Zipcar, the car-sharing provider, raised $174.3 million in an initial public offering Thursday morning, marking a first for a segment once dominated by nonprofits and local community organizations. In this piece for The New York Times Wheels blog, I report how the strong showing could be a boon for new companies aiming to make money through alternatives to vehicle ownership. Continue reading
Tag Archives: IPO
Car Sharing Startups Bask in Zipcar’s I.P.O. Glow
Posted in Collaborative Consumption, Transportation
Tagged Car Sharing, Google Ventures, IPO, New York Times, RelayRides, Spride Share, Zipcar
Tesla IPO: Will Tesla See a Powerhouse Public Offering?
Tesla Motors, the Silicon Valley electric car startup gunning to raise $185 million next week through an IPO and sales of shares to Toyota, has won over members of the Silicon Valley, Capitol Hill and Hollywood elite. But will the company, which has never turned a profit, charge up Wall Street with a blockbuster IPO?
I dove into Tesla’s regulatory filings and interviewed several analysts to weigh the comany’s prospects for a blockbuster, lackluster or middle-of-the-road IPO. Written originally for Earth2Tech, this article also appeared on Salon.com and NYTimes.com, and was featured in the New York Times’ DealBook blog.
Tagged Analysis, Earth2Tech, Electric cars, IPO, New York Times, Salon, Tesla Motors
Tesla IPO: A Test for VC Model in the Auto Biz
If and when Tesla Motors goes through with its long-discussed goal of going public, I’ve argued over on Earth2Tech that it will offer a glimpse at the role IPOs will play in the nascent green car market, as the question remains: Is the classic venture capital model (invest early and find a big exit in the form of an acquisition or an IPO) viable for this sector, or will a green-car IPO be more about feeding big capital needs and branding? This article also appeared (through syndication) on BusinessWeek.com.
Tagged Analysis, BusinessWeek, Earth2Tech, Electric cars, IPO, Tesla Motors
