Insurtech Lemonade plans to raise up to $286 million in IPO

Insurance startup Lemonade Inc., which is backed by SoftBank Group Corp., said on Thursday it was looking to raise up to $286 million in its U.S. initial public offering, as the IPO market gains momentum after COVID-19 put many debuts on hold.

Lemonade's public listing comes amid a strong appetite for new stock offerings, especially those with an online-focused business against the backdrop of the pandemic.

Earlier this month, online used car seller Vroom Inc. raised $467.5 million in its IPO, and its shares more than doubled in value on debut. Lemonade intends to sell 11 million shares in the IPO and has set a target range of $23-$26 per share, according to a regulatory filing.

The higher end of the range gives the firm a valuation of $1.43 billion. The company, which started in New York in late 2016, is part of a growing number of young companies looking to shake up the insurance sector through a better use of technology.

The company says it has digitized the entire insurance process, replacing brokers and paperwork with algorithms and providing policies in as little as 90 seconds and claim payments in three minutes. Last year, it raised $300 million in a funding round led by Japan's SoftBank, which also included insurer Allianz SE , Alphabet Inc.’s venture capital arm GV, General Catalyst, OurCrowd and Thrive Capital.

The company intends to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LMND. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Barclays are among IPO underwriters.

Source: Business Insurance