What Lagniappe Labs does

Lagniappe Labs is a private markets data and analytics firm founded in 2014-2015 and headquartered in Shreveport, Louisiana, with a secondary office in San Francisco. The company operates the Prime Unicorn Index family — the Prime Unicorn Composite Index (232 components) and the Prime Unicorn 30 Index — which measure share price performance of U.S. venture-backed private companies valued at $1 billion or more. Index construction relies on a modified market-cap price-return methodology combining primary financing round data with secondary transaction data powered exclusively by CapLight Technologies, with Solactive AG serving as the independent calculation agent and Level ETF Ventures' Prime Indexes group as co-developer since the 2017 launch.

The firm's core technology is a rules-based index engine producing daily index values, distributed weekly through Bloomberg (UNICORN) and Refinitiv (.UNICORN). The Prime Unicorn 30 Index, launched at base 100 on January 21, 2021, employs a modified valuation-weighted methodology that caps the six largest constituents at 5-10% weights, and as of June 16, 2026, closed at 303.20 — its first close above 300 and an all-time high. Supporting products include quarterly reconstitution reports, white papers (e.g., 'Secondary Market Demystified'), fact sheets, and a $199 self-serve tearsheet product covering top-30 component data.

Revenue derives from three streams: (1) enterprise data licensing to institutional investors, hedge funds, RIAs, family offices, and allocators on a quote-based, non-exclusive subscription basis; (2) self-serve tearsheet sales at $199 per quarterly access period; and (3) quarterly fact sheet subscriptions. The company sells primarily through direct enterprise sales, its website (primeunicornindex.com), and the two major market data terminals. The firm is independently owned, with no disclosed private equity or institutional ownership, and operates as Lagniappe Labs, LLC under Delaware governing law.

Name

Lagniappe Labs

Legal name

Lagniappe Labs, LLC

Website

https://primeunicornindex.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lagniappe Labs operates the Prime Unicorn Index family, providing modified market-cap price-return benchmarks tracking U.S. venture-backed private companies valued at $1 billion or more. It sells index data, quarterly tearsheets, and white papers to institutional investors, hedge funds, RIAs, family offices, allocators, and auditors via enterprise licensing and self-serve channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Market Data & Analytics

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Valuation (Private Company & Enterprise) (FSAEAHAA)

Keywords

• Private market data
• Venture capital analytics
• Unicorn index
• Valuation benchmarking
• Private equity data

Headquarters

HQ city

Shreveport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Data Licensing: Enterprise-level licensing of Prime Unicorn Index data to institutional investors, hedge funds, RIAs, family offices, and allocators for internal analysis, benchmarking, and external reporting purposes. License is non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited.
2. Tearsheets Sales: Sale of Prime Unicorn 30 Index tearsheets containing valuation data, funding history, and analysis on top components. Priced at $199 for Q2 2026 access (valid until July 21, 2026).
3. Fact Sheet Subscriptions: Quarterly fact sheets (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) for both Composite and Top 30 Indexes available for purchase/download. Index values distributed weekly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lagniappe Labs develops and maintains the Prime Unicorn Index family, a modified market cap price return index that measures the share price performance of U.S. venture-backed private companies valued at $1 billion or more. The company sells this proprietary index data through enterprise licensing agreements and distributes it via Bloomberg (UNICORN) and Refinitiv (.UNICORN), with Solactive AG serving as the independent calculation agent and CapLight Technologies powering secondary transaction data inputs.

Product overview

The Prime Unicorn Index family, developed by Lagniappe Labs, consists of two core index products: the Prime Unicorn Composite Index and the Prime Unicorn 30 Index. These are modified market cap price return indexes that measure the share price performance of U.S. private companies valued at $1 billion or more. The Composite Index tracks 232 components with daily movement, while the Prime Unicorn 30 Index focuses on the top 30 largest companies using a modified valuation-weighted methodology. Supporting products include quarterly reconstitution reports, white papers, fact sheets, and tearsheets ($199/quarter), all distributed through the company's website. Data licensing is available for institutional investors, and weekly newsletters provide free market-moving insights. The index family was first launched in 2017 and is designed for use in creating financial products and as performance benchmarks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Prime Unicorn Composite Index: Modified market cap price return index measuring share price performance of U.S. private companies valued at $1 billion or more.
• Prime Unicorn 30 Index

