Instacart, an online grocery platform, confidentially files for IPO in the U.S

May 16, 2022: -Grocery delivery platform Instacart said late Wednesday it had filed a draft registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which paves the way for the firm to list its shares.

The grocery delivery company was valued at $39 billion in March 2021, when it raised $265 million. It made Instacart the most valuable venture-backed company in the U.S.

However, in March, it slashed its valuation by almost 40% to about $24 billion to reflect this year’s sell-off in technology stocks.

This development is at a volatile time for tech stocks in the U.S. this year, with the Nasdaq tumbling almost 30% from last November’s high.

For Instacart, the previous few years have been a roller-coaster. Faced with a challenging business model heading into 2020, the company significantly boosted the Covid-19 pandemic as many consumers cut trips to the supermarket and turned to online grocery orders.

But twin concerns of accelerating inflation and projections for higher interest rates sent risky assets into a tailspin starting in November.

However, Instacart has said its business outlook remained strong.

The company is trying to expand beyond its core marketplace, which announced a software suite to sell to supermarkets and a fulfillment service called Carrot Warehouses, intending to help grocers offer 15-minute delivery.