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I hate to burst your bubble- but taking on investments like this probably indicates they’ll be looking for a buy out/sell out eventually
by dyarosla 9y ago
I hate to burst your bubble- but taking on investments like this probably indicates they’ll be looking for a buy out/sell out eventually
- jameslk 9y agoHow so? Raising Series B/C usually prices companies out of smaller M&A deals. I would take it as a signal they're in it for the long haul.
- dyarosla 9y agoUnless airtable becomes its own thing worth a multiple of 50M $... they’ll prob need to sell. It just doesn’t seem like an IPOable business to me.
- ethagknight 9y agoI dont know, I rely on Excel for everything in my day to day work, and it is so flexible and terrible at the same time, I would gladly pay for a different tool that makes me look 2x smarter. The whole corporate world that insists on doing something 'in Excel' is a ripe market for such an IPOable business
- rtx 9y agoPeople have been trying that for years.
- skellera 9y agoThe article literally says that's not the case. They hope to get an IPO. I know doesn't mean it's 100% true but it's still right there. "Airtable isn't yet profitable, Liu said, but can be "cash flow positive at a moments notice." And an IPO is the eventual goal, he says, because he doesn't want to sell his company again. "
- apetresc 9y agoTo be fair, lots of founders say this to press, and tell a completely different story to investors. I don't know anything about Howie Liu but in general there's roughly zero correlation between what a founder tells reporters about acquisition plans and reality.
- dyarosla 9y agoThanks for pointing that out- I did initially miss that point. Let's see if Liu sticks to that plan.
- jtth 9y agoMost companies could be cashflow positive by firing their employees or selling their technology.