Private Markets: SpaceX targets June IPO as OpenAI preps filing for fall listing

SpaceX and OpenAI are moving toward blockbuster public listings, with both companies accelerating their IPO timelines, according to new reports. Reuters says SpaceX is now targeting June 11 for pricing and could debut as early as June 12, while the Financial Times reports OpenAI is preparing to file for a listing as soon as this week, aiming for a potential September IPO that could value the company at more than $1T.

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This week’s private company news:

• Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite maker SpaceX (SPCX) is planning to price its blockbuster IPO as early as June 11 and has picked Nasdaq as its listing venue, Reuters’ Echo Wang and Anirban Sen report, citing people familiar with the matter. SpaceX has accelerated its IPO timeline and is now aiming to flip its prospectus public as early as next Wednesday, with a roadshow launch targeted for June 4 and a market debut as early as June 12, according to three people familiar with the matter.
• OpenAI is preparing to file for a public listing as early as this week, with the AI lab aiming for a blockbuster initial public offering as soon as September, Financial Times’ George Hammond reports. The company has been laying the groundwork for an offering expected to value it at north of $1T, working with bankers at Morgan Stanley (MS) and Goldman Sachs (GS) and lawyers at Cooley over the past few months, according to people familiar with the matter. The group could file a draft IPO prospectus as early as Friday, starting the timer on a public listing for the autumn, they added. That timing could shift depending on the market and on the performance of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which is expected to go public next month in the biggest listing of all time, the author notes.

Some of the biggest capital raises by private companies this week include:

• Anduril – The defense contractor announced a $5B Series H funding, led by Thrive Capital and Andreessen Horowitz. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include AeroVironment (AVAV), L3Harris (LHX), and Lockheed Martin (LMT).
• VoltaGrid – The meter power generation company raised $1B in in investment from Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and Halliburton and signed a deal to acquire its main manufacturing partner, Propell Energy Technology. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Bloom Energy (BE), Generac (GNRC), and Plug Power (PLUG).
• Amca – The aerospace and defense components company said it raised $300M in Series B funding. The round was by Amca’s Series A lead, Caffeinated Capital, with major participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners and continued support from existing investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Lux Capital, Construct Capital, and House Capital. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Rockwell Automation (ROK), Emerson Electric (EMR), and Teradyne (TER).
• Armada – The company announced a $230M oversubscribed Series B financing round with a pre-money valuation of $2B. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Fastly (FSLY), Cloudflare (NET), and Akamai (AKAM).
• Mercury – The technology company providing different banking announced a $200 million Series D at a $5.2B valuation, led by TCV. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Block (XYZ), PayPal (PYPL), and SoFi (SOFI).

Unicorns to watch this week:

• Cohere – The enterprise LLMs and AI platform has an estimated valuation of $5B, and it is expanding its Command model family and deepening partnerships with Oracle (ORCL) and AWS. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOGL), and Amazon (AMZN).
• Inflection AI – The company is valued at about $4B and is pivoting from consumer chatbot Pi to enterprise AI agents after major investment from Microsoft and Nvidia (NVDA). Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Microsoft (MSFT), Salesforce (CRM), and Meta (META).
• Wiz – With an estimated valuation of $12B, the company is one of the fastest growing cybersecurity startups ever. Wiz is expanding into identity security and rumored to be preparing for an IPO. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include CrowdStrike (CRWD), Zscaler (ZS), and Palo Alto Networks (PANW).
• Humane – Despite a rocky product launch, the company remains a high profile AI hardware bet. With a $1B valuation, Humane is exploring strategic options amid rumored acquisition interest. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Apple (AAPL), Meta (META), and Garmin (GRMN).
• Arctic Wolf – Demand for MDR is surging and the company is expanding into threat intel and cloud security as IPO rumors continue. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include CrowdStrike (CRWD), SentinelOne (S), and Palo Alto Networks (PANW).

IPOs to watch:

• Innio – The company announced that it has publicly filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission relating to a proposed initial public offering of its common shares. The timing of the offering, number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. Innio has applied to list its common shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “INIO.” Innio designs, manufactures and services power systems under its Jenbacher and Waukesha brands. The company delivers power for applications including data centers, microgrids, grid stabilization, industrial energy and gas compression.
• Inspire Brands – The company announced that it has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the proposed initial public offering of its common stock. Inspire Brands expects to use the net proceeds of the proposed offering to repay outstanding indebtedness under its existing term loan facility and pay offering fees and expenses.
• Csquare – The data center company filed confidentially for a U.S. initial public offering, a signal that more data center companies are lining up to sell shares for the first time over the coming year, Bloomberg’s Bailey Lipschultz reported. The provider of colocation and data center services announced on Friday that it had submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (BIP)-backed company joins a rush of new listings as the companies building out the backbone to support AI’s energy needs seek to raise funds, the author notes.
• Tarsier Pharma Ltd. – The company filed for an initial public offering of its ordinary shares and applied to list its ordinary shares on the NYSE American under the symbol “TARX.” The prospectus stated, “Tarsier Pharma is developing TRS01 and TRS02, novel product candidates based on dazdotuftide, a new molecule with a new mechanism of action for uveitis and uveitic glaucoma. We are attempting to address a significant, underserved market opportunity and have engaged closely with the FDA on our clinical development strategy, including a Special Protocol Assessment agreement for our planned pivotal trial… Although we are still early in this journey, I believe we have the technology, the team, the discipline, and the persistence required to build an enduring company.”

“Private Markets” is The Fly’s recurring series of stories on the latest moves in the private sector, largest unicorn companies and initial public offerings to watch. Fly subscribers, add $PRIVATE to your portfolio for alerts on breaking news in the startup and venture capital space.