Overview
Austin's Billion-Dollar Companies
Austin's startup ecosystem was valued at about $90 billion in 2026 reporting, built on unicorns, IPOs and dozens of mid-market acquisitions in enterprise software, fintech, healthtech and consumer technology. The 2024-2026 wave of AI, defense and energy funding pushed new valuations highest in humanoid robotics, autonomous defense, grid storage and biotech. Many regional VC partners in the Austin VC community came from operating roles at earlier Austin exits.
Private
Active Austin Unicorns
| Company | Valuation | Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Base Power | $13B | Home batteries bundled with retail electricity plans; founded 2023 by Zach Dell and Justin Lopas. Raised a $1B Series D in August 2026. |
| NinjaOne | $12.3B | IT operations and endpoint management platform; unicorn since February 2024. Backed by Summit Partners, ICONIQ Growth and CapitalG. |
| Saronic Technologies | $9.25B | Autonomous surface vessels for the US Navy and allies; founded 2022 by Dino Mavrookas and team. Series D of $1.75B led by Kleiner Perkins. |
| Apptronik | $5.5B | Apollo humanoid robot; spun out of UT's Human Centered Robotics Lab in 2016. Pilots with Mercedes-Benz, GXO Logistics, Google DeepMind and Jabil; Series A reached $935M in February 2026. |
| Tricentis | $5B | AI-driven automated software testing; backed by Insight Partners and GTCR. |
| Workrise (formerly RigUp) | $2.9B (2021) | Skilled-labor workforce platform for energy and construction; restructured after its 2021 peak. Founded 2014 by Xuan Yong, Michael Witte and Sandeep Jain. |
| EverlyWell (now Everly Health) | $2.9B (2021) | At-home lab testing and telehealth; founded 2015. |
| Allen Control Systems | $2.2B | Bullfrog AI-guided robotic weapon station for counter-drone defense. $200M Series B led by Smash Capital in May 2026. |
| ICON | $2B | 3D-printed construction for homes on Earth and NASA lunar surface work; backed by 8VC, Tiger Global, Norwest and Capital Factory. |
| ZenBusiness | $1.7B | Small business formation and operations platform; valued at $1.7B in November 2021. |
| Anaconda | $1.5B | Python data science platform for enterprise AI; $150M Series C led by Insight Partners in July 2025. |
| Halcyon | $1B | Anti-ransomware platform founded 2021; unicorn via Series C. |
| The Zebra | $1B | Insurance comparison marketplace; unicorn since April 2021, backed by Silverton Partners and Accel. |
| IntraBio | $1B | Clinical-stage biotech for rare neurological and metabolic disorders; founded 2015. |
| FLASH | $1B | Parking and mobility data platform; founded 2011. |
| Kendra Scott | $1B | Jewelry, home and beauty brand founded 2002; built without venture capital. |
| Atmosphere | $1B | Streaming TV for bars, restaurants and other businesses; founded 2019. |
Public
Austin Companies That Went Public
| Company | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Firefly Aerospace (Nasdaq: FLY) | Cedar Park launch and lunar lander maker. Blue Ghost Mission 1 became the first fully successful commercial Moon landing in March 2025; IPO August 7, 2025, closing its first day near $8.5B. |
| Bumble (Nasdaq: BMBL) | Founded 2014 by Whitney Wolfe Herd; IPO February 2021 at about $13B, followed by a steep share decline. |
| SailPoint (Nasdaq: SAIL) | Identity security, founded 2005 by Mark McClain. First IPO 2017; taken private by Thoma Bravo for $6.9B in 2022; relisted February 2025 at about $12.6B, raising $1.38B. |
| CrowdStrike (Nasdaq: CRWD) | Endpoint security; founded 2011 in California by George Kurtz, Dmitri Alperovitch and Gregg Marston, IPO June 2019, headquarters moved to Austin in 2021. |
| Commerce, formerly BigCommerce (Nasdaq: CMRC) | E-commerce platform founded 2009; IPO August 2020. |
| Ping Identity | Identity security with large Austin operations; public 2019, taken private by Thoma Bravo for $2.8B in 2022. |
Acquisitions
Major Austin Acquisitions
| Company | Acquirer and Details |
|---|---|
| Indeed | Job search site founded 2004 with Austin and Stamford headquarters; bought by Recruit Holdings in 2012 for about $1B. Austin remains a primary center. |
| HomeAway | Vacation rentals; IPO 2011, bought by Expedia for $3.9B in 2015 and folded into Vrbo. |
| RetailMeNot | Coupons; IPO 2013, bought by Harland Clarke (Vericast) for about $630M in 2017. Austin Ventures portfolio. |
| WP Engine | Managed WordPress hosting; $250M growth investment from Silver Lake in 2018. Silverton Partners portfolio. |
| ShipStation | E-commerce shipping software; bought by Stamps.com (now Auctane). |
| Favor Delivery | On-demand delivery; bought by H-E-B in 2018. S3 Ventures portfolio. |
| Live Oak Technologies | Bought by DocuSign. S3 Ventures portfolio. |
| Acessa Health | Fibroid treatment device; bought by Hologic. S3 Ventures portfolio. |
| TVA Medical | Endovascular device; bought by Becton Dickinson. S3 Ventures portfolio. |
| StoredIQ, Gravitant, Briggo, Packet Design, Sipera Systems | S3 Ventures exits to IBM (StoredIQ, Gravitant), Coca-Cola (Briggo), Ciena (Packet Design) and Avaya (Sipera). |
| Phurnace Software | Bought by BMC Software; 2006 Moot Corp winner whose founders helped fund Texas Venture Labs at McCombs. |
| Datical | Database release automation founded by MSTC alumni; renamed Liquibase. |
| LibreDigital | Digital publishing; bought by R.R. Donnelley. |
Founder Recycling
Exits Fund the Next Founders
HomeAway's Brian Sharples and the HomeAway alumni network produced second-time founders and angel investors throughout 2015-2025. Indeed alumni moved into later-stage Austin startups and VC partnerships, CrowdStrike's George Kurtz remains an active angel, and SailPoint's Mark McClain and operator base fed Austin cybersecurity startups such as HYAS.
Engineering, product and operations leaders from Indeed, HomeAway, RetailMeNot and Bumble have founded companies in enterprise software, fintech, healthtech and consumer technology. Second- and third-time founders make up a meaningful share of the Capital Factory portfolio, and Bumble, ICON, Apptronik and Firefly give prospective founders concrete Austin precedents.
Record
Dataset Record
- Sources
- Company announcements; Pitchbook; Crunchbase; SEC filings; Defense News; TechCrunch
- Last verified
- Q4 2026