Products and services

• Prime Unicorn Composite Index A modified market cap price return index measuring the share price performance of U.S. private companies valued at $1 billion or more. Includes 232 components with daily movement tracking, designed for use in creating financial products and as a performance benchmark.
• Prime Unicorn 30 Index A rules-based benchmark measuring the share price performance of the 30 largest U.S.-incorporated, venture-backed private companies with post-money valuations of at least $1 billion. Uses a modified valuation-weighted methodology with top six constituents assigned weights ranging from 10% to 5%.
• Enterprise Data Licensing Non-exclusive, non-transferable limited licensing of Prime Unicorn Index data to institutional investors, hedge funds, RIAs, family offices, allocators, and auditors for internal analysis, benchmarking, fair value pricing, and external reporting. Quote-based enterprise pricing via direct sales.
• Prime Unicorn 30 Index Tearsheets Premium quarterly tearsheets containing valuation data, funding history, and analysis on the top 30 components. Sold for $199 per access period via self-serve Stripe checkout on the Prime Unicorn Index website.
• Fact Sheets (Composite and Top 30) Detailed quarterly fact sheets covering Composite and Top 30 Index values, available for download/purchase. Index values distributed weekly.
• Quarterly Reconstitution Reports Reports detailing additions and deletions from each quarterly reconstitution, including valuations, deal terms by round of funding, and index comparisons.

Quantifiable outcome

• Prime Unicorn 30 Index +203% since January 21, 2021 launch
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Solactive AGcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2017Solactive AG acts as the independent Index calculation agent for the Prime Unicorn Index family. Responsible for calculating index values daily and ensuring governance, operational integrity, and transparency.
• Level ETF VenturescoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2017Level ETF Ventures developed the Index architecture to ensure institutional operability and rules-based implementation. Includes Co-Founders Chris Yeagley (Managing Partner) and Kris Monaco (Co-Founder of Level ETF Ventures, former Head of ISE ETF Ventures).
• CapLight TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationCapLight Technologies powers secondary transaction data used in the index calculation model. Secondary trading values are sourced from CapLight and validated by the index operations team alongside actual and calculated prices of preferred stock and common stock.
• Prime Indexes group (Level ETF Ventures)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Prime Unicorn Index was designed and developed by Lagniappe Labs and Level ETF Ventures' Prime Indexes group. Co-Creator of Prime Unicorn Index.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Preqin: Preqin provides alternative-asset data and benchmarks, including private-company and venture fund performance. It overlaps directly with Lagniappe in serving institutional investors that need private-market valuation and benchmarking insight.
• PitchBook: PitchBook is a leading private-market data and research platform covering venture capital, private equity, and M&A. Like Lagniappe, it serves institutional investors with private-company valuation, deal, and benchmarking data, though PitchBook's scope is broader across the private-capital lifecycle.
• CB Insights: CB Insights offers private-company intelligence, market analytics, and valuation tracking on technology and venture-backed companies. Comparable to Lagniappe in delivering structured private-market data to institutional and enterprise customers.
• Forge Global: Forge operates a private-shares trading platform and market data business, producing private-company valuation indications. It shares Lagniappe's thesis of bringing transparency and pricing to U.S. venture-backed companies and competes for institutional private-market data spend.

Broad incumbents

• Crunchbase: Crunchbase is an established private-company data platform tracking funding, valuations, and company profiles. It overlaps with Lagniappe on private-company intelligence but covers a much broader company set and use cases beyond valuation indexing.
• MSCI: MSCI is a global index and analytics provider with deep institutional distribution. It is comparable as a potential competitor in launching private-company or venture-backed benchmarks, and as a likely strategic acquirer for a niche benchmark provider like Lagniappe.
• FTSE Russell: FTSE Russell designs and licenses benchmarks used in trillions of dollars of assets. It is comparable to Lagniappe as a benchmark provider serving institutional investors, with much broader scope across asset classes and a strong base of licensed financial products.
• S&P Dow Jones Indices: S&P DJI is one of the world's largest index providers and a benchmark for institutional product creation. It represents the broad incumbent competitive threat Lagniappe faces and a likely strategic acquirer profile for benchmark IP.

Others

• CapLight Technologies: CapLight powers the secondary-transaction data layer underlying the Prime Unicorn Index. As an enabling data partner rather than a direct competitor, it is an ecosystem participant whose continued participation is material to Lagniappe's methodology.
• Solactive AG: Solactive is the independent calculation agent for the Prime Unicorn Index family and a large German index administrator. It is an infrastructure/ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, but it also licenses competing benchmarks across asset classes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lanyaplabs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prime-unicorn-index

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lagniappe Labs