Uber-backed Lime raises $167 million in US IPO


FILE PHOTO: People walk next to Lime rental bikes parked on a pathway at Eel Brook Common in Fulham, London, Britain December 1, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs/File Photo

June 30 (Reuters) - Lime, backed by ⁠Uber, raised $167 million in its U.S. initial public offering, joining a ⁠growing list of companies tapping a revived market for new listings.

The ‌company, formerly known as Neutron Holdings, sold 6.68 million shares at $25 per share, the midpoint of its marketed range of $24 to $26 per share.

The market for new listings has regained momentum after ​a bout of volatility triggered by the Iran conflict, ⁠with companies reviving IPO plans ⁠as resilient equity markets and a string of high-profile offerings bolster investor appetite.

Lime, ⁠founded ‌in 2017, is a San Francisco, California-based company that provides short-term rentals of electric bikes and scooters in over 230 cities worldwide.

Demand for ⁠its services has jumped as commuters, particularly in densely ​populated urban centers, ‌are increasingly turning to shared e-bikes and scooters for short trips, drawn ⁠by their lower ​cost and convenience.

Its 2025 revenue of $886.7 million was a near 30% jump from the $686.6 million it reported a year earlier. Net loss widened to $59.3 million from $33.9 million in ⁠the same period.

Uber led a 2020 funding round ​for Lime and has indicated interest in buying up to $20 million in shares in the offering. A significant share of Lime's revenue comes from its partnership with ⁠Uber, whose ride-hailing app offers Lime's scooters as a transport option.

Lime, which operates in an industry marked by high operating costs and regulatory hurdles, was valued at $2.4 billion in 2019 before the pandemic triggered a sharp downturn, reducing ​its valuation to about $510 million in 2020, according to ⁠media reports at the time.

It is expected to debut on the Nasdaq exchange under ​the ticker symbol "LIME" on Wednesday. Goldman Sachs, ‌J.P. Morgan and Jefferies are among the ​underwriters for the offering.

(Reporting by Utkarsh Shetti in Bengaluru and Natalia Bueno Rebolledo in Mexico City; Editing by Vijay Kishore and Rashmi Aich)

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