
Workplace productivity app Slack Technologies could follow in the footsteps of Spotify and go public through a direct listing, the Wall Street Journal reported. Sources familiar with the matter said plans could still change. The move is expected to take place in the second quarter. A direct listing lets the market play a greater role in setting the price, with companies not holding road shows or other typical IPO events to line up investors beforehand.
Slack last year had over 8 million daily active users and 3 million paid users. The company has raised more than USD 1 billion since it launched in 2013 at increasingly higher valuations and still has significant cash on its balance sheet, sources said. In August, Slack raised USD 427 million in a funding round led by Dragoneer Investment Group and General Atlantic, valuing the company at USD 7.1 billion. It raised money from SoftBank in 2017.