Violin Memory, a US-based corporate venturing-backed maker of data storage equipment, has hired investment banks JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank and BoA Merrill Lynch for its expected flotation.
Newswire Bloomberg said Violin’s market valuation could be about $2bn and in July last year news provider Wall Street Journal said it had planned to have listed by April 2012.
In May, however, Violin privately raised $80m from investors, according to a spokeswoman.
The company said in a filing it had raised $74m of the planned $80m round in a filing on May 1. The company had received additional investment from GE Asset Management, an investment unit of US-based conglomerate General Electric, news provider All Things Digital, which first reported the round, said.
SAP Ventures joined technology corporates Toshiba and Juniper Networks backing Violin Memory, taking the company to a more than $800m valuation, in a $50m round, which has now been expanded.
The corporates were joined in the series D round by venture firm Highland Capital Partners.
Violin Memory added that other unannounced public companies had backed the round.
Violin Memory raised $40m in its series C round from existing corporate venturing investors and other, undisclosed listed companies. The round followed a $35m series B round by corporates including Toshiba and Juniper Networks in February 2011.
Other investors in the company include angels Atiq Raza, the former number two at Advanced Micro Devices, Arjun Gupta, the founder of TeleSoft Partners, and venture capitalist Dixon Doll. Violin Memory was founded in 2005.