As Airbnb and Instacart gear up for rumored IPOs, here are the VC firms that have made the most early investments in billion-dollar startups

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As Airbnb and Instacart gear up for rumored IPOs, here are the VC firms that have made the most early investments in billion-dollar startups

Unicorn investors

CB Insights

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With Uber, Lyft, and Pinterest now public companies, all eyes are on other billion-dollar businesses in the IPO pipeline.

According to a new report from CB Insights, early-stage tech investing firms SV Angel and Y Combinator are poised to make a hefty return if either Airbnb or Instacart go public in 2019. The two firms are early investors in both companies, which are each valued well above $1 billion.

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The CB Insights report lays out which investors have staked early claims in the elite group of "unicorns" - startups valued by private investors at $1 billion or more - with SV Angel coming out on top with 18 unicorn feathers in its proverbial cap. SV Angel's stake in Airbnb is not publicly disclosed, but according to Pitchbook data, the firm would have bought shares at $0.42 each in the round, meaning it's likely to turn a big profit if and when Airbnb IPOs.

Read More: Check out the pitch deck that Sandbox VR used to get Andreessen Horowitz as lead investor in a $68 million round, and watch the investors discuss the pitch

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Notable startup incubator Y Combinator is a close second with 16 early bets. Startups that graduate from Y Combinator's program receive $150,000 in exchange for a 7% stake in the company. At current valuations, Y Combinator's stake in Airbnb is worth around $2.6 billion, and its stake in Instacart is worth $532 million.

Here are the top venture capital firms with the most early-stage investments in billion-dollar businesses, according to CB Insights:

Read the full report from CB Insights.

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Andreessen Horowitz tied for fourth place with 11 early bets on startups now valued at or above $1 billion.

Andreessen Horowitz tied for fourth place with 11 early bets on startups now valued at or above $1 billion.

CB Insights doesn't share the firm's largest investments, but Andreessen Horowitz was a major early investor in startups like:

  • Airbnb, most recently valued at $29.3 billion.
  • Stripe, most recently valued at $22.5 billion.
  • Coinbase, most recently valued at $8 billion.

Tied for fourth place is Sequoia, one of Silicon Valley’s oldest firms, which made early bets on Airbnb, Instacart, and DoorDash.

Tied for fourth place is Sequoia, one of Silicon Valley’s oldest firms, which made early bets on Airbnb, Instacart, and DoorDash.

Top early stage investments:

  • Airbnb, seed and Series A. Most recent valuation: $29.3 billion
  • Instacart, Series A. Most recent valuation: $7.6 billion
  • DoorDash, Series A. Most recent valuation: $7.1 billion
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Also tied for fourth is IDG Capital, an international investment firm that has early stakes in U.S. and Chinese companies.

Also tied for fourth is IDG Capital, an international investment firm that has early stakes in U.S. and Chinese companies.

Top early stage investments:

  • SenseTime, Series A. Most recent valuation: $4.5 billion
  • XPeng Motors, Series A. Most recent valuation: $3.65 billion
  • Zoox, Series A. Most recent valuation: $3.2 billion

Sequoia Capital China, the Chinese counterpart to the Silicon Valley firm, comes in third with early bets on Chinese startups.

Sequoia Capital China, the Chinese counterpart to the Silicon Valley firm, comes in third with early bets on Chinese startups.

Top early stage investments:

  • Chehaoduo, Series A. Most recent valuation: $9 billion
  • VIPKID, Series A. Most recent valuation: $3 billion
  • Ucommune, Series A. Most recent valuation: $3 billion
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Y Combinator comes in second with early investments in companies that graduated from its accelerator program.

Y Combinator comes in second with early investments in companies that graduated from its accelerator program.

Top early stage investments:

  • Airbnb, seed-stage. Most recent valuation: $29.3 billion
  • Instacart, seed-stage. Most recent valuation: $7.6 billion
  • Rappi, seed-stage. Most recent valuation: $1 billion

SV Angel has made the most early investments, including in Airbnb and Instacart.

SV Angel has made the most early investments, including in Airbnb and Instacart.

Top early-stage startups investments:

  • Airbnb, Series A. Most recent valuation: $29.3 billion
  • Instacart, Series A. Most recent valuation: $7.6 billion
  • OpenDoor Labs, Series A. Most recent valuation: $3.8 billion
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