Jun 8, 2020 - Economy & Business

SoftBank-backed insurer Lemonade files for IPO

Dan Primack, author of Pro Rata

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Lemonade, a mobile-first digital insurer for homeowners and renters, filed Monday for an IPO.

The big picture: The IPO market is on fire, despite global business slowdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Lemonade has raised around $480 million from firms like SoftBank Group, Sequoia Capital Israel, Aleph, XL Innovate, General Catalyst, and Thrive Capital.
  • The company, which was valued most recently by venture capitalists at $2.1 billion, has both rising revenue and rising losses. Last year, it lost over $108 million on nearly $68 million in revenue, compared to a $53 million loss on $22.5 million in revenue for 2018.
  • Its gross loss ratio, a key insurance metric, moved from 108.5% in 2017 to 67.7% in 2019.

The bottom line: This could prove an interesting test for investors, who generally view $100 million as the revenue threshold for new tech issuers.

Go deeper

Kia Kokalitcheva
Sep 2, 2020 - Economy & Business

Patreon raises $90 million as the pandemic drives artists to it

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Patreon, which lets artists get paid directly by fans for content subscriptions, has raised $90 million in new funding at a valuation of $1.2 billion. The investment round is led by New Enterprise Associates and Wellington, with Lone Pine, Glade Brook Capital, Thrive Capital, DFJ Growth, and Index Venture also participating.

Why it matters: With the pandemic shuttering traditional performance venues, eliminating live events and slowing the broader economy, creative workers of all stripes — musicians, writers, actors and more — are seeking alternative sources of revenue.

Axios
9 mins ago - Podcasts

Reid Hoffman and Mark Pincus on the rise of Silicon Valley SPACs

Silicon Valley venture capitalists are no longer content with investing in startups and then eventually handing them off. Instead, many are now forming SPACs, or blank-check acquisition companies, to ride tech unicorns into the public markets themselves.

Axios Re:Cap digs into this trend with the co-founders of a new tech SPAC called Reinvent Technology Partners: Reid Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn and partner at Greylock, and Mark Pincus, the founder and former CEO of Zynga.

Axios
Updated 24 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 2:30 p.m. ET: 31,717,955 — Total deaths: 973,014 Total recoveries: 21,795,005 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 2:30 p.m. ET: 6,913,046 — Total deaths: 201,319 — Total recoveries: 2,646,959 — Total tests: 96,612,436 — Map.
  3. Health: CDC director says over 90% of Americans have not yet been exposed to coronavirus — Supply shortages continue to plague testing.
  4. Politics: Fauci clashes with Rand Paul at COVID hearing: "You're not listening" — FDA chief vows agency will not accept political pressure on coronavirus vaccine.
  5. Vaccines: Johnson & Johnson begins large phase 3 trial — The FDA plans to toughen standards.
  6. Sports: Less travel is causing the NBA to see better basketball.
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow

Get Axios AM in your inbox

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!