Impossible Foods Stock: Is an IPO Possible?

Explore opportunities to invest in Impossible Foods stock before the IPO.

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Notable Impossible Foods News

02/25/2025: Impossible Foods hires Chobani veteran
04/29/2024: IF CEO says will raise cash with or without IPO
03/14/2024: Impossible’s ‘Meatier’ Rebranding
06/13/2023: IF Workers See Their Shares Tumble 89% Since 2021
Older news…

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About Impossible Foods

Impossible Foods produces plant-based food that looks, feels, and tastes like meat.

They’re on a mission to save the earth by creating products that replicate the experience of eating meat but using plants and technology to make it happen.

Its signature product, the Impossible Burger, was launched in 2016 and the company now sells its burgers in grocery stores and restaurants. 

The Impossible Foods IPO will be watched closely after the huge success of its primary competitor, Beyond Meat, whose stock increased more than 100% within a few days of its IPO. 

Impossible Foods may also face competition from cultured meat producers such as Upside Foods, one of many startups manufacturing real meat from animal cells.  

Here is an excellent video that describes the ingredients that go into the Impossible Burger:

Is Impossible Foods Publicly Traded?

No, the company is privately owned.

Ownership

The shareholders include founders, institutional investors (venture capital firms), and employees.

Prominent private investors include Google Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Mirae Asset Global, and Coatue. Also, several celebrity individual investors own equity, including Serena Williams, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Jaden Smith, and Bill Gates. 

On November 23rd, 2021, Impossible Foods announced that it raised a $500 million round of venture capital fundraising bringing the total raised to $2 billion since its founding.

Funding Rounds

WordPress Data Table Plugin

Valuation

The November 2021 funding round confirmed the Impossible Foods valuation at about $7 billion. 

However, many late-stage startups have reduced their internal valuation. Impossible Foods is particularly vulnerable because its main rival, Beyond Meat has lost much of its value. 

Beyond Meat (BYND) is a public company. On November 23rd, 2021, Beyond Meat’s public stock price closed at $74.50. Its value later fell as low as $11.03 per share. 

The Impossible Foods valuation is likely lower than the $7 billion valuation from its last round, especially after enduring several high-profile news articles pointing out the decline of interest in plant-based meats. 

Private market transaction data provided by Hiive suggests Impossible Food’s valuation is significantly lower than its last funding round, near or under $2 billion. 

IPO Potential

There is no Impossible Foods IPO date yet. 

The late-stage unicorn is likely to reignite its IPO ambitions when market conditions improve in 2024 or 2025. 

The CEO told Reuters in April 2024 the company was targeting a “liquidity event” that could include a public offering in the next two to three years”. But added Impossible Foods was also considering selling itself or raising private funds. 

I don’t want to be pigeonholed into an IPO.

He told Yahoo Finance in July 2024: 

We reserve the right to public and that is possible, it’s on the table, and we’ll go when we need to go. But that time is not now.

In a video interview recorded in February 2023, Yahoo Finance asked CEO Peter McGuinness if Wall Street should expect an Impossible Foods IPO in 2023. 

His response: 

I wouldn’t expect it, probably not. We’re well-capitalized at the moment. It will happen, probably not this year.

Reuters reported the company had engaged financial advisors to understand its valuation better as it fields interest from several SPACs. 

Sources said the company would go public in 2022 at a $10+ billion valuation via either SPAC or IPO. However, the market uncertainly tamed speculation.

We won’t know for certain that the Impossible Foods IPO is nearing until we learn more from reporting leaks or the company releases a statement or public S-1 filing. 

Even when the company and SEC publicly release the S-1 filing, we still won’t know a firm date. However, the IPO date typically occurs a month or two after the S-1 is released to the public.

Because Impossible Foods is a so-called unicorn and Silicon Valley darling, you can be sure that the Impossible Foods IPO date announcement will be loudly publicized.

Since the company has received multiple rounds of private equity funding, it is likely to eventually have an initial public offering or SPAC merger to allow early investors to cash out. 

What is the Impossible Foods Stock Price?

Since Impossible Foods is not publicly traded on a stock exchange, there is no public Impossible Foods stock price yet.

Private market transactions closed in the $6 dollar range in 2023, down from $24 in the last funding round, according to data provided by Hiive. Sign up with Hiive to monitor private market transactions or to buy of sell shares of private companies. 

What is the Impossible Foods Stock Symbol?

Impossible Foods has not submitted public filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

Therefore, it is not yet known what the Impossible Foods stock symbol will be.

We can only speculate about the Impossible Foods ticker.

Here are a few possibilities which appear to be available: 

• IF
• IMP
• IMPF

How to Invest in Impossible Foods

It is challenging to acquire shares of a stock that is not yet trading on the public markets. It is possible, but you may not be eligible, and it may not be worth the hassle. 

For example, individual investors salivated for years to own Uber stock while waiting for it to trade publicly. When it finally went public, the stock price fell. So you were better off waiting to buy the stock instead of buying it before the IPO.

There are three ways you may be able to acquire shares of an IPO stock, such as Impossible Foods. 

• Access Shares on Pre-IPO Platforms
• Buy Impossible Foods Stock in the Initial Public Offering (IPO)
• Buy Impossible meat Stock After it Begins Trading

1. Access Shares on Pre-IPO Platforms

The author has seen recent evidence of pre-IPO availability at a significant discount to the latest post-money valuation. 

Founders, early employees, and investors are often in a difficult predicament. They own valuable shares of a company that doesn’t trade publicly. 

These shareholders might have multi-million dollar net worths because of their stock holdings, but the stock is not liquid because it doesn’t trade on an exchange. 

