Key Takeaways
- In 2021, the United States recorded 1,035 IPOs that collectively raised $147.4 billion, marking the highest annual total since the dot-com peak in 2000.
- The average IPO size in the US for 2023 was $112 million, down 42% from $193 million in 2021 due to market volatility.
- SPACs accounted for 613 IPOs in the US in 2021, representing 59% of all listings but raising only 13% of total proceeds.
- Globally, 2021 saw 2,834 IPOs raising $608 billion, the strongest year since 1980 records began.
- China led global IPOs in 2021 with 1,156 deals raising $141 billion, 23% of worldwide volume.
- In 2023, global IPO proceeds fell 56% to $111 billion from 2022's $251 billion across 1,671 deals.
- Tech giants like Snowflake debuted with $3.4 billion raised in 2020, valuing at $33 billion post-IPO.
- Airbnb's 2020 IPO priced at $68/share, opening at $146 for 115% first-day gain, raising $3.5 billion.
- DoorDash went public in 2020 at $102/share, peaking at $189 on day one, market cap $71 billion.
- Post-IPO, Snowflake shares returned 4.2x from IPO price by end-2023, outperforming S&P 500's 1.8x.
- Airbnb stock gained 12% one-year post-IPO as of Dec 2021, versus Nasdaq's -22% decline.
- DoorDash shares down 45% from IPO peak by end-2022, but up 15% YTD 2024 from trough.
- Valuation at IPO for Snowflake was 120x forward sales, peaking at 200x post-pop.
- Airbnb raised $3.5 billion at 15x revenue multiple in 2020 IPO, highest travel tech ever.
- DoorDash IPO valued at 22x 2021 revenue estimate, $71 billion market cap debut.
US IPO volume surged in 2021 but fell sharply in 2022 before beginning a recovery in 2023.
Global Market
- Globally, 2021 saw 2,834 IPOs raising $608 billion, the strongest year since 1980 records began.
- China led global IPOs in 2021 with 1,156 deals raising $141 billion, 23% of worldwide volume.
- In 2023, global IPO proceeds fell 56% to $111 billion from 2022's $251 billion across 1,671 deals.
- India recorded 243 IPOs in 2023 raising $9.7 billion, a record surpassing 2021's volume.
- Hong Kong IPO market raised $5.7 billion in 2023 across 73 listings, down 54% from 2022.
- Europe saw 205 IPOs in 2023 raising $22 billion, with Germany hosting 42 deals.
- Saudi Arabia's Tadawul exchange had 32 IPOs in 2023 raising $4.8 billion, led by Aramco follow-ons.
- Global SPAC IPOs peaked at 698 in 2021 raising $162 billion, 27% of total proceeds.
- In 2022, Asia-Pacific ex-China IPOs raised $45 billion across 450 deals, Japan contributing 25%.
- Brazil's B3 exchange hosted 78 IPOs in 2021 raising $6.2 billion, a 10-year high.
- Global tech IPOs numbered 456 in 2021 raising $245 billion, 40% of all proceeds.
- Australia’s ASX saw 15 IPOs in 2023 raising AUD 2.1 billion, mining sector dominant.
- In Q1 2024, global IPOs raised $28.3 billion across 312 deals, up 80% from Q1 2023.
- UK main market IPOs totaled 22 in 2023 raising £4.5 billion, down from 37 in 2021.
- UAE's DFM and ADX combined for 12 IPOs in 2023 raising $2.9 billion, real estate heavy.
- Global average IPO valuation multiple was 15.2x revenue in 2023, down from 22.4x in 2021.
- South Korea's Kospi and Kosdaq had 162 IPOs in 2023 raising KRW 12 trillion.
- Africa-wide IPOs numbered 18 in 2023 raising $1.8 billion, Nigeria and South Africa leading.
- Canada’s TSX and TSXV saw 31 IPOs in 2023 raising CAD 3.2 billion, resource firms key.
- Global biotech IPOs raised $18.5 billion in 2021 across 120 deals, US dominating 70%.
- In 2022, Latin America IPOs totaled 45 raising $10.1 billion, Mexico with 18 deals.
- Singapore Exchange had 9 IPOs in 2023 raising SGD 1.4 billion, REITs comprising 44%.
- Global first-day returns averaged 14.7% in 2023, lowest since 2009 excluding outliers.
- Turkey's Borsa Istanbul recorded 25 IPOs in 2023 raising TRY 15 billion despite inflation.
- In 2023, 68% of global IPOs occurred in Asia, raising 52% of total proceeds.
Global Market Interpretation
Post-IPO Performance
- Post-IPO, Snowflake shares returned 4.2x from IPO price by end-2023, outperforming S&P 500's 1.8x.
- Airbnb stock gained 12% one-year post-IPO as of Dec 2021, versus Nasdaq's -22% decline.
- DoorDash shares down 45% from IPO peak by end-2022, but up 15% YTD 2024 from trough.
- Coinbase stock returned -35% one-year post-listing as of April 2022 amid crypto winter.
