While Alibaba’s record-setting IPO will not be topped in 2015, there are several high-profile tech and internet names that could be
banner offerings for 2015. The most notable of our group is on-demand transportation service Uber, which raised $1.2 billion in December at a $41 billion valuation and is the highest valued US-based VC-backed tech startup. Just as Uber seeks to disrupt the taxi market, Airbnb has challenged the hotel industry, and its recent CFO change could signal an upcoming IPO. Following Facebook's $22 billion acquisition of WhatsApp, Japanese instant messaging service Line reportedly filed confidentially for an IPO in the US. With well over $1 billion in annual sales, Spotify reportedly began meeting with banks last year for an upcoming IPO. Pinterest raised $200 million at a $5 billion valuation last year; that late-stage funding often precedes a public offering.
