Top line
Electric vehicle maker Rivian, which some investors are hoping to be the next Tesla, went public on Wednesday with a valuation of $ 90 billion, with shares rising 29% as they started trading America’s largest IPO since Facebook started in 2012.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe.
Important facts
Rivian stock, which trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker RIVN, opened at around $ 106 per share, up 36% from its initial IPO price of $ 78 per share.
Within minutes of trading, the stock rose as high as $ 116 per share, up more than 50% from its initial IPO price – before slashing profits and at just over $ 100 per share the day finished.
While the company’s pricing resulted in an initial valuation of $ 66.5 billion, the stock’s rise means the electric vehicle company is now worth more than $ 90 billion.
Rivian raised $ 11.9 billion from a 153 million stock offering on its public market debut – making it the largest IPO since 2012, when Facebook went public and raised $ 16 billion.
The electric vehicle manufacturer is supported by Amazon with a 20% stake and Ford with 12% of the company.
Some investors are betting that Rivan could be the next Tesla: Rivian was the first to launch an all-electric pickup truck, the R1T, and plans to launch its R1S electric SUV this December.
In addition to electric pickups and SUVs, Rivian is also expanding into commercial vehicles: Amazon is the largest customer and has already ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian.