Top 20 Companies That Went Public the Fastest- 2021

An initial public offering or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold. The buyers are basically institutional investors and usually also retail investors. After the IPO is announced, the company’s shares are traded in open markets. Needless to say, it is an important step in the journey of just about any company. But have you wondered which are the top 20 companies that went public the fastest?

The initial public offering market is quite a competitive one. The primary objective of it is to raise capital from the market. Capital is important for all companies. So it’s definitely not an easy thing to offer on the stock exchange and requires a lot of time. However, some companies take the crown and do it at an amazing speed.

To honor them, here is a list of the top 20 companies that went public the fastest.

1. VICI Properties

VICI Properties is a real estate investment trust. Currently, they own one of the largest portfolios in the market showing their geographical diversity. This portfolio includes the leading gaming, hospitality, and entertainment destinations. Currently, they own more than 47 million square feet of land and 200+ bars, restaurants, and clubs. This company was founded in October 2017 by John WR Payne. Their Initial Public Offering (IPO) happened in February of the next year. So their months to the IPO were only 4 months. This short span of time remains unparalleled in this list of top 20 companies that went public the fastest.

2. MGM Growth Properties

Based in Summerlin, South Nevada, MGM Growth Properties is a real estate investment trust. Their main area of investment is large-scale destination entertainment and leisure resorts. This company has a whole or majority ownership of 15 properties. These properties are all operated by MGM Resorts International. They are one of the companies that went public the fastest. MGM Growth Properties was founded in October of 2015. Then they went public 6 months later, in April of 2016. Taking only 6 months to do that, it’s no surprise they are at the top 2 of this list of companies that went public the fastest.

3. Altice USA

Altice USA is a media and communications company. They are committed to developing the telecommunication system with the power of connectivity. They are offering high-speed broadband, ultra-HD video, digital advertising solutions, local news, telephony, and wireless communications. Their job is to ensure that customers get the faster speeds, reliable services, and innovative products they want. Through this, Altice USA makes customer lives simpler and keeps communities connected. With this goal in mind, Patrick Drahi founded Altice USA in September of 2015. Only 21 months later, they gave their IPO in June 2017.

4. Qudian

Qudian Inc. is a leading technology platform. This company is committed to empowering the enhancement of the online consumer finance experience in China. Their mission is to use technology to make personal credits accessible to all. For this, they use advanced data-enabled technologies like A.I. and machine learning. It was April 2014 when Min Luo became the founder of Qudian. Only 3.6 years later, Qudian managed to bring forth their first IPO to the world. This took them approx. 42 months, thus making Qudian one of the top 3 companies that went public the fastest.

5. Denali Therapeutics

Denali Therapeutics specializes in neurodegenerative diseases. Their rigorous therapeutic discovery and development help make the world a better place for people with neurodegenerative diseases. They are constantly putting an effort into finding effective medications for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, and others. They use genetics, pathology, and cell biology to study neurodegeneration. This amazing and transformative company started its journey in October of 2013. Drs. Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Ryan Watts, and Alex Schuth are the founders. It took them 50 months to officially launch their IPO in December 2017.

6. Invitation Homes

Invitation Homes is yet another real estate investment trust among companies that went public the fastest. Dallas B. Tanner Brad Greiwe founded it in April of 2012. They are the largest owner of single-family rental homes in the United States. They own approximately 80,000 homes all over the country. Invitation Homes markets as a single-family rent company, guaranteeing customers peace of mind. They took time to prepare from 2012 to 2017. 58 months later, they launched their IPO in February 2017.

7. Snap

Surely you have heard of Snapchat, maybe even use it. Snap Inc. is a social media company. Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown first founded this company in Santa Monica, California. The date of founding was September 16, 2011. This is the company behind technological products and services like Snapchat, Spectacles, and Bitmoji. Currently, Snap is one of the leaders in the social media industry. 66 months after it was founded, Snap went public in March of 2017 that is why they are on this list of Top 20 Companies that went public the fastest.

8. SmileDirect Club

SmileDirectClub is a teledentistry company based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company works with more than 225 licensed professionals. Their appointments are all virtual, and the treatment process is precise. One of their main products is the 3D-printed clear aligners. These aligners have now become a competitor of traditional braces. Alex Frankel and Jordan Katzman are the founders of SmileDirectClub. Together, they founded this company in January 2014 to bring smiles to people’s faces. 2019 was their IPO year, as they finally went public in September after 68 months.

9. Lyft

Lyft Inc. is the developer and operator of the mobile app with the same name. This is a ride-sharing app that is known to be highly convenient to use. They offer vehicles for hire, motorized scooters, and a cool bicycle-sharing system. They also do food delivery. Logan Green and John Zimmer started this helpful company in June 2012. Within 81 months, they gave their first Initial Public Offering in March 2019. Currently, Lyft is spread across 644 cities in the United States and 12 cities in Canada. They did it so fast!

10. Athene Holding

We can’t talk about the top 20 companies that went public the fastest and exclude Athene Holding. It operates as an insurance holding company. The issue, reinsure and acquire retirement savings products. This includes fixed annuities and funding agreements. James Belardi is also the current CEO of Athene Holding, holding the chair since 2009. That was also the year he founded the company in the month of June. At last, they went public in December of 2019 after 91 months since its inception. Their 31 billion IPO class A shares made $1.1 billion, the third-largest of 2016.

