More startups are achieving $10 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) within just three months than ever before, signaling a dramatic shift in the pace of early-stage company growth. This surge is largely driven by the rise of AI-native startups, which are leveraging generative AI tools to build and scale products at unprecedented speed. While rapid growth doesn’t guarantee long-term success, it’s becoming increasingly common—and increasingly measurable. According to Stripe’s annual report released on Tuesday, the payments platform saw a record number of new businesses begin using its services in 2025, with 57% based outside the United States. These startups grew 50% faster than those that joined in 2024. Perhaps most strikingly, Stripe reported that the number of new startups hitting $10 million in ARR within three months doubled in 2025 compared to 2024. Although Stripe didn’t disclose exact figures, the trend underscores a fundamental change in how quickly founders can validate demand, acquire customers, and scale revenue. The report also highlighted growth in Stripe Atlas, the company’s business incorporation tool, which saw a 41% increase in new company formations last year. Of these new startups, 20% charged their first customer within 30 days—a significant jump from just 8% in 2020. This reflects a broader shift: founders are no longer spending months on ideation and product development before launching. Instead, they’re building, testing, and monetizing faster than ever. In contrast, just a year earlier, founders were still celebrating reaching $10 million in ARR over three years—a milestone that was once considered impressive. Now, achieving that same goal in just three months is becoming a new benchmark. This acceleration has fueled a growing narrative that bootstrapping to $10 million in ARR is not only possible but potentially less risky than pursuing a traditional venture capital-backed unicorn. Many in the startup community are pointing to AI-native startups with just a handful of team members that have rapidly scaled to multi-million-dollar revenue streams as proof that the playbook is changing. While investors still prioritize sustainable growth and low churn—ensuring customers stay and pay consistently—the data from Stripe suggests that the era of hyper-fast startup growth is no longer a myth. It’s becoming the new reality.