You've got some nerve, Rosetta Stone.
You filed to go public last night, hoping the market would take to your freshly-minted shares the way that language-hungry consumers have taken to your foreign language learning software.
I hope you're right. Just don't expect the red carpet treatment from Mr. Market.
It's a tough time to go public. Rackspace
Despite Rackspace's growth stock charm, the market wanted nothing to do with last month's IPO. The company went public at $12.50 a share and has never traded at or above that price. It's trading in the single digits today.
Even some of the hottest IPOs over the past year like virtualization software pioneer VMware
I get the urgency, Rosetta. You're on a roll after last month's Olympics. You have folks like Michael Phelps singing your praises, as the record-breaking swimmer turned to Rosetta Stone to brush up on Mandarin before heading out to Beijing.
You're also profitable and growing nicely. Revenue inched 39% higher through the first half of the year. A year ago -- or a year from now -- the market would be all over you, but it's going to be hard to turn heads while the market is losing its own.
How do you say "disappointment" in Mandarin? Is there a "look out below" phrase in German? Don't tell me. Your IPO will show me. You're a quality company Rosetta Stone, but in this market, you're going to be lost in translation.
Other ways to go public: