Airbnb seeks valuation of up to $35 billion in its IPO

Airbnb plans to price at $44 to $50 per share in its IPO, giving it a valuation of up to $35 billion on a fully diluted basis, according to a new filing it submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday. The company aims to raise about $2.5 billion in the initial public offering. Existing investors seek to sell $96 million worth of stock in the IPO.

Airbnb's last private valuation was $18 billion, after it raised $2 billion in debt earlier this year as the company struggled in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. That was nearly half its peak private valuation ($31 billion) from 2017.

The company will list on the Nasdaq under the ticker "ABNB." It's expected to hold its IPO later this month. Airbnb's roadshow, where it makes its pitch to investors, will start Tuesday.

Airbnb released its first S-1 last month, reporting net income of $219 million on $1.34 billion in revenue in the third quarter of this year, down about 19% from the year before. Like most travel companies, Airbnb has seen a drop in business due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But after cutting about 25% of its staff, or about 1,900 employees, in May, Airbnb saw its business quickly bounce back later in the year. That was thanks to a surge in rentals in rural areas as people looked for safe escapes amid the pandemic. The company was originally expected to go public in the first half of the year, but the crisis upended those plans.

But with markets ripping higher on positive vaccine news and President-elect Joe Biden's election win last month, it's a good environment for companies to go public now.

In addition to Airbnb, DoorDash, the maker of the popular food delivery app, is also expected to hold an IPO this month. DoorDash released its updated S-1 filing Monday, and is seeking a valuation of up to $32 billion in its debut. That's double DoorDash's last private valuation of $16 billion in June.

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