The Forbes Cloud 100 returns for 2022

For seven years, Bessemer Venture Partners has teamed up with Forbes and Salesforce Ventures to bring you the Forbes Cloud 100—the definitive list of the world’s top 100 private cloud companies—and the emerging cadre of 20 Rising Stars poised to join their ranks. I am excited to announce that nominations are officially open for the 2022 Forbes Cloud 100 list.

Visit The Cloud 100 website to nominate a private cloud company.

Landing one of the coveted Cloud 100 spots on the 2022 list is steeper than ever. In 2021, we hit a new, incredible milestone—the estimated valuation required to make the list was over $1 billion. At the time of publication, the 2021 list was worth an aggregate of $518 billion in 2021 vs. $267 billion in 2020, which is a 94% increase year-over-year. Despite the market pull back in 2022, cloud stocks continue to be reliable and strong investments, with the average BVP Cloud Index company consistently outperforming the Rule of 40. With this in mind, we see the Cloud 100 cohort as the leaders in the private cloud market, demonstrating the strength of cloud business fundamentals. The Cloud 100 has always been a signal for what’s to come—new waves of innovation across different sectors and areas of the globe.

Where are they now?

In 2021, tech IPOs globally reached new heights nearing $150 billion, which is a 70% increase year-over-year.  Technology also ranked as the number one sector in terms of proceeds and deal activity globally. Since the list was released in August 2021, 13 of the honorees—HashiCorp (#4), Toast (#5), Freshworks (#10), Gitlab (#11), Mailchimp (#14), Samsara (#19), Braze (#23), Amplitude (#37), Lucid (#55), Weave (#63), AvidXchange (#78), Riskified (#81), DISCO (#85)—have already graduated from the list through M&A or IPO.

Since last year, several 2021 Cloud 100 honorees raised funding rounds demonstrating their momentum and accelerating growth,  such as Canva (#7) raising $200 million at a whopping $40 billion valuation, ServiceTitan (#11) raising $200 million at $9.5 billion, Zapier (#13) raising a secondary round at $5 billion, and LaunchDarkly (#47) raising $200 million at $3 billion, among many others. 

In addition, with our Rising Stars, we highlight 20 of the most promising companies that are still early in their startup journey and growing at an impressive clip. The all-star lineup includes entrepreneurs building around the world, including companies such as GlossGenius, TRM Labs, Spot AI, and more.

How to apply

The list of top private cloud companies is geographically diverse—international representation on the Cloud 100 list reached almost 30% last year. We recognize that the rise of the cloud is a global phenomenon and we welcome international nominations. 

Private cloud companies are evaluated by their market leadership, people and culture, and operating metrics, including revenue, funding, and estimated valuation. The Cloud 100 Judges, made up of the leading public cloud company CEOs, will once again determine the Cloud 100 honorees. Last year’s public CEO and CXO judges, including top leaders such as Frank Slootman of Snowflake, Jenn Tejada of PagerDuty, Eric S. Yuan of Zoom, and Jeff Lawson of Twilio. The Cloud 100 Judges qualifications precede them.

Nominations for the 2022 Cloud 100 are open at thecloud100.com and run through Monday, May 31 at 11:55 pm PT. In August, Forbes will announce the Cloud 100 and the 20 Rising Stars in Forbes Magazine and on Forbes.com. 

The Cloud 100 will celebrate list honorees by bringing memorable discussions and thought-provoking ideas from CEOs, founders, and leaders on what’s driving today’s cloud economy forward directly to you. 

Every year, these 120 companies represent the best cloud technology leaders of today and tomorrow. We are honored to celebrate their massive achievements once again.

Good luck!