A certificate-giving ceremony is held at the China Top 500 Hidden Unicorn Enterprises forum in Hefei on Dec 9. [Photo/WeChat account: hefeigaoxinfabu]

A total of 28 companies in Hefei -- capital of East China's Anhui province -- were listed among China's top 500 hidden unicorns at a forum held in the city on Dec 9.

The term hidden unicorns refers to sci-tech innovation companies that have great potential to become unicorn businesses, that is startup businesses valued at $1 billion or more.

In terms of the total number of hidden unicorns, Hefei ranked 6th among Chinese cities, while the national capital Beijing stood at first place. That ranking displayed Hefei's strength and development potential in the field of sci-tech innovation, according to the forum.

Companies on the list released at the forum all have a value exceeding 200 million yuan ($30.57 million) but no more than 7 billion yuan and have been established for about five years.

The 28 companies in Hefei are valued at 26.1 billion yuan in total. Of these, 14 companies are based in the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone, accounting for half of the city's total.

The forum also discussed hot topics such as growth strategies, technological innovation, market expansion and recruitment with representatives from the hidden unicorns, so as to spur them on to becoming real unicorn companies.