IPO Fever: Is the Party Still On?
More and more big enterprises have begun to rely on software to provide online services. To extend the company’s market value, entrepreneurs continue to come up with new business plans, many looking to a growing number of angel investors ahead of IPO preparations.
It seems IPO season was in full swing earlier this year, but due to volatility in the market and a weak economy, things seemed to have calmed down for IPOs in certain sectors, namely for daily deals and social sites. The U.S. IPO market has gone cold in the past two months amid huge government deficits, declining stock prices, and stubbornly high unemployment rates.
Groupon’s IPO is in trouble. The company has submitted to the federal regulatory authorities the revenue it earned, and now the current market value is reduced by half, and the company’s number two men Chief Operating Officer Margo Georgiad have had to leave the company.
Groupon filed for an IPO with the Securities and Exchange Commission to go public with an estimated value of $750 million. A development that started in July was considered one of the most high-profile IPOs of the year, lending a great deal of excitement to IPO fever, which also roped interest from competitor Living Social, amongst others, some of which have actually been able to launch their IPO, including LinkedIn and Pandora.
Zynga is adding more ways for game lovers to play its Web games as it grooms its business for an IPO aimed at $1 billion. The enthusiasm for Zynga’s IPO has been tightly connected with Facebook and the online hangout’s 800 million users. The company generates a substantial percentage of its revenue and players through the Facebook platform, though its facing a few problems of its own.
Zynga’s net income in the quarter ended June 30 suffered a 90 percent decline as its costs ramped up to support the launch of new games such as Empires & Allies and Adventure World.
Zynga will still probably go public at a high valuation, but the company is not disclosing any details on when it will pull the trigger. Most analysts predict that Zynga might hold off the IPO listing until the current market chaos settles and investors feel more confident.
But even as Zynga dawdles over its IPO, competition is on the rise. Rovio Entertainment, makers of the game Angry Birds, is targeting the $1 billion mark for its IPO, planned for 2012. According to Peter Vesterbacka, Chief Marketing Officer from Rovio, the “IPO will probably be a year from now,” said Vesterbacka.
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