China's 2015 Startup Peak | Generated by AI
Here are the hottest startups in China in 2015 – this was the absolute peak of the “golden era” of Chinese tech investing, right before the big winter hit in 2016. These companies were raising massive rounds, getting sky-high valuations, and dominating headlines both domestically and globally.
Top-Tier “Unicorns” / Near-Unicorns in 2015
| Rank | Company | Sector | Valuation in 2015 (approx.) | Notable 2015 Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xiaomi | Smartphones/Hardware | ~$45–46B | World’s most valuable startup at the time |
| 2 | Didi Chuxing | Ride-hailing | ~$15–20B | Massive war with Uber China |
| 3 | Meituan-Dianping | O2O (merged in 2015) | ~$15–18B (post-merger) | Biggest O2O merger ever |
| 4 | Ant Financial | Fintech | ~$45B (some estimates) | Spun out of Alipay, huge rounds |
| 5 | DJI | Drones | ~$10–15B | Dominating global consumer drone market |
| 6 | Toutiao (Bytedance pre-name) | News aggregation/AI | ~$3–5B then, but exploding | Already the fastest-growing app in China |
| 7 | Ele.me | Food delivery | ~$3–4.5B | Fierce battle with Meituan |
| 8 | Mobike / ofo | Bike-sharing | Not unicorns yet but hottest trend | Launched late 2015/early 2016, instantly crazy |
| 9 | Cainiao (Alibaba logistics) | Logistics | Not independent unicorn but massive | Backbone of Alibaba’s New Retail |
| 10 | Pinduoduo | Social e-commerce | Founded mid-2015, raised fast | Unknown then, but grew insanely fast afterward |
Other Super-Hot Names in 2015
- Lufax (Ping An’s fintech arm) – raised $1B+ rounds
- VANCL / Mogujie (fashion e-commerce)
- Kuaidi Dache (merged into Didi)
- 58.com / Ganji (classifieds, merged 2015)
- Anker (consumer electronics, very profitable)
- Royole (flexible displays, raised huge rounds)
- VIPKid (online English education for kids – huge later)
- Huochebang / Yunmanman (truck logistics – merged into Manbang/Full Truck Alliance later)
The 2015 Vibe
2015 was the absolute peak of “O2O mania” (Online-to-Offline). Anything with “O2O” in the pitch deck could raise $100M+. Group-buying for everything, subsidized food delivery, subsidized taxis, subsidized everything. Money was literally burning on the streets (Didi/Uber spent ~$4B combined in subsidies that year).
It was also the year Bytedance (Toutiao) quietly became the most addictive app in China, setting the stage for TikTok later.
Basically 2015 China felt like Silicon Valley 1999 – irrational exuberance everywhere, then the crash came in 2016 when capital dried up.
Which of these do you find most interesting or want more details on?