Could this Upcoming Deal Reignite IPO Activity in 2024?
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I saw a legendary internet startup founder in person this week. Read to the end to see who.
IPO volume has slowed nearly to a halt. But StubHub may be the next big recognizable IPO to make its public debut.
The Information scooped the July 2024 timeline last year and again this April. Then, this past Monday, Bloomberg confirmed the July timeline and reported the company is operating at $350 million EBITDA
StubHub currently tops our list of upcoming IPOs and was part of the top 10 for 2024 video at the beginning of the year. A successful IPO could tempt SeatGeek to follow closely behind.
One thing to watch for with large consumer brands like these is directed share programs. If you buy tickets through either platform, you may get a chance to access the IPO. We’ll watch for a mention in the S-1 and monitor your emails closely in case they offer shares to customers.
Table of Contents
Not a Day Goes By…
OpenAI is in the news every… single… day. Just this week, Elon dropped his lawsuit against them, Apple announced it is integrating ChatGPT into Siri and other iPhone apps, and Sam bragged about $3.4 billion in annualized revenues.
Several readers already have investment exposure to OpenAI stock pre-IPO via the Fundrise Innovation Fund and ARK Venture Fund.
Not to miss a bandwagon, I made a new video about how to invest in OpenAI pre-IPO. I screen-share my accounts (Fundrise, Hiive, and Titan) and discuss three ways ordinary investors can own private startups.
A note about YouTube: I plan to publish new IPO-related videos on my RBD channel to focus on growth there. Subscribe to that channel for IPO, retirement, DIY investing, and personal finance content.
Crypto IPOs?
Before October 2022, almost every startup said they were leveraging blockchain technologies to disrupt the status quo.
Nobody says that anymore, of course, because AI is the technology de jour. Blockchain wasn’t all that special after all.
Despite cryptocurrency being out of style in the startup world, Bitcoin continues to hold its value. Perhaps, thanks to the recent approvals of Bitcoin ETFs.
Nonetheless, two crypto companies may IPO in 2024, and most investors probably don’t care. Though not exciting on their own, successful cryptocurrency IPOs might ignite a renewed interest in fintech, where dozens of startups are lining up to go public.
Circle is a Boston-based global financial technology startup best known as the curator of the USDC cryptocurrency stablecoin.
Crypto novices may struggle to understand why such coins are necessary when fiat currencies are sufficient for their daily lives.
The reason lies in the complicated legacy financial networks that facilitate international transactions. Moving money over international borders is traditionally slow and expensive. Circle aims to streamline the process, making the transaction instant and nearly free and providing APIs to developers to adopt USDC as a globally recognized currency.
Circle filed confidentially for an IPO in January 2024, and earlier reports suggest that 2024 is reasonable.
The Hiive pre-IPO marketplace is showing 17 listings as I write this.
Kraken is another to watch. Last week, we learned that the crypto trading platform plans to raise one more private round before an IPO. That probably pushes it to 2025.
If Bitcoin continues its strong year, Circle and Kraken will be eager to launch their debuts.
Radar
I write one or two of these deep dives every week and update previous articles when significant news hits the wires. I’ve slowed a bit recently due to updating old content and priorities on the RBD and freelance side. I’m also working on a website redesign. Stay tuned.
But the queue of articles is deepening, so there are always plenty of interesting companies to explore.
Here are the latest:
- Kaseya– An IT management and security software managed service provider (MSP) for mid-to-large enterprises; boring until it bought the naming rights to the Miami Heat arena.
- Miro– This whiteboarding SaaS was once valued at $17 billion.
- Hugging Face– The AI startup is seeing consolidation in the AI space. Several smaller companies are reaching out to the well-funded AIs to pitch acquisitions.
StrictlyVC Event
Those interested in daily venture capital and IPO news should check out the StrictlyVC newsletter. StrictlyVC is now a TechCrunch-owned newsletter providing very high quality updates on all things VC. It helps me keep up with the latest news, so I recommend it to anyone interested.
This past week, I had an opportunity to attend a StrictlyVC event in downtown Washington, D.C., headlined by AOL and Revolution Founder Steve Case.
Here’s a photo of a conversation about AI with TechCrunch’s Rebecca Szkutak.
The Humane AI pin founders were supposed to attend but bailed out the night before!
Conclusion
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Craig Stephens is a former IT professional who left his 19-year consulting career at the IRS to be a full-time finance writer. A DIY investor since 1995, he started Access IPOs in 2016 to provide a resource for ordinary investors pursuing access to IPOs. Craig studied Finance at Michigan State University and lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and three children. Learn more about Craig.
* This is a testimonial in partnership with Fundrise, Hiive, and other affiliate partners. We earn a commission from partner links on AccessIPOs.com. All opinions are my own. If you sign up with one of our partners through certain on this website, Access IPOs will be compensated at no additional cost to the reader. See the full disclosure here. Risk Statement: Investing in IPOs and pre-IPO startups involves significant risk. Do not invest in companies based solely on what is included in this article. Only invest in IPOs and pre-IPO companies with money you can afford to lose. Access IPOs is for informational purposes only. Mentions of specific investments should not be construed as financial advice. Conduct personalized research and consider consulting with an investment advisor before investing.
