Social deal site Groupon is moving toward an initial public offering that values the company at the princely sum of $15 billion, the New York Times reports. The company met with bankers this week to discuss the IPO, likely to occur in the spring; it would be one of the most anticipated offerings since Google’s—whose $6 billion offer Groupon rejected.
“It’s smart to strike while the iron is hot, and they’re the most visible and fastest-growing player in their market,” said an analyst, who noted that Morgan Stanley may be the bank to take Groupon public. In the past week the company has raised almost $1 billion from major investors, and “in the past year, Groupon has expanded from one to 35 countries, launched in 500 new markets,” and “grew subscribers by 2,500%,” notes ReadWriteWeb.
(More Groupon stories.)