- Roblox shares up 25% one-year post-IPO by March 2022, driven by metaverse hype.
- UiPath stock declined 62% from IPO price by end-2022, underperforming Russell 2000 by 50%.
- Coupang shares returned -18% one-year post-IPO as of March 2022, logistics challenges.
- Rivian EV stock down 82% from $78 IPO price by end-2023, production delays impact.
- Palantir shares up 120% one-year post-direct listing by Sept 2021, AI contracts boost.
- Asana stock fell 55% from IPO price by end-2021, remote work demand normalization.
- Unity Software shares down 64% YTD 2022 post-IPO, gaming slowdown post-pandemic.
- GitLab stock returned +8% one-year post-IPO by Oct 2022, steady DevOps growth.
- Monday.com shares surged 150% one-year post-IPO by June 2022, work OS adoption.
- Freshworks stock up 22% one-year post-IPO as of Sept 2022, SMB CRM traction.
- Thoughtworks shares declined 70% from IPO price by mid-2023, consulting margin pressures.
- Confluent stock gained 35% one-year post-IPO by June 2022, data streaming demand.
- HashiCorp shares down 25% YTD 2023 post-IPO, cloud competition intensifies.
- Cloudflare stock returned 250% one-year post-IPO by Sept 2020, cybersecurity boom.
- Bill.com shares up 180% one-year post-IPO by Nov 2020, fintech payments surge.
- Okta stock gained 120% three-years post-IPO by 2020, identity market expansion.
- Twilio shares returned 300% five-years post-IPO by 2021, comms platform dominance.
- CrowdStrike stock up 450% two-years post-IPO by 2021, endpoint security leader.
- Average US tech IPO one-year return was -15% for 2022 cohort as of 2023 end.
- European SaaS IPOs averaged 8% return three-years post-IPO per 2023 study.
- Global IPO three-year median return was -12% for 2021 vintage by 2024.
- Biotech IPOs post-2021 averaged -40% one-year returns amid rate hikes.
- Snowflake's five-year projected IRR post-IPO estimated at 35% annually to 2025.
Post-IPO Performance Interpretation
Technology Sector
- Tech giants like Snowflake debuted with $3.4 billion raised in 2020, valuing at $33 billion post-IPO.
- Airbnb's 2020 IPO priced at $68/share, opening at $146 for 115% first-day gain, raising $3.5 billion.
- DoorDash went public in 2020 at $102/share, peaking at $189 on day one, market cap $71 billion.
- Coinbase's April 2021 direct listing opened at $381/share, valuing crypto exchange at $85 billion.
- Roblox IPO in 2021 raised $520 million at $45/share but closed up 54% at $69.50.
- UiPath's 2021 IPO valued RPA leader at $35 billion, shares jumping 37% on debut.
- Coupang's 2021 NYSE debut raised $4.6 billion at $35/share, Korea's e-commerce giant.
- Rivian EV IPO in 2021 raised $11.9 billion at $78/share, Amazon-backed firm.
- Palantir's 2020 direct listing debuted at $10/share, reaching $45 intraday, $22 billion valuation.
- Asana's 2020 IPO priced at $21, opened at $28, work management software firm.
- Unity Software 2020 IPO raised $1.3 billion at $52/share, gaming engine leader up 31% day one.
- GitLab's 2021 IPO priced at $77/share, DevOps platform valuing at $15 billion post-pop.
- Monday.com 2021 IPO raised $1.1 billion at $155/share, Israeli work OS firm up 15% debut.
- Freshworks 2021 IPO valued CRM firm at $13 billion, shares up 25% on Nasdaq debut.
- Thoughtworks 2022 IPO priced at $26/share, digital engineering firm down 40% first day.
- Confluent 2021 IPO raised $828 million at $36/share, Kafka streaming data firm up 18%.
- HashiCorp 2022 IPO at $80/share valued infrastructure automation at $11.8 billion debut.
- Cloudflare 2019 IPO priced at $15/share, cybersecurity firm soaring 43% first day to $28.
- Bill.com 2019 IPO raised $229 million at $22/share, payments platform up 65% debut.
- Okta 2017 IPO priced at $17/share, identity mgmt firm jumping 97% to $33.55 first day.
- Twilio 2016 IPO at $15/share, communications API up 92% to $28.95 on debut.
- CrowdStrike 2019 IPO raised $612 million at $34/share, cybersecurity up 51% first day.
- Snowflake's 2020 IPO remains largest software debut at $3.4 billion raised, 111% first-day pop.
Technology Sector Interpretation
US Market
- In 2021, the United States recorded 1,035 IPOs that collectively raised $147.4 billion, marking the highest annual total since the dot-com peak in 2000.
- The average IPO size in the US for 2023 was $112 million, down 42% from $193 million in 2021 due to market volatility.
- SPACs accounted for 613 IPOs in the US in 2021, representing 59% of all listings but raising only 13% of total proceeds.
- Nasdaq hosted 71% of US tech IPOs in 2022, compared to NYSE's 29%, with tech firms raising $12.5 billion.
