Which factors influence high startup valuations? The rise and fall of startup unicorns

Master's Thesis from the year 2018 in the subject Business economics - Company formation, Business Plans, grade: 1,7, Otto Beisheim School of Management Vallendar, language: English, abstract: The author of the work aims to shed light on processes in the startup environment. The work provides a new and more comprehensive view on the valuation drivers of startups by including the dynamics of negotiation during the actual valuation process. The three areas that this work seeks to investigate are: What are the factors that impact the valuation of a startup, especially relating to startup unicorns? Which factors increase the likelihood that a highly valued startup is engaging in a down-round? Which factors are the most important valuation drivers of a startup in each stage of its development?The valuation of a startup results out of a highly complex interplay of different factors which can be assigned to the four dimensions valuation methods and down-rounds, the ecosystem, the startup, and the investor. The author iterviewed active startup investors and entrepreneurs and collected hands-on knowledge from professionals directly involved in the negotiation process.