What is a Zebra Company and How Does it Differ from a Unicorn?｜MAツール「BowNow」

A zebra company is both black and white - it is both profitable and works to improve society. In this way, zebra companies are defined as having a “double bottom line.” This business model is framed as an alternative to the disrupting and profit-focused unicorn model.

There is also a play on words in that zebras are known to move in groups, and zebra companies are characterized as mutualistic, tending to band together to support and preserve each other. Rather than butting heads and having a 100% competitive relationship, zebra companies cooperate so that their individual inputs come together to produce a greater synergistic product.

However, unicorn companies, which are centered around maintaining that exponential growth no matter what, tended to make their gains from monopolies, and disrupted the existing social infrastructure and crushed rival companies. This sort of irresponsible management has come to the attention of the media and unicorns are being reevaluated under a more critical light.

As a result, the zebra model was developed as a modern, more thoughtful approach to business. Zebra companies are now gaining worldwide support for their management style, which emphasizes social responsibility, sustainability, and coexistence with other players on the field - areas in which unicorn companies did not consider that important.

This depends on your product and on your central values as an organization. If you’re disrupting the status quo with revolutionary technology, then it makes more sense to be ambitious and aim for a unicorn model of growth. However, if you want to play it safe, invest your time and energy into giving back to the community and staying accountable for how you affect the environment, then you may prefer to choose the zebra model and build sustainable growth.