Startup stages & company states · Specialist
Decacorn
Also called: ten-billion-dollar startup
ELI5
A private startup valued at ten billion dollars or more.
Used in conversation
“Decacorn valuations can move sharply between rounds.”
Definition
Informal term for a privately held startup valued at ten billion US dollars or more.
Here “Decacorn” means: Informal term for a privately held startup valued at ten billion US dollars or more.
Pitch context
You will see “Decacorn” in fundraising decks, data rooms, term sheets and investor conversations when the discussion reaches startup stages & company states.
Why it matters: It helps a reader interpret startup stages & company states without confusing the measure, decision, role or evidence being discussed.
Sources & evidence · 5
Supporting source families. This entry is an editorial synthesis rather than a quotation from one canonical glossary.
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — Small Business Capital Formation GlossarySupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — Exempt OfferingsSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16
- National Venture Capital Association — Model Legal DocumentsSupporting source family · institutional · checked 2026-08-16
- Y Combinator — Safe financing documentsSupporting source family · practitioner · checked 2026-08-16
- Y Combinator — Series A Term Sheet TemplateSupporting source family · practitioner · checked 2026-08-16