|
"I think we're building a generation of companies that will go
public, and will provide bigger IPOs," Fred Destin at Accel
Partners told Reuters. He pointed to candidates such as
Deliveroo, BlaBlaCar, Spotify and price comparison site Check24
in Germany.
"We'll see (IPOs worth) 5-10 billion in the coming years - I'm
certain of that," Destin said.
Adam Kostyal, Senior Vice President and Head of European
listings at Nasdaq, said: "If I look at the interest we have
right now, looking at filings, there's a huge potential for
2017."
"I foresee that in our pipeline next year, 15 to 20 percent will
be around tech," Kostyal told Reuters. "I foresee that in 2017,
in Europe, there is handful of unicorns that need to make a
decision, and we hope IPO will be in plans for them."
Venture capitalists flush with growing funds and on the hunt for
the next big thing in tech said firms like Swedish streaming
service Spotify, French ride-sharing company BlaBlaCar and
Britain's Deliveroo were prime candidates to list.
Loss making music streaming service Spotify could be profitable
next year, board member and general partner at venture capital
firm Northzone Par-Jorgen Parson said.
Other sizeable potential IPOs include Delivery Hero and Global
Fashion Group, which are backed by Rocket and Swedish investor
Kinnevik. * "There is a cohort of companies ready to go public,"
said Index Ventures founder Neil Rimer. * Europe has seen 12
venture-backed tech IPOs raise $760 million through the end of
November, according to Pitchbook data. That compares to 17 IPOs
by U.S. venture-backed firms which raised $1.6 billion in the
same period.
"Nobody will ever match the Bay area, it is a vortex," said
Destin. "But we just have to do our own thing."
(Reporting by Tuomas Forsell, Jussi Rosendahl and Mia Shanley;
editing by Niklas Pollard)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
