New Unicorns Increased in June, but Market Signals 'Selective Restructuring' Amid AI Focus

In June, 34 new companies joined the Crunchbase unicorn board, adding a combined valuation of over $110 billion, approximately 162.79 trillion won. Notably, 10 of these companies were AI firms, which accounted for the largest share of the overall increase.

The most prominent among them is DeepSeek, an open-source AI model developer based in Beijing, China. DeepSeek raised $7.4 billion in its first external funding round, achieving a valuation of $50 billion, the highest among the newly added unicorns this year. Industry observers suggest that DeepSeek may pursue a listing on the Shanghai stock exchange as early as the second quarter of 2027.

Investment Focus Expanding into AI Labs, Robotics, and Infrastructure

The combined valuation of the 10 new AI unicorns reached $65 billion, about 96.19 trillion won. The investment scope has broadened beyond simple generative AI to include robotics, physics-based design, autonomous learning, open-source, and state-led 'sovereign AI'.

In New York, Flurry secured $500 million with its neuroscience-based new AI architecture, 'Cortex AI', while PhysicsX in London was valued at $2.4 billion for its aerospace, defense, and semiconductor design AI. Sarvam AI in Bengaluru, India, gained recognition as a domestic sovereign AI developer with a valuation of $1.5 billion.

Both robotics and AI infrastructure produced four new unicorns each. Germany's Neura Robotics raised significant funds from investors, including stablecoin issuer Tether, achieving a valuation of $7 billion. In the U.S., Ionic Digital shifted its business direction from cryptocurrency mining to AI data center construction, receiving a valuation of $2.4 billion. This indicates that the AI boom is spreading beyond software into hardware and infrastructure.

16 New Unicorns from the U.S., 8 from China... A Dual Power Structure

By country, U.S.-based companies led with 16 new unicorns, followed by China with 8. India, Germany, and the U.K. each had 2, while the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, and Saudi Arabia each produced 1 new unicorn.

This distribution suggests that capital concentration in the U.S. and China remains strong, particularly in strategic industries such as AI, robotics, defense, semiconductors, and data analysis. At the same time, India and Europe are selectively increasing their presence in specific fields.

Overall Unicorn Value Decreased Despite New Additions

However, in terms of the overall unicorn board value, June marked a decrease. The primary reason was the exit of SpaceX from the board following its IPO, which led to a reduction of over $1 trillion in total value.

Additionally, AI coding tool developer Anisphere was acquired by SpaceX for $60 billion, AI infrastructure company Modular was acquired by Qualcomm, and customer service agent Finn was acquired by Salesforce, resulting in the exit of several major unicorns. Notably, Anisphere's previous private market valuation was $29.3 billion, highlighting the significant strategic acquisition premium for large AI assets.

Crypto Presence... Digital Asset Valued at $2 Billion

In the crypto sector, Digital Asset, a blockchain and smart contract solution provider for global financial institutions, emerged as a new unicorn. The company raised $355 million in a Series F round led by Andreessen Horowitz Crypto, achieving a valuation of $2 billion, approximately 29.6 trillion won.

While the market's focus has shifted to AI, interpretations suggest that the crypto sector, particularly blockchain infrastructure, continues to attract significant capital due to its direct connection to financial systems. This cycle differs from previous ones, as the focus has shifted from token prices to actual institutional demand and enterprise applicability.

AI Boom Continues, but Market Shifts to 'Selective Overvaluation'

The June unicorn tally reaffirmed that AI is the core driving force in the global private market. However, not all AI companies receive the same valuation. Funding is increasingly concentrated in areas with clear demand and expansion paths, such as open-source models, robotics, data centers, physics AI, and defense technology.

While the number of new unicorns has increased, the overall unicorn value has decreased, indicating that the market is not merely expanding in size but is undergoing a 'qualitative restructuring' through IPOs and mergers and acquisitions. The next-generation technology market, including AI and crypto, is likely to continue growing, but investment funds are expected to increasingly concentrate on a smaller number of validated companies.

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