Peter Thiel-backed Palantir to go public through direct listing

[NEW YORK] Data analytics firm Palantir Technologies on Tuesday filed to go public through a direct listing, setting the stage for what is expected to be one of the most closely watched market debuts of a Silicon Valley tech startup in years.

The Peter Thiel-backed firm had confidentially filed to go public in July.

As opposed to a traditional initial public offering (IPO), a direct listing does not raise fresh funds. In a direct-listing model, existing investors monetise their shares.

According to its filing, Palantir reported a net loss of US$580 million in 2019, about the same as its loss in 2018. The company's revenue came in at US$742 million in 2019, compared to US$595 million in 2018.

For the first six months of 2020, Palantir posted revenue of US$481 million, up 49 per cent from the year-earlier period. In June, Reuters reported, citing sources, the company expects revenue in 2020 to grow to US$1 billion.

A string of successful IPOs is paving the way for Silicon Valley firms, concerned about the economic fallout from the Covid,19 pandemic, to follow suit.

Palantir's filing to go public comes in the middle of a busy week for tech IPOs. A slew of high-profile software companies such as Snowflake, Asana, JFrog and Unity Software have already filed to go public this week.

Palantir, co-founded in 2004 by billionaire Peter Thiel, specialises in analysing large quantities of data. Its customers range from global banks to the US government and the Central Intelligence Agency. The company's technology aided the US government's successful search for Osama bin Laden, according to multiple media reports.

REUTERS