- US IPO volume dropped 72% year-over-year in 2022 to 181 deals, the lowest since 2009 excluding SPACs.
- In Q1 2024, US IPOs raised $4.8 billion across 35 offerings, a 125% increase from Q4 2023.
- Biotech sector led US IPOs in 2023 with 45 deals raising $2.1 billion, despite overall market slowdown.
- Average first-day pop for US IPOs in 2023 was 25.6%, compared to 37.2% in 2021.
- Women-led companies represented only 2.3% of US IPOs in 2022, with 8 firms raising $1.2 billion.
- Direct listings in the US totaled 12 in 2023, raising $3.4 billion, led by Instacart's $660 million debut.
- US IPO proceeds in 2020 surged 67% to $84.8 billion, driven by remote work tech firms amid COVID-19.
- Venture-backed IPOs in the US fell to 128 in 2023 from 442 in 2021, a 71% decline.
- NYSE-listed IPOs averaged $285 million in proceeds in 2022, versus Nasdaq's $89 million.
- Underpricing in US IPOs averaged 18.4% in 2023, costing issuers $8.2 billion in left-on-the-table value.
- Fintech IPOs in the US raised $15.6 billion in 2021 across 37 deals, including Coinbase's $86 billion valuation.
- In 2019, US IPOs numbered 159 raising $46.7 billion, with software firms comprising 28% of volume.
- Confidential IPO filings in the US reached 200 in 2023, up 50% from 2022, aiding quieter market entries.
- Healthtech IPOs in the US totaled 22 in 2022, raising $3.9 billion, with average valuation of $4.2 billion.
- US megadeals over $1 billion numbered 28 in 2021, accounting for 55% of total IPO proceeds.
- Long-term IPO returns in the US averaged -28.5% over three years for 2022 cohorts as of 2024.
- In 2023, 65% of US IPOs were priced below their expected range, reflecting cautious investor sentiment.
- Consumer tech IPOs in the US dropped to 15 in 2023 from 42 in 2021, raising $2.8 billion total.
- Average time from S-1 filing to IPO pricing in the US was 105 days in 2023, down from 132 in 2020.
- US IPOs by unicorns numbered 24 in 2023, raising $9.1 billion, with Stripe postponing its debut.
- Industrial sector US IPOs raised $1.7 billion across 12 deals in 2023, up 40% from 2022.
- In Q4 2023, US IPOs totaled 39 raising $5.2 billion, the strongest quarter since Q1 2022.
- Energy IPOs in the US were 8 in 2022, raising $2.4 billion, driven by oil price surges.
- Diversity in US IPO leadership: only 8.2% of 2023 CEOs were women, per audit of 150 filings.
- US IPO withdrawal rate hit 25% in 2023, with 72 deals pulled amid rising rates.
- Real estate IPOs in the US numbered 5 in 2023, raising $1.1 billion, including multifamily REITs.
US Market Interpretation
Valuation and Fundraising
- Valuation at IPO for Snowflake was 120x forward sales, peaking at 200x post-pop.
- Airbnb raised $3.5 billion at 15x revenue multiple in 2020 IPO, highest travel tech ever.
- DoorDash IPO valued at 22x 2021 revenue estimate, $71 billion market cap debut.
- Coinbase direct listing implied $90 billion valuation at 25x 2021 revenue forecast.
- Roblox IPO at $30 billion valuation, 50x 2021 bookings multiple for gaming platform.
- UiPath priced IPO at 45x forward sales, $35 billion valuation for RPA leader.
- Coupang's $80 billion IPO valuation at 10x sales, cheapest among 2021 megadeals.
- Rivian raised $11.9 billion at 40x 2023 revenue projection, EV unicorn premium.
- Palantir direct listing at $22 billion, 25x 2020 revenue despite profitability concerns.
- Asana IPO valued at 25x ARR, $15 billion for project mgmt software.
- Unity IPO at 30x 2021 revenue, $13.7 billion for game engine amid metaverse hype.
- GitLab IPO at $11 billion, 35x ARR multiple for open-source DevOps.
- Monday.com raised $1.1 billion at 30x revenue, $7.5 billion Israeli SaaS unicorn.
- Freshworks IPO valued at $13 billion, 20x sales for India-based CRM.
- Thoughtworks IPO at $4.5 billion, 8x revenue multiple reflecting services model.
- Confluent raised $828 million at $14 billion valuation, 25x ARR for Kafka streaming.
- HashiCorp IPO at $11.8 billion, 40x forward revenue for infra automation.
- Cloudflare 2019 IPO at $4.4 billion, 15x sales despite losses, cybersecurity premium.
- Bill.com IPO raised $229 million at $4.8 billion valuation, 25x revenue fintech.
- Okta 2017 IPO at $6.5 billion, 12x revenue for identity management leader.
- Twilio 2016 IPO valued at $5.8 billion, 10x revenue comms platform growth.
- CrowdStrike 2019 IPO at $6.6 billion, 20x ARR cybersecurity endpoint focus.
Valuation and Fundraising Interpretation
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