SINGAPORE -- Singapore-headquartered retail technology and computer vision company Trax is in early discussions to conduct an initial public offering in the U.S., according to two sources aware of the development.
One of the executives told DealStreetAsia that Trax is looking to double its valuation from its last fundraising -- a $100-million Series D round led by Asian alternative asset manager HOPU Investments in July 2019 -- when it goes for a listing. That round had pegged Trax's valuation at around $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion.
A series of acquisitions over the last year and its business witnessing a "significant uptake during the pandemic" were responsible for the valuation jump, said the second executive.
"They've proved to be a corona-resistant business and markets have rewarded such companies," the executive added.
The Singapore-based startup has acquired a total of five companies since June 2019, namely China's Lenztech, France's Planorama and Qopius, and ShopKick and Survey.com in the US.
The IPO discussions are understood to be preliminary and may not result in a listing in the near future.
When contacted, Trax declined to comment on its listing plans.
Trax has previously revealed its plans to list in the U.S. Its CEO and co-founder Joel Bar-El said last year that the company had plans to list on either the Nasdaq or the New York Stock Exchange and was even exploring a dual-listing at the Singapore Exchange (SGX).
Trax will have another advantage when it goes for a listing as its sponsors include Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC and global private equity majors Warburg Pincus and BlackRock.
Its IPO preparations come at a time when the US public markets are proving to be exceptionally bullish, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the global economic crisis. Technology companies have seen a surge in interest as retail investors flock to sectors such as software-as-a-service (SaaS), cloud, data, e-commerce, online media and gaming.
According to an index of publicly-listed SaaS and cloud stocks by Bessemer Venture Partners, valuations have doubled in the post-March stock market boom, with several SaaS firms trading at an all-time high in recent weeks.
The outperformance of SaaS stocks has been attributed to their subscription-based recurring revenue, and COVID leading to an expansion of the total addressable market (TAM) for these companies, as the pandemic has accelerated digital transformation across industries. The valuations would also imply that markets are factoring in larger TAM, translating into higher sales for SaaS companies in the future.
Founded in 2010 by Bar-El and Dror Feldheim, Trax provides computer vision solutions for a host of retailers and brands through computer imaging technology and machine learning. It operates in over 50 countries globally, counting brands like Coca-Cola, Heineken, Nestle and Henkel among its clients.
Trax's largest shareholder is U.S. private equity giant Warburg Pincus, which owns a 20% stake in the company. Its other investors include Boyu Capital, Investec and GIC.
For the original story from DealStreetAsia, click here.
DealStreetAsia is a financial news site based in Singapore that focuses on private equity, venture capital and corporate investment activity in Asia, especially Southeast Asia, India and Greater China. Nikkei owns a majority stake in the company.
