Black Unicorn Factory is a pre-IPO startup accelerator and venture capital firm founded in 2020 that focuses on supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs and early-stage companies. The company operates a breakthrough equity crowdsourcing platform called Follow Me For Equity (FMFE), which rewards individuals—especially college students and young professionals—with monetizable equity in high-growth startups for performing online and social media engagement tasks. BUF has positioned itself as the largest Black-owned venture capital firm by volume of startups funded and serves a portfolio of over 150 startups positioned for IPO.
Black Unicorn Factory is publicly traded
Listed directly on July 31, 2025
This company is no longer available on our private secondary market. Shares can be traded publicly under its listed ticker.
Company data and valuation marks are estimates and may be incomplete, stale, erroneous, or revised.
Founded
2020
Total Funding
$645M
2 rounds
Last Private Valuation
$6.1B
May 2021
Total raised $645M across 2 rounds
Funding data and valuation marks are estimates and may be incomplete, stale, erroneous, or revised.
Last updated 06-25-2026
Latest Round
Type
Series B
Date
May 2021
Amount
$420M
Valuation
$6.1B
Lead Investors
| Date | Round | Amount Raised | Valuation | Lead Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | Series B | $420M | $6.1B | BarterVentures |
| October 2020 | Series A | $225M | — |
Johnny Stewart
Founder & President
Black Unicorn Factory announced an independently certified $18 billion valuation on July 31, 2025, based on a fair market value appraisal by Transaction Capital LLC. The company has confirmed that its direct listing application to the NASDAQ Capital Market is currently under review. BUF positions itself to become one of the highest-valued Black-owned companies to enter the public markets.
Black Unicorn Factory shares can be purchased through any standard brokerage account — including Fidelity, Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, and online platforms like Robinhood or E*TRADE. Search for the ticker to place an order.
Black Unicorn Factory went public in July 31, 2025 via direct_listing, with an offering valuation of approximately $6.1B. Black Unicorn Factory announced an independently certified $18 billion valuation on July 31, 2025, based on a fair market value appraisal by Transaction Capital LLC. The company has confirmed that its direct listing application to the NASDAQ Capital Market is currently under review. BUF positions itself to become one of the highest-valued Black-owned companies to enter the public markets.
Black Unicorn Factory raised $645M across 2 disclosed funding rounds prior to its public listing.
Black Unicorn Factory was founded by Johnny Stewart in 2020.
Black Unicorn Factory is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, United States.
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