NEW YORK (Reuters Breakingviews) - Slack Technologies is onto something. The workplace-messaging service’s direct listing turned into a blowout when its shares started trading on Thursday. Airbnb could be next – and that could make the direct listing process almost mainstream.

Once free to trade, Slack’s shares soon topped $40 apiece – well above the so-called reference price of $26 provided by the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, though that doesn’t carry the kind of weight an initial public offering price does. At $40 a share, the company is valued at an eye-watering $24 billion based on a share count including options and stock awards, more than three times its worth in a private fundraising just a year ago.

Slack, which wraps up chat and other functions like sharing spreadsheets, is popular and revenue is growing at a fast clip, nearly doubling to $400 million for the year ended in January. The negatives are a huge cash burn, a lack of profit and vulnerability to rivals like software titan Microsoft.

If Spotify Technology is any guide – also fast-growing with no profit in sight – Slack could be fine. When the Swedish music-streaming service went public last year, there was a concern that a direct listing, which bypasses the roadshow and investor back-and-forth required for an IPO, would sow chaos. That didn’t play out. From the close on April 3, 2018, its first day trading, through Wednesday Spotify’s shares are about unchanged.

One drawback to a direct listing is that no capital is raised. But many private firms these days suck in lots of cash before they go public. If they have enough, the advantages are many. There’s no need to persuade anyone to buy new shares or not to sell the ones they already own, and the fees due to bankers are far lower. Slack is shelling out some $22 million, compared for example to the $85 million paid to underwriters for the IPO of disappearing-message app owner Snap.

Airbnb is another possible candidate, according to a Reuters source. The home-sharing app has money in its coffers after raising more than $4 billion, by CrunchBase’s tally. And the brand is recognizable so skipping the traditional investor marketing won’t hurt it.

Two successful direct listings could be a coincidence. A third would mark the start of a trend.

CONTEXT NEWS

- Slack Technologies shares on June 20 began trading on the New York Stock Exchange at $38.68 per share following the company’s direct listing. In early afternoon trading they topped $40 a share. At that price, the company has a market capitalization of around $24 billion, using a share count that includes outstanding options and stock awards.

- The New York Stock Exchange on June 19 set a reference price of $26 per share.

- Slack’s last private funding round in August 2018 gave it a value of $7.1 billion, the company said.

(Editing by Richard Beales and Amanda Gomez)

© Reuters News 2019