TuSimple is partnering with Navistar to develop self-driving long-haul trucks.
Courtesy of TuSimple
The second week of April is shaping up to be a relatively strong time for the IPO market. As many as four more companies are making their stock-market debuts, bringing the total to at least six.
Coinbase, the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, is slated to open for trading on Wednesday, April 14. Applovin and TuSimple are listing the next day, three people familiar with the situation said. Agilon Health is making its debut that Thursday.
And Alkami Technology, a bank software company, and Karat Packaging, which makes environmentally-friendly disposable food service products, are also reportedly going public.
This week, by way of contrast, two companies, Reneo Pharmaceuticals and VectivBio Holding, are listing. Both are small biotech companies that are slated to begin trading on the Nasdaq on Friday.
Applovin on Wednesday set terms for its initial public offering. It is offering 25 million shares at $75 to $85 each, which means it could raise as much as $2.13 billion if the stock sells at the high end of that range. The company plans to trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol APP.
Eighteen underwriters are listed in the Applovin prospectus, including Morgan Stanley (ticker: MS), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), KKR, Bank of America ‘s (BAC) BofA Securities, and Citigroup (C).
Founded in 2012, Applovin provides software used by mobile-game developers to grow their businesses. Some 410 million people a day open apps that contain Applovin software, according to the company. Applovin also has a portfolio of more than 200 free-to-play mobile games with 32 million daily users.
In 2018, KKR bought a minority stake in Applovin for $400 million, valuing Applovin at $2 billion at the time. Applovin in February acquired Adjust, a firm that helps mobile-app developers measure the performance of apps and prevent fraud, for $1 billion. KKR will own 67.4% of the company after the IPO, the prospectus said.
With 357,955,309 shares outstanding, Applovin’s market capitalization could hit $30 billion.
TuSimple also set terms for its IPO. The self-driving technology company could raise as much as $1.3 billion; it is offering nearly 34 million shares at $35 to $39 each. It will trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker TSP.
Morgan Stanley (MS), Citigroup, and J.P. Morgan (JPM) are lead bookrunners on the deal.
Founded in 2015, TuSimple is looking to transform the $800 billion trucking industry. The San Diego company, which has plants in Tucson, Shanghai, and Beijing, in addition to operations in Japan, is developing an autonomous freight network for long-haul, semi-trucks that it says will increase efficiency and safety on the road, while cutting operating costs.
TuSimple develops software for the Level 4 self-driving, long-haul trucks, which can see up to 1,000 meters away, equivalent to 30 seconds of driving time. High-definition maps provide accuracy within five centimeters.
The company is partnering with Navistar (NAV) to develop trucks for the North American market by 2024, its prospectus said. TuSimple has another partnership with Volkswagen subsidiary TRATON for trucks in Europe. Navistar, TRATON, and United Parcel Service (UPS) are all investors.
TuSimple has raised $800 million in funding, including a $350 million round in November led by VectoIQ. BlackRock (BR), Fidelity Management & Research Co and Capital Group are in talks to buy up to 10.1 million TuSimple shares at the IPO price, the prospectus said.
The company will have 212,263,328 shares outstanding, meaning TuSimple’s market cap could climb to $8.3 billion. TuSimple, however, is not profitable. Losses widened to $177.9 million in 2020 from $84.9 million in 2019. Revenue jumped nearly 160% to $1.8 million in 2020.
Write to Luisa Beltran at [email protected]