11. Doordash

Ordering takeout is now a big part of our life, especially amidst the pandemic. Doordash is an organization providing delivery and takeout services. This online food ordering and delivery platform are based in San Francisco. They are affiliated with the best takeout restaurants and have great customer service. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, everything is safely and timely delivered to the doorsteps. They have received five stars on more than 1 million reviews, and that says a lot. Tony Xu founded Doordash in January of 2013. 95 months later in December 2020, they gave their first IPO.

12. Sea

Sea is a global consumer internet company. Their mission is to better the lives of consumers and small businesses with their technology. The platform consists of digital entertainment, electronic commerce, and digital financial services. They operate three businesses: Garena, Shopee, and Sea Money. Forrest Xiaodong Li is the founder of Sea Limited. He founded this company in May of 2009. They went public with their IPO in April 2017. It took them 95 months to go public, which is admirable. That’s why they are on the list of top 20 companies that went public the fastest.

13. Snowflake

Snowflake is a data warehousing company. It operates on a cloud computing-based platform. Snowflake’s cloud-based data storage allows users to store and analyze data using cloud-based hardware and software. For their amazing services, they were ranked number 1 in Forbes Cloud 100. Benoit Dageville is the founder of Snowflake. Along with co-founders Thierry Cruanes and Marcin Żukowski, he founded this company on July 23, 2012. The company was publicly launched in September 2020. Their first IPO was 98 months after the founding.

14. Coursera

“Learn without limits” is the motto of this company. Coursera is an online learning platform. Collaborating with more than 200 universities, they form efficient and effective courses. 87% of people learning for professional development in Coursera have reported career benefits. These benefits include getting a promotion, a raise, or starting a new career. Their in-depth courses are what makes them so special. Andrew Ng and Daphne Cooler are the proud founders of this transformative educational platform. First founded in 2012, Coursera went public with its IPO in March of 2021. That took more than 8 years for them.

15. Affirm Holdings

Affirm Holdings is a company that offers information technology solutions. They are the operator of a platform for digital and mobile-first commerce. Their area of service is mostly in the United States and Canada. The company’s platform includes point-of-sale payment solutions for consumers. They also specialize in merchant commerce solutions. Their app is consumer-focused, which makes it a top choice for many. This software development company was founded in 2012. There are four founders of it, namely Levchin, Nathan Gettings, Jeffrey Kaditz, and Alex Rampe.  After about 9 years, they finally went public in January of the year 2021.

16. Pinterest

Want to find your next big idea? Then you know where to go. Pinterest is now one of the most widely used media platforms. Users love it for its personalized content and convenient sharing of the same. The best thing about Pinterest is that it is the media without the social. In other words, users don’t interact in a social way but still get to share and enjoy their own content. This anti-social media platform was created by Ben Silbermann. He founded Pinterest in December 2009, and it soon received popularity. More than 9 years later, in April 2019, the company issued its first IPO.

17. Uber Technologies Inc.

The word “Uber” is now known to most, if not all. Have a place to visit? All you have to do is call an Uber nearby. Uber Technologies Inc. is the company behind this famous ride-hailing service. It is an American technology company that provides transportation, delivery, package delivery, and courier services. They have also partnered up with Lime to offer electric bicycle and motorized scooter rental. Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp founded Uber Technologies Inc. in March 2009. In May 2019, they announced its IPO more than 10 years after its inception. The IPO offered 180 million shares.

18. Coupang

Coupang is an e-commerce company based in South Korea. Based in Seoul, it has now been incorporated in Delaware, United States. The company has now become one of the largest online marketplaces in South Korea. Currently, they have over 37,000 employees and a revenue of 12 billion USD. Bom Suk Kim is the founder and CEO of Coupang. He created this company in the month of May 2010. After more than 10 years, they announced their Initial Public Offering in March 2021. They priced 130 million shares at $35 a piece.

19. Dropbox

Here’s to the second last member who made it to our list of top 20 companies that went public the fastest. Everyone is familiar with Dropbox. Dropbox Inc. operates the Dropbox app, which is a hosting service. They offer cloud storage, file synchronization, personal cloud, and client software. Its modern workspace is designed to reduce busywork and focus on things that matter. This platform allows anyone to upload and transfer files to the cloud and share them with anyone. It was 2007 when Arash Ferdowsi and Drew Houston founded Dropbox. And it was March 2018— approx.129 months later—when they announced their first IPO.

20. Greensky

Greensky is a well-known financial technology company. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, this company provides technology to banks and merchants to make loans to consumers. These loans can be for home improvement, solar, healthcare, and many other purposes. The Greensky credit program is used by many. It is now provided by federally insured, federal, and state-chartered financial institutions. But that’s not all. They are also one of the top 20 companies that went public the fastest. It was founded in 2006. After more than 11 years, they launched their IPO in May 2018.

These are the companies that went public the fastest. These companies are all different from each other in many ways. But the bottom line is that all must admire their effort to launch their stock exchange quickly.

Awards Criteria and Procedure:

• Only software/technology companies were considered for this award for the year 2021.
• Only IPOs since 2006 were considered
• Data of 6 major IPOs from each year was considered (4 for the current year)
• A list of corresponding year of formation for each firm was compiled through Linkedin, company websites, Bloomberg, Crunchbase, etc.
• Difference of months; between month of formation and month of going public was calculated
• List of fastest top 20 firms to IPO was finalized and is mentioned above.

For participating in this award category, you can email us at info[at]startingtoknow.com

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Disclaimer: Our intention for these awards is to recognize the efforts of the businesses. We tried our best to provide you as accurate information as possible for the businesses listed above but there can be chances where unintentionally some mistakes might have been made. If any of the information mentioned above is not accurate please feel free to reach us at info[at]startingtoknow.com