Solution-Max: Peloton peddles toward an IPO, self-driving is big business and SaaS’s new highs

Friday, February 15, 2019

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.

This week was a treat. We had TechCrunch’s own Connie Loizos in the studio along with your humble servant and General Catalyst’s Niko Bonatsos. A fine group for a busy week.

We had to pare our topic list some for length, but after working out what qualified as the biggest news from our usual orbit, we decided to touch on:

Peloton’s bank shopping: Peloton, the popular in-home cycling service, is looking for banks to help take it public. We riffed on its revenue, revenue growth, its possible margins, and price points. Peloton has become a big name in recent quarters due to its growth, and its marketing. We’re excited to read the eventual S-1. Check here for historical context regarding its debut.
Postmate’s private IPO filing: Postmates actually filed, albeit privately, putting it a smidge further along the public-offering conveyer belt. The Postmates IPO will help the market better understand the food delivery marketplace, an area where a host of companies play. Including the company in our next topic!
DoorDash’s latest round: Yes, more money for food delivery. DoorDash is said to be on the hunt for $500 million more at a valuation around $6 billion. That’s many dollars at a very high price. Oh, and don’t forget this.
Nuro’s enormous check: Have you heard of Nuro? No? Neither had we. But it just raised over $900 million in a single go. Even for 2019, the delivery-robot-car company’s fundraising is aggressive.
And the latest in SaaS: Quickly, the private SaaS market looks hot, and the public SaaS market is scorching. It’s a good time for SaaS. Which is odd, as it seemed that the world ended in December.