scorecardMore $10-plus billion companies have gone public in 2019 than at the height of the dot-com tech bubble. Here's how their businesses compare.
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  4. More $10-plus billion companies have gone public in 2019 than at the height of the dot-com tech bubble. Here's how their businesses compare.

More $10-plus billion companies have gone public in 2019 than at the height of the dot-com tech bubble. Here's how their businesses compare.

In 2000, right before the dot-com bubble popped, pricey startups were going public at eye-popping valuations. Here’s a look at the companies with a $10 billion valuation or higher who went public that year.

More $10-plus billion companies have gone public in 2019 than at the height of the dot-com tech bubble. Here's how their businesses compare.

Embarcadero Technologies

Embarcadero Technologies

According to a Forbes report, enterprise software company Embarcadero Technologies was one of the few profitable companies to go public in 2000, and raised $42 million in its public debut. Pitchbook data indicates, the company was acquired by Thoma Bravo for $118.17 million in 2007 and taken private. Thoma Bravo sold the company to cloud software company Idera in 2015 for an undisclosed amount.

Pets.com

Pets.com

The online pet store Pets.com is commonly referred to as the poster child for the 2000 tech bubble and subsequent bust. The buzzy company was featured on morning talk shows and took out pricey Super Bowl ads before raising $82 million in its public offering. Just 268 days later, the startup filed for bankruptcy, citing that it had miscalculated shipping costs.

eFunds

eFunds

The payments software provider raised more than $71 million in its June 2000 IPO, according to Pitchbook data. In 2007, the company was purchased by investments management giant Fidelity for $1.8 billion.

Sonus Networks

Sonus Networks

The network security company was one of the hottest IPOs of 2000, and was trading up more than 600% by August 2000 from its opening price of $23 per share. Fourteen years later, the company was purchased for just $2 million by surveillance hardware company Sunhillo and folded into its new parent company, according to Pitchbook data.

WebMethods

WebMethods

Enterprise software maker WebMethods was valued at $6.6 billion following its February 2000 IPO which raised more than $147 million, according to Pitchbook. The company wasn't profitable when it went public, and was scooped up in 2007 by German tech giant Software AG for $546 million.

Fast forward to today, and history may be repeating itself, as six startups worth $10 billion or more hit the public markets in the first half of 2019.

Fast forward to today, and history may be repeating itself, as six startups worth $10 billion or more hit the public markets in the first half of 2019.

Lyft

Lyft

Ride-hailing app Lyft went public in March just a few months ahead of competitor Uber but performed poorly during its first months of trading. As of Tuesday, Lyft shares were trading at $60.93, down from its IPO price of $72.

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest was one of the few decacorns that priced its public offering cautiously and ended up with a public valuation below its last private round of funding. The $19 share price set the visual search site's valuation right at $10 billion. On Tuesday, shares were trading above its opening price at $26.72.

Zoom

Zoom

Video conferencing software maker Zoom seems to be the sleeper hit of 2019's IPO boom, with shares currently trading more than $50 above its $36 opening share price. According to The Wall Street Journal, enterprise companies like Zoom may have piqued investor interest where consumer startups have struggled because there is an inherent path to profitability.

Uber

Uber

Popular ride-sharing app Uber went public in May under the leadership of CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over for founder Travis Kalanick in 2017 after a series of leadership missteps and scandals. Kalanick was present on the trading floor for Uber's public debut in May that opened at $45 a share. On Tuesday, shares were trading at $43.65.

CrowdStrike

CrowdStrike

Cybersecurity startup CrowdStrike had yet to turn a profit before it raised more than $600 million in its June IPO. The startup was privately valued at $3.4 billion and included backers from some of Silicon Valley's biggest investors, such as Accel of Slack and Facebook fame, and Google's venture arm, CapitalG.

Chewy

Chewy

Perhaps the best comparison to the old guard of unprofitable public tech companies, Chewy is an online store for pet products. Sound familiar? But unlike its predecessor Pets.com, Chewy is still going strong in the public markets after raising more than $1 billion in its debut in June.

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