SoftBank-backed Compass targets $10 billion valuation in U.S. IPO

[March 23, 2021]  (Reuters) - SoftBank Group Corp-backed real estate brokerage firm Compass Inc said on Tuesday it is aiming for a valuation of up to $10 billion in its initial public offering in the United States.

A "Price Reduced" sign is displayed on a home for sale in northern Virginia suburb of Vienna, outside Washington, October 27, 2010. REUTERS/Larry Downing/File Photo

The firm aims to raise up to $936 million in the IPO, selling 36 million Class A shares priced between $23 and $26 per share, it said in a filing.

Compass, which runs an integrated software platform that serves real estate agents in the residential market, has seen a surge in online home transactions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Founded in 2012 by former Twitter Inc engineer Ori Allon and former Goldman Sachs executive Robert Reffkin, Compass covers 46 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States and works with over 19,000 agents.

It generates revenue from commissions paid for transactions on the platform.

The company has raised $1.5 billion from investors including SoftBank, Goldman Sachs and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. It was valued at $6.4 billion after its $370 million funding round in 2019.

Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Barclays are the lead underwriters for Compass's IPO.

(Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.)

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