Verkada Stock: Surveillance on a Potential IPO

Explore ways to invest in Verkada stock before the IPO. Get access to pre-IPO startups like OpenAI, Anthropic, Databricks, and Anduril via the Fundrise Innovation Fund*. $10 minimum investment. 

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Notable Verkada News

12/13/2024: Verkada in Talks for $4.5 Billion Valuation
05/09/2024: Verkada launches AI-powered search
02/22/2024: Verkada Pays for Happy Hour
10/09/2023: Verkada Closes Series D With $305M in Funding
Older news…

About Verkada

Verkada is an integrated cloud software and physical security systems startup based in San Mateo, California. The company develops a multitude of enterprise-scale products and systems to secure office buildings, schools, government facilities, and industrial installations. 

The company’s mission is to protect people and property with privacy in mind.

Verkada has developed a comprehensive all-in-one cloud-based hybrid software and hardware security solution called Verkada Command. With Command, customers can control security cameras, access points, user administration, threat detection, and conduct “people analytics” based on physical traits and attributes.

The company was founded in 2016 by Filip Kailiszan, James Ren, and Benjamin Bercowitz — all Stanford graduates. Hans Robertson joined as the fourth co-founder. He was a former co-founder of Meraki, which was acquired by Cisco. Robertson is now a partner at Sequoia. 

Focused initially on building security, Verkada has broader potential to be a leader in the “Internet of Things” category for smaller buildings and residences.

“Verkada” doesn’t mean anything, according to a Filip Kailiszan interview with Forbes. It was a name rolled off the tongue and had internet domain availability. 

Here’s an overview of Verkada’s integrated security systems capabilities. 

Ownership

Verkada is a privately held startup. The ownership is made up of its founders, employees, and a few dozen venture capital firms. 

The startup has raised $444 million since its founding. The latest round, an extended Series D raise, completed in October 2023. The extended round raised $100 million. The total Series D raise closed at $305 million. 

Prominent venture capital investors include the Siemens Venture Fund, Sequoia, Linse Capital, MSD Partners (Michael Dell), Felicis Ventures, Next47, Meritech Capital, First Round Capital, and Stanford professor Héctor García-Molina (deceased).

Funding Rounds

WordPress Data Table Plugin

Valuation

The latest Verkada valuation is $4.5 billion based on a Bloomberg report in December 2024 indicating the company was in talks to raise $200 million at the new valuation. The new valuation marks a 36% increase over pre-IPO marketplace valuations at the time of the report. 

The previous confirmed Verkada valuation was $3.3 billion based on the October 2023 $305 million Series D funding round.

IPO Potential

The Verkada IPO date is currently unknown.

As a venture-backed startup on a significant growth trajectory in a massive addressable market, an IPO or acquisition is possible. 

CEO Filip Kaliszan has not provided direct commentary on the potential for an IPO. When asked “what’s next” by podcaster John Shegerian in May 2022, Kaliszan shared that he believed the company was “just getting started.”

We’re here to build a lasting business that is important in the world. That’s the dream. The dream is not to build a quick company, flip it, and kind of move on with life. Really, we want to make a product experience that changes customers’ lives for the better and a business that lasts generations.

Those words suggest the company is headed toward an IPO rather than an acquisition. 

Larger legacy physical security competitors may consider an acquisition, but integrating a comprehensive modern system into an existing legacy platform would be cost-prohibitive. A merger of equals seems more likely if the company does not pursue an IPO. 

If the company decides to pursue a public listing, watch for reporting about exploring a possible IPO with investment banks or a confidential S-1 filing with the SEC.

Bookmark this page for the latest developments.

How to Invest in Verkada Stock

It is challenging to become a shareowner in private companies. Most investors will not have a chance to invest until after the IPO. 

Pre-IPO investing is a high-risk endeavor and should be executed with caution. 

Intermediate to expert investors can increase the chances of early equity ownership or obtain shares in the IPO by exploring the options below. 

Accredited investors have better access to direct pre-IPO investments, while non-accredited investors can access startup ownership via venture capital funds.

1. Access Verkada stock via pre-IPO investing platforms

Accredited investors can monitor pre-IPO equity platforms such as Hiive, EquityZen, Forge Global, and Linqto for share availability. 

Join these platforms and sign up for alerts to know when your favorite pre-IPO startup is available for investment.

Investors should anticipate a $10,000 investment minimum for direct access to startups, often more.

Signing up for access to pre-IPO data and deal alerts is free. 

Non-accredited retail investors can sidestep the accreditation requirement to own startups by purchasing shares of the Fundrise Innovation Fund.

Individual pre-IPO companies cannot be selected. Verkada stock is not currently part of the portfolio. 

Please note: This is a testimonial in partnership with Fundrise. We earn a commission from partner links on AccessIPOs.com. All opinions are my own.

2. Participate in the Verkada IPO through a broker

Verkada conducted a private funding round in September 2022. Private funding rounds are typically sufficient for operations over the following 24 months.

It may look to complete a Series E funding round (now likely after a December 2024 Bloomberg report) in 2025 or pursue an IPO to access funding from the broader investment community. 

Venture capital firms and individual investors that have invested in Verkada may seek to liquidate ownership in the coming years, especially when IPO market conditions  are favorable. 

If Verkada becomes an IPO candidate, investors may find opportunities to buy shares at the IPO price through online brokers that offer free access to IPOs.

