Median age of companies going public rises to 13

IPO Market Trends - The median age of companies going public has increased to 13 years in 2024, up from 9 years in 2019 and 6 years in the 1980s [2] - The revenue of companies at IPO has nearly doubled from $110 million in 2005 to $218 million in the last year, adjusted for inflation [3] - There are now over 1,200 unicorns, which are private companies valued at more than $1 billion [2] Investment Performance - Larger firms that go public tend to perform better in the long run [4] - Recent big IPOs, such as Coreweave, Circle, Figma, and CLA, have generally performed well since their IPO [4] - Staying private longer does not necessarily mean worse investment returns when companies eventually go public [5] Factors Influencing Private Companies - Abundant private capital from sources like sovereign wealth funds, private equity, and family offices reduces the need for companies to go public [6] - Forge Global Equities provides liquidity for individual shareholders to sell their shares without the company needing to go public [6] - Companies may choose to stay private to avoid compliance requirements and the short-term focus of public shareholders [7]