Investors are eagerly waiting for the anticipated Discord IPO. The company is among the most anticipated public offerings of 2022. Moreover, Discord could launch its IPO as soon as early this year.
So, what’s the latest news on the anticipated Discord IPO? Here’s what we know…
Discord IPO: About the Business
Discord is a communication platform that enables chat, audio and video communication, file sharing and other features.
The company was founded in 2015 to solve a big problem: communicating with friends online while playing games. Founders Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy shared a love of video games and the friendships and connections that came from them. But communication tools were slow, unreliable and complex. Surely there could be a more reliable service to help gamers communicate?
Discord has expanded its reach beyond the gaming community since its inception. In 2020, the company reported 70% of its user base used the platform for non-gaming purposes. The platform is used for various activities including virtual classes, groups, clubs and conventions. Today, Discord has an established audience with 150 million monthly active users.
There are several apps that provide similar capabilities, but Discord stands out with a few unique features…
- Users can communicate through private and public groups called servers. There are groups within servers called channels. Most games have their own dedicated servers. And groups can form their own private servers.
- It works on any platform. Windows, iOS, Android, Xbox, Playstation and more are supported.
- The platform is compatible with other apps. Discord can sync to apps like Twitch, Mixer, YouTube, Spotify and other popular applications.
- Users can screen share. The feature allows users to hang out and play games or browse social apps together
Investors and analysts expect Discord to continue to grow its 19 million weekly active servers. In the future, many analysts anticipate that Discord users will create more servers and use the app in new ways. And the last two years have shown that to be true.
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Discord Reported Continuous Growth During Pandemic
The pandemic altered many people’s ability to connect with friends and family. Furthermore, stay-at-home mandates restricted what people could do or how they could use their free time.
People turned to new ways of passing the time throughout the pandemic. Many people took up new hobbies, interests and connections during quarantine. For some, it meant an at-home project. Others may have joined a cooking class. And many took up video games to pass time.
Many people were able to find a sense of community using the Discord app and the servers and channels within the platform. On Discord’s business blog, the co-founders wrote…
2020’s been a heavy year for all of us and we’re honored that many of you have turned to Discord to find belonging and comfort during such a challenging time. We’re just glad we’ve been able to be helpful in any way possible…
It’s been inspiring to see all the creative ways you’ve been using Discord to stay close despite spending more time apart. We’ve seen tons of new organizations, events, and groups join Discord to create their own spaces: College students recreating the campus club atmosphere; activists organizing around political and social movements; friends playing Among Us all around the world; and even couples hosting virtual wedding ceremonies.
With the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in gamers at home, Discord has shown continuous growth in user numbers. Discord is expanding both its gaming and non-gaming markets rapidly. As a result, investors are increasingly looking for ways to invest in the company. Let’s take a look at Discord’s funding and finances…
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Discord Turns Down Acquisition Offers in Favor of IPO
There have been several attempts to acquire Discord. Earlier this year, Microsoft made the company an offer for $12 billion. Discord turned down Microsoft, according to the Wall Street Journal. Other past acquisition offers included Amazon, Twitter and Epic Games, according to Bloomberg. Instead, a Discord IPO was rumored to be on its way to the market. That means Discord stock could trade on the open market soon.
Despite the fact that the app has denied the merger rumors, an official statement has yet to release. However, investors should start preparing for Discord to make its way public through an IPO.
However, until a Discord IPO is official, the company is privately held — and so are its finances. The company hasn’t disclosed much information on that end. However, a number of venture capital firms have backed Discord. This includes Greylock, IVP, Benchmark, Spark Capital and Greenoaks Capital.
In addition, the company has gone through several funding rounds. The most recent funding round took place in September 2021, raising $500 million. After the funding round, Discord’s valuation stood at $15 billion. This is more than double its prior valuation of $7.3 billion in December 2020.
Check back here for the latest updates on the company’s finances. In the meantime, let’s take a look at some filing details we do know…
Discord IPO Filing Details
There have been no official announcements for the Discord IPO. The company has yet to file paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to begin the IPO process. But the company hired its first-ever CFO in March. Moreover, the platform has beefed up its board even further. Discord recently hired former Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) executive Leslie Kilgore. Additionally, Block’s (NYSE: SQ) former CFO, Amrita Ahuja, has joined the company’s board of directors.
The hiring of former executives like Kilgore and Ahuja is a sign that Discord is preparing for an IPO. These executives have both worked for public companies in the past. The pair boasts “incredible experience building and advising world-class companies,” according to Jason Citron, CEO and founder of Discord. This could mean that Discord stock is on its way. And investors should start preparing.
Rumors have investors speculating that the Discord IPO will likely come in early 2022. Discord stock will likely list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or Nasdaq exchange.
While no official date for the IPO has been made, hints for future plans toward going public should have investors preparing for Discord stock.
From Roblox (NYSE: RBLX) to Zynga (Nasdaq: ZNGA), there are many opportunities to invest in gaming companies that have hit the market. And you could bring in massive gains if you stay ahead of the trends and do your research.
As always, make sure to research before you invest. IPOs can be volatile for the first few months. And share prices can change quickly. But if IPO investing interests you, check out our top recent IPOs and our IPO calendar. We update it daily to give you the latest news on upcoming and filed IPOs.