Software Developer JFrog Hires Banks for 2020 IPO

(Bloomberg) -- JFrog Inc., a technology company that makes tools for software developers, has hired Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase & Co. to lead its initial public offering next year, according to people familiar with the matter.

JFrog could seek a valuation of $2 billion or more in a U.S. listing, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private.

Plans for an IPO aren’t final and JFrog could decide to remain private, the people said.

Representatives for JFrog, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan declined to comment.

JFrog was co-founded in 2008 by former Israeli Air Force Major Shlomi Ben Haim, who remains its chief executive officer, according to the company’s website. The Sunnyvale, California-based company raised $165 million in a funding round last year that included investors Insight Venture Partners, Spark Capital, Battery Ventures and Dell Technologies Capital, according to a statement.

Software companies have delivered some of this year’s best IPO returns thanks to their steady business models. Globally, shares of companies such as Zoom Video Communications Inc., Crowdstrike Holdings Inc. and Datadog Inc. have risen an average of 38% from their IPO offer prices this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

IPOs this year by consumer-facing internet-related companies including Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. haven’t fared as well. Shares of those companies have fallen an average of 7.5% from their offer prices, the data show.

To contact the reporter on this story: Crystal Tse in New York at ctse44@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Liana Baker at lbaker75@bloomberg.net, Michael Hytha, Matthew Monks

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