A few platforms have evolved to allow these individuals to liquidate their holdings before the IPO.

Some of the most prominent include Hiive, EquityZen, Equitybee, Forge Global, and Linqto. Learn more about pre-IPO investing platforms. 

These sites bring liquidity to an otherwise illiquid asset. Accredited investors may join these sites and attempt to invest in these companies when they become available. 

The shares are only offered to accredited investors because the company’s financials are not scrutinized by regulators yet, increasing the risk to investors. 

For high-profile companies, demand is high, lowering your chances of acquiring shares if you’re accredited. 

2. Buy During the Impossible Foods Initial Public Offering (IPO)

Ambitious investors may attempt to position themselves to invest in the Impossible Foods IPO once it arrives. Most retail investors will not get access.

The wealthiest clients at the top investment banks will get IPO shares in the hottest deals.

Your chances of getting IPO shares depend on four factors:

• IPO demand
• Your broker and eligibility
• Your assets under management at the broker
• Propensity to flip shares

As IPO demand increases, the chances of receiving IPO shares decrease. Therefore, the IPOs that are most interesting to the masses are the hardest to access. 

Lower-demand IPOs may be available to retail investors who are customers of participating brokers. 

What are the Best Online Brokers for IPO Investing?

Check out the following link for an extensive list of IPO-friendly online brokers.

Wealthy customers ($1 million+ accounts) at Fidelity and Schwab may have a shot at some IPOs, depending on demand. 

The following brokers offer IPO access to all customers:

• TradeStation
• Robinhood

Joining a broker that offers access to IPOs does not guarantee a share allocation, especially in high-demand IPOs. You are probably better off waiting for the company to start trading after the IPO. 

3. Buy Impossible Foods After the Impossible Foods IPO

Since acquiring pre-IPO shares is usually reserved for wealthy investors, the most likely way you’ll ever own the stock is to wait until the IPO is complete. 

In many cases, investors can get in at a price at or below the IPO price. This is not always true.

Uber, which many predicted to rise steeply, actually fell on the IPO date.

The moral here is that spending significant effort to own a company before the IPO may not be worth it in the end. You may also spend time and effort to obtain shares but only receive a small allocation. Even if the stock soars, your upside gain may be limited.

Your best chance to own the stock is by waiting for the IPO and buying Impossible Foods stock through a no-fee online brokerage account.

Once you open an account, make a deposit, and make your first purchase, you’ll be ready for Impossible Foods stock to go public.

So what is the best online brokerage for buying Impossible Foods stock?

You’ll want to open an account with a commission-free online broker. That way, you’ll invest most of your money instead of wasting it on fees.

Conclusion 

For ordinary investors, it will be challenging to acquire pre-IPO Impossible Foods shares. If you’re determined, follow the pre-IPO marketplaces and pay attention to any offerings. You must be accredited to invest this way. 

Otherwise, you’ll need to wait for the IPO date to buy shares. 

But that’s not necessarily a reason to be disappointed. Google’s shares rose 18% on the day of its IPO. Many people probably sold that day. Had they held for the next decade, their holdings would have been up 1,000%.

When the Impossible Foods IPO is near, please perform due diligence on the SEC S-1 filing, and only buy Impossible Foods stock with money you can afford to lose. 

Check out this list of the hottest upcoming IPOs for more investment ideas.

See also: Sweetgreen Stock and IPO

Impossible Stock News Archive

02/27/2023: Impossible CEO: IPO will happen but ‘probably not this year’
01/30/2023: Impossible Foods Plans to Lay Off About 20% of Workers
11/12/2022: Alt-meat fever has cooled. Here’s why.
10/07/2022: Impossible Foods to eliminate 6% of staff 
06/19/2022: Planning for the Impossible
05/17/2022: Impossible Foods Ranked #49 on CNBC’s 2022 Disruptor 50
03/17/2022: Impossible Foods taps Chobani executive as new CEO
01/24/2022: Impossible Foods Dismisses Some Employees in Reorganization
01/05/2022: KFC to launch Beyond Meat fried ‘chicken’ across United States
12/12/2021: Impossible Foods opened its first vegan fast food restaurants in metro Phoenix
12/10/2021: Impossible Foods had an 85% spike in quarterly retail revenue
11/23/2021: Impossible Foods Closes $500M in New Funding Amid Record Growth
10/28/2021: Impossible Foods Eyes $7 Billion Valuation in Fundraising
09/07/2021: Impossible Foods launches chicken substitute in U.S. restaurants
08/25/2021: Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat battle to achieve price parity with real meat
07/12/2021: Baja Fresh Adds Impossible Foods to Menus Nationwide
04/08/2021: Reuters: Impossible Foods in talks to list on the stock market
01/14/2021: Beyond Meat shares soar after inking deal with Taco Bell on new menu items
11/09/2020: McDonald’s to test McPlant, which includes its own meat-free burger, next year
07/31/2020: Impossible can’t make its meatless food fast enough
07/14/2020: Colin Kaepernick and Impossible Foods Plan To Feed 1 Million People
06/23/2020: Impossible Foods CEO says the meat industry will be obsolete in 15 years
06/23/2020: Starbucks launches the Impossible Foods Breakfast Sandwich as America’s appetite for plant-based meat grows
06/15/2020: Burger King adds Impossible Foods’ meatless sausage on its breakfast menu nationwide
04/06/2020: How is coronavirus impacting plant-based meat? Impossible Foods, Lightlife, Tofurky, Meatless Farm Co, Dr. Praeger’s, weigh in
03/16/2020: Impossible Foods Confirms Approximately $500 Million in New Funding
10/03/2019: Impossible Foods CEO “At this point it’s not something that we need and we can take our time”