicorns in the next five years will likely emerge from these fields rather than fintech, software services, or e-commerce, as seen today."
Wang Xiang, Vice President of Shenzhen-listed company Zhuyun Technology, explained that the digital identity management and access control sector has entered a period of rapid development in the Chinese market since 2020, with very broad market prospects ahead. It is predicted that the industry will achieve an average annual compound growth rate of 13.1% globally and 15.9% in China over the next ten years. Against the backdrop of "Digital China" development, the company has implemented projects for over 500 large global clients, spanning various industries including government, finance, manufacturing, energy, military, and automotive sectors.