Instacart, the popular grocery delivery platform, is poised to make its public market debut next week, according to a filing released on Monday. The filing indicates that the company could be valued at up to $9.3 billion, a significant decrease from its 2021 valuation of $39 billion.
Over the past two years, Instacart experienced fluctuations in its valuation, serving as a valuable lesson for emerging tech unicorns on the IPO trajectory. The prevailing wisdom suggests that delaying a public offering may not be advantageous. The complexities of managing a public entity involve navigating market and economic shifts, often beyond any management team’s control. Commencing the process early can mitigate potential distractions concerning future exits.
Remarkably, Instacart’s current position as a publicly traded entity presents a more robust business model compared to its valuation fourfold higher just two and a half years ago. In the first half of this year, the company reported revenues of $1.48 billion with a commendable gross margin of 75%. This trajectory is indicative of a projected 60% increase in annual revenue, surging from the $1.83 billion reported in 2021, and an 8% rise in margins.
The economic landscape has evolved since 2021, as the initial surge in Instacart’s popularity during the pandemic has waned. The first half of 2023 saw a modest uptick in total orders by less than 1% compared to the same period in 2022. Furthermore, interest rates have risen substantially, influencing valuations. Elevated interest rates typically correspond with diminished valuations, a trend evident over the past two years.
Despite these market dynamics, slower growth companies are not entirely unwelcome in public markets. They do, however, face constraints that necessitate adaptability and responsiveness to shifting market conditions.
The peers of Instacart, Airbnb and DoorDash, both entered the public market in late 2020. While their shares initially experienced significant gains, they subsequently corrected as interest rates ascended. In 2022, Airbnb saw a 50% decline, while DoorDash’s stock value plummeted by nearly 70%. DoorDash remains over 50% below its closing price on its inaugural trading day, whereas Airbnb has shown relative resilience, with a 5% increase from its first day closing.
For Airbnb, DoorDash, and similar companies, a third year of public scrutiny beckons. Quarterly reporting, recruitment, and planning, among other functions, assume a different dimension when real-time valuations define business performance.
Instacart secured funding at its peak valuation in March 2021, closely following the public debuts of Airbnb and DoorDash. CEO Fidji Simo, who assumed the role in July of the same year, brings experience from Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook) and its IPO in 2012. Simo emphasized the significance of post-IPO value delivery, underlining the enduring challenge of sustaining a thriving enterprise.
Unlike the punctuated event of an IPO, the day-to-day demands of running a business persist. This underscores the urgency of finalizing the IPO process, redirecting focus to the substantive tasks at hand.
Source: Yahoo Finance
