US-listed semiconductor maker Intel’s corporate venturing unit is preparing to float two more of its portfolio companies in the US after the first three months of the year saw the biggest first quarter market rally since 1998 with the S&P gaining nearly 6%.
Impinj, a US-based provider of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, filed for a $100m initial public offering (IPO) while Phoenix New Media, the digital media arm of Phoenix Satellite Television, plans to raise double that.
Inpinj has raised more than $110m from a consortium including Intel Capital, which owns 6.6% before the listing, according to its regulatory filing, after selling its RFID Operation, a business created by Intel’s New Business Initiatives incubator, in July 2008.
In January 2008, Impinj raised more than $14m from electronics companies Inventec Appliances Corporation, LS Industrial Systems, Samsung Ventures America and YFY Group, having raised $19m in March 2007 from a consortium including strategic investors Unilever Technology Ventures, UPS Strategic Enterprise Fund, VentureTech Alliance and the Viterbi Group.
Phoenix New Media has filed for a $200m IPO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), according to its regulatory filing.
In November 2009, Phoenix raised $25m from Intel Capital, which owns 10.5%, Germany-based media group Bertelsmann’s Asia Investment Funds (3.16%) and family office Morningside Ventures (12.6%). Phoenix Satellite Television retains 64.8% pre-IPO.
The NYSE said in a report more proceeds were raised in the first quarter (Q1) of 2011 than in any other first quarter since 2000 (excluding 2008 when credit card company Visa’s $19bn offering boosted the total raised proceeds).
The exchange added that nine of the 27 IPOs in Q1, including one clean tech deal, were from the technology sector, and they tended to price and perform more strongly than other sectors.
The technology companies’ average file / offer ratio was +10% versus -10% average among non-tech IPOs and they posted an average first day gain of 31% vs. 5% for non-tech stocks.
Fourteen of the 27 deals in Q1 were venture-backed, which was less than the fourth quarter’s 32.
And the NYSE said the backlog of planned flotations was "healthy" with 149 companies waiting by April 15, up 25% from the same time last year.
The NYSE said by April 15 that 17 companies had already listed, raising more than $5bn in proceeds.