10 Companies That Might IPO in 2020

There has been a flurry of initial public offerings (IPOs) in 2019 so far, including Beyond Meat (Nasdaq: BYND), Lyft (Nasdaq: LYFT), and Uber Technologies (Nasdaq: UBER). Could next year produce an even bigger IPO wave? It’s possible. Here are 10 companies that might IPO in 2020.

Airbnb is without question one of the most highly anticipated IPOs likely on the way next year. The online home-sharing marketplace company started operations in 2008 and has now grown into a big business, raking in more than $1 billion in the second quarter. Airbnb recently confirmed that it plans to conduct an IPO in 2020.

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Ant Financial is a financial technology affiliate company of Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba (NYSE: BABA). Ant runs the most popular mobile payment service in China, Alipay, as well as operating an investment fund and an online bank plus offering other financial services. The company has flirted with an IPO at least since 2018, but 2020 could be the year for the Chinese payments giant to make its move.

Didi Chuxing is another Chinese company that many thought would have already conducted an IPO. But the ride-hailing and ridesharing platform provider opted to wait. That appears to be a smart decision considering the disappointing performance so far this year for U.S. ridesharing leader Uber. However, don’t be surprised if Didi steps into the IPO waters next year.

Droom ranks as India’s largest online marketplace for buying and selling used cars, bikes, motorcycles, scooters, and airplanes. The company’s founder, Sandeep Aggarwal, has publicly stated that Droom plans to list on the Nasdaq stock exchange in 2021. It’s not out of the question, though, for Droom to accelerate its plans and move forward with a late 2020 IPO.

Gitlab markets a platform that helps software developers improve their productivity. And it’s delivered as a single application -- all the features developers need right out of the box. This application has been wildly popular with developers, with more than 100,000 organizations across the world now using Gitlab’s development platform. The company plans to IPO on Nov. 18, 2020, which is exactly five years after the first individuals received Gitlab stock options with four years of vesting.

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You’ve no doubt heard of CBD, but what about CBG? Hemptown thinks that cannabigerol (CBG) will be “the next big cannabinoid.” CBG could potentially be used as a cosmetic additive and as a treatment for diseases including eczema and psoriasis. Hemptown is in position to become one of the largest producers of CBG in North America. The company could conduct an IPO on the Nasdaq stock exchange in 2020 but could also opt to first list its shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Grocery delivery company Instacart has raised over $1.2 billion in private equity markets, pegging its valuation at close to $8 billion. The company was high on the 2019 IPO watchlists of many observers after CEO Apoorva Mehta stated that “an IPO is definitely on the horizon for us." While Instacart hasn’t conducted an IPO yet, it’s quite possible that the horizon Mehta referred to could be reached next year.

Neptune Energy is a leading independent oil and gas exploration and production company based in the United Kingdom. It has operations in the Asia Pacific region, Germany, North Africa, Norway, The Netherlands, and the U.K. Neptune Energy plans to be ready for an IPO by April 2020, although it’s still possible the company could hold off on listing its shares.

Data analytics company Palantir Technologies' potential IPO is one that many anxiously await. Signs pointed to an IPO for the company in 2020, but recent reports speculate that Palantir could delay its IPO for another two or three years. Palantir, which uses its technology to build massive surveillance solutions for law enforcement and defense agencies, is notoriously secretive, though. Don’t rule out the possibility that the company could still move ahead with an IPO sooner rather than later.

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The IPO of all IPOs could be on the way with Saudi Aramco. The Saudi Arabian oil company could be worth at least $1.5 trillion. An IPO for Saudi Aramco was originally scheduled for 2018, but there were too many obstacles in the way to meet that timeline. While some speculate that the world’s biggest oil company could conduct its IPO as early as November 2019, it seems more likely that an offering will happen sometime in 2020.

While many and perhaps all of these 10 companies could conduct IPOs in 2020, don’t circle any dates just yet. There’s a lot that goes into making final decisions on going public, including current market and macroeconomic conditions. While IPO stands for initial public offering, it could also mean “it’s a possibility only.”

Keith Speights has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Nasdaq and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.