The following brokers offer IPO access:

• Robinhood
• TradeStation 

Exclusive access to highly sought-after IPOs may be restricted based on the type of brokerage accounts you hold and which brokerages have secured exclusive rights.

TradeStation has a longer track record of accessing more than 360 IPOs and secondary offerings via its partnership with ClickIPO. 

But Robinhood has the advantage of Silicon Valley networks and a history of getting allocations for high-profile IPOs.

Read company S-1 filings to find evidence that these online brokers may offer access to shares. 

Check out this list of best brokers for IPO investing to learn more about IPO access for retail investors.

3. Buy Verkada stock after the IPO

Retail investors often face challenges when acquiring pre-IPO shares or securing an allocation during the IPO.

Waiting until stocks become publicly traded offers several benefits. IPOs provide access to comprehensive financial data after a few quarters of reporting, unlike pre-IPO investments, which have limited financial information available.

IPO stock prices tend to increase for high-demand companies, allowing early investors to profit by selling when the prices soar. However, investors without IPO access may be tempted to buy shares at inflated post-IPO prices, resulting in losses.

Investors may be wise to wait and avoid buying overvalued shares immediately after an IPO. IPO stocks often face declines following lockup expirations and quarterly earnings disappointments.

Consider being selective and patient if you fail to access IPOs. Extraordinarily disruptive companies are likely to see higher valuations in the long run.

Verkada Command

Verkada Command offers enterprise customers “sophistication without complexity”. It’s a cloud-based software that connects all of Verkada’s products and empowers users to manage physical security from anywhere on any device. 

The system offers four high-level features:

• Incident Resolution —Enabling remote threat detection worldwide to accelerate response times.
• Analytics and Insights  — State-of-the-art computer vision tech that gives users powerful investigative tools.
• Management — Streamline administrative actions at the user, device, and site levels, with granular control at your fingertips.
• Privacy and Compliance — Strike the right balance between protecting privacy and preserving the ability to conduct effective investigations.

Verkada Cameras

Verkada offers six types of cameras. All Verkada cameras include:

• AI-Based Video Analytics
• 5-Year Warranty
• Automatic Firmware and Software Updates
• Unlimited Cloud Archiving
• Adaptive Quality
• Person of Interest Alerts
• 30-Days Cloud Backup
• Live-Link Sharing

1. Dome Series

The Dome Series cameras are for high performance and durability in an enterprise environment. Dome cameras are discreet, vandal-resistant, simple to install, and applicable to indoor or outdoor environments. 

2. Bullet Series

Verkada’s Bullet Series is designed to withstand harsh conditions,  providing both a wide field of view and the ability to zoom in on distant objects in daylight and darkness. 

3. Mini Series

Flexible design without compromising the visual quality.

4. Fisheye Camera

Provides dynamic viewing experiences with panoramic 180-degree views or immersive 360-degree views with digital pan-tilt-zoom. Works indoors and outdoors. 

5. Multisensor Camera

Integrates four independent camera systems into a single device. Broad functionality and maximum viability without performance compromise.

6. Pan-Tilt-Zoom Series (PTZ)

Maximum control for users. PTZ cameras enable positioning movement to capture mobile subjects. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Verkada publicly traded?

No. Verkada is is not publicly traded. 

What is the Verkada stock symbol?

There is no Verkada stock symbol yet because it is a private company.

Here are a few Verkada ticker suggestions that are available in the U.S.: 

• VKDA
• VKD
• VK

What is the Verkada stock price?

A public Verkada stock price is not available because the company is still a startup. But pre-IPO marketplace data can provide insights into the current price. 

The Series D funding round that completed in October 2023 priced at $7.45 per share. However, factoring the 36% increase anticipated for the December 2024 funding round, the new stock price is estimated to be $10.16 per share.

Where is the Verkada S-1 Filing?

Verkada has not filed an S-1 filing confidentially or publicly. 

News of a confidential or public S-1 filing will kick off the IPO process, suggesting the IPO could occur during the following two to six months. 

Reports of filing preparations often precede the actual filing. 

When the company releases the S-1 filing to the public, we’ll link to and embed the document on this web page.

In the meantime, you can check out the most recent S-1 filings in our S-1 filings feed. 

Verkada News Archive

09/14/2022: Verkada raises $205M valued at $3.2B
09/14/2022: VCs look the other way
05/31/2022: Smarter Security, Safer Buildings with Filip Kaliszan
01/29/2020: Verkada raises $80m at $1.6B valuation
04/25/2019: Verkada Reached A $540 Million Valuation In 3 Years
04/25/2019: Verkada Raises $40M in Series B at $540M Val
04/11/2018: Verkada Raises $15M in Series A Funding
09/21/2017: Verkada Closes $3.9M Seed Funding

Conclusion

Investors become interested in buying companies with massive market opportunities (e.g., physical security, internet of things). Verkada is not a cybersecurity company. 

When companies are private, it becomes much more difficult to invest. 

Pre-IPO investing platforms have opened more opportunities for retail investors, but we’ve seen little indication of Verkada share availability to accredited or non-accredited retail investors.  

Investors may face difficulties in obtaining pre-IPO shares, though chances may improve upon the completion of another funding round, which could increase the Verkada valuation and unlock some private shares. 

Maintain reasonable expectations if you’re inclined to pursue pre-IPO equity in Verkada. You’ll likely need to wait for the IPO, which could be multiple years away. 

Good luck if you wish to buy Verkada stock before the IPO. Invest in pre-IPO and IPO companies at your own risk.