StartupsChina's ex-unicorns find success challenging as public companies
Startups battle to win over penny-pinching customers and skeptical investors
A Nio sports utility vehicle on display at Auto China 2018 in Beijing: The electric car manufacturer, dubbed the "Tesla killer," sold just 1,089 cars in May. © Getty Images
YUSHO CHO, Nikkei staff writer
SHANGHAI -- As any schoolchild can tell you, a unicorn is a mythical, horse-like creature with a single horn and magical powers. It is also the term for unlisted companies valued at $1 billion or more. In China, however, many of these corporate beasts find their post-IPO reality distinctly lacking in magic.