By Echo Wang
NEW YORK, June 22 (Reuters) - Bending Spoons, an Italian technology company that acquires and revamps software businesses, is seeking to raise as much as $1.62 billion in a U.S. initial public offering, according to two people familiar with the matter, in what would be one of the largest IPOs by a European company this year and a rare listing by a major software firm.
The Milan-based company plans to market 58 million IPO shares at $26 to $28 apiece, the people said, speaking on condition
of anonymity because the information is confidential ahead of a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission expected later on Monday. About 60% of the IPO shares are expected to be sold by the company, with the remainder coming from existing shareholders, including Baillie Gifford, who are set to sell stock in the offering, the people added.
At the top of the range, Bending Spoons would have a valuation of $19 billion, one of the sources said. The company is targeting an early-July debut for the IPO, another person added.
Bending Spoons declined to comment. Baillie Gifford did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The deal comes as the U.S. market for initial public offerings has regained momentum after a prolonged slowdown. SpaceX's blockbuster debut earlier this month, the largest IPO on record, followed Cerebras Systems’s listing earlier this year, reflecting a pickup in activity among high-profile technology offerings.
Companies have raised a combined $150 billion through 179 U.S. IPOs so far this year, the strongest start to a year since 2021, according to Dealogic.
Bending Spoons' listing would also test investor appetite for software companies, a sector that has produced relatively few large IPOs in recent years as artificial intelligence reshapes business models and intensifies competition.
Founded in 2013, Bending Spoons acquires and operates digital businesses. Its portfolio includes video platform Vimeo and file-sharing service WeTransfer. It also acquired internet brand AOL and ticketing marketplace Eventbrite this year.
The company reported net income of $27.5 million on revenue of $601 million for the three months ended March 31, compared with a net loss of $112.2 million on revenue of $259 million a year earlier, according to a filing with the SEC earlier this month.
The company raised $710 million in late 2025 in a funding round that valued the company at $11 billion before the investment, the Italian tech group said last year.
Goldman Sachs Group, JPMorgan Chase and Allen & Co are leading the offering. The shares are expected to trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol "BSP."
(Reporting by Echo Wang in New York, additional reporting by Elvira Pollina in Milan; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
