How many founders does it take to build a unicorn?

Since 2014, it’s become a funding Fantasia. 80% of total unicorns have been born in the last year, 27 of them in APAC alone. So, you want to build a billion-dollar startup too?

While there is no definitive recipe for success, the most important thing to get right is the founding team. Which begs the question, what does the composition of a unicorn-founding team look like?

After looking at CB Insights database of 138 unicorns and investigating the founding teams on CrunchBase, it seems that the make up of a founding unicorn team is more likely a result of cultural and behavioural tendencies, rather than a calculated choice.

Here’s 4 questions you should ask yourself in order to make a decision.

Where is the birthplace of your unicorn?

Without realizing it, there may be cultural nuances that influence the type of founder you are and how likely you are to co found with others. With ¾ of unicorns birthed in either the US or China it’s an interesting side-by-side comparison to see that Chinese founders are more likely to be solo-preneurs, compared to Americans who lean towards partnerships.

With the spotlight on Asia, founders in China also have the ability to scale faster; they reach the $1B mark 22% faster, and can attract 22% more funding, compared to American startups. Meanwhile, Europe tends to breed the most social startups, with founding teams being closer to 3 people on average.

Here is a look at the difference by region.

What kind of unicorn do you want to make?