Will 2019 Be A Record-Breaking Year For Mega-Tech IPOs Listings?

Experts say 2019 may be a record-breaking year for U.S. mega-tech initial public offering (IPO), as there could more than any other year this century. Thus far, 2018 has been the strongest year for IPO listings since 2014.

Ride-sharing and transportation companies Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. have been transparent about their intentions to go public. Ahead of the new year, Uber and Lyft will launch rewards programs that offer upgrades, access to highly rated drivers and rewards points.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley estimate Uber could be valued as much as $120 billion. Uber was last valued at $72 billion, while Lyft Inc. was estimated at $15.1 billion.

Tech companies that have suggested upcoming IPOs have piqued the interest of many in the business world.

Uber

Founded in 2009, Uber is determined to increase business by introducing new services like UberEats, electric bike and scooter rentals and developing self-driving vehicles.

Since CEO Dara Khosrowshahi took the reigns, the company has been reshaping its public image. Khosrowshahi says Uber intends to go public in the second half of 2019.

Lyft

Second to Uber in ride-sharing, Lyft began operation in 2012 and could beat Uber to an IPO as it plans to go public in early 2019. Like Uber, Lyft is growing its business by offering bike and scooter rental services. In July, Lyft acquired Motivate, one of the largest bike-sharing companies in the country. Self-driving vehicles are also on the agenda.

In October, Lyft hired J.P. Morgan Chase to lead its IPO.

Slack

Cloud-based office collaboration tools and services company Slack Technologies was founded in 2009 and the company has wanted to go public since 2017. Slack could debut in early 2019 and the Wall Street Journal reported that it could see a $7 billion valuation.

Airbnb

Airbnb, founded in 2008, has not yet fully committed fully to a 2019 IPO.

“We will be ready to IPO next year, but I don’t know if we will,” CEO Brian Chesky said at the Recode Code Conference in May.

Chesky says, before moving forward with going public, he wants to be sure it will benefit investors.

Palantir Technologies

Founded in 2003, the software company specializes in big-data analytics and may debut in late 2019 or wait until 2020. Palantir is known for reporting data to companies and governments. According to Bloomberg, Palantir’s technology may have been used to assist the U.S. government in tracking Osama bin Laden.

Instacart

Started in 2012, Instacart offers same-day grocery delivery through its web application. It looks to make its IPO in 2019.