Two tech companies went public today, both posting first-day gains. The Canadian Shopify popped a massive 51 percent, while Baozun picked up a slimmer 4.6 percent.
While seeing your share price appreciate on your IPO day is always welcome, Baozun had to work harder to get its pop than Shopify. Baozun, which provides e-commerce tools for the Chinese market and in which Alibaba is a key investor, lowered its IPO price from a $12 to $14 range to $10 per share. Its gain today to just $10.46 per share is therefore testament to how its proposed range did not match investor sentiment.
Shopify, which provides e-commerce solutions to small and medium-sized businesses, initially priced between $12 and $14 per share, a gap that is boosted to $14 to $16 per share, before actually selling its equity for $17 apiece. Its shares spiked as high as $28.74 per share, before retreating to a more stable range later in its first day of regular trading. The shares ended their first day worth $25.68.
Strong IPOs, like sneezes, can be contagious. Weak IPOs, like coughs, are also contagious.
The companies, sharing a debut date, prove that the technology IPO window remains open. The IPO calendar has been slower than expected this year. Other notable offerings include Box, which was met with strong market reaction after its delayed IPO pushed across the finish line. And Box, along with another recent offering, Etsy, both struggled in their respective Q1s.
Something that I have heard from a number of venture capitalists over the past few weeks is that there is some optimism in the market that the IPO cadence will increase in the second half of 2015. Such an increase in the rate of offerings would increase liquidity in the market for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists alike.
Strong IPOs, like sneezes, can be contagious. Weak IPOs, like coughs, are also contagious.