Groupon is going PUBLIC: Latest IPO news!!!

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Coupon website Groupon Inc. filed Thursday to go public, looking to raise up to $750 million, in what would be one of this year's most high-profile initial public offerings.

Groupon filed on Thursday to go public, looking to raise up to $750 million, in what would be one of this year's most high-profile IPOs. Anupreeta Das and Rolfe Winkler discuss.

Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Credit Suisse are the lead underwriters for the IPO of the Internet company, which sells coupons for discounted goods and services from local merchants.

Groupon had $644.7 million in revenue for the first quarter of 2011, up from $3.3 million in the second quarter of 2009 and $44.2 million in the first quarter of 2010. But it lost $102.7 million in the most recent quarter as it spent heavily on marketing and its expanding sales force.

Founded in November 2008, the Chicago-company rebuffed a $6 billion takeover offer from Google Inc. last year and instead sought to pursue a public offering.

Groupon CEO Andrew Mason took the stage at D9 today to talk about Google, clones, margins and what makes his face look fat, but he wouldn't talk seriously about an IPO.

Groupon's revenue has surged, as millions of people purchased coupons on everything from pedicures to horseback-riding lessons. Its full-year revenue of $713.3 million for 2010 nearly compares with the $644.7 million it reported just for the first quarter of 2011.

The company, which has deals with nearly 57,000 local merchants in 43 countries and takes a cut from each sale, had sold 28.1 million "Groupons" at the end of March 2011.

Groupon employed more than 7,000 people as of the end of the first quarter—many of them salespeople who hunt down tie-ups with merchants.

The company plans to trade under the symbol "GRPN." Groupon plans to use the proceeds from the IPO for general corporate purposes, including acquisitions.

The Groupon filing comes about two weeks after professional network LinkedIn Corp. went public on May 19 at $45 a share. The stock soared to over $100 and settled at $94 on the first day, which valued the company at a whopping $9 billion. On Thursday, LinkedIn shares traded around $79, giving it a market capitalization of about $7.5 billion.
IPO Booms and Busts

Take a look at how the stocks of some high-flying internet firms fared in the first year after their IPO. Values are percent change from price at closing on the day of the IPO.

The ballooning valuations of these social media companies has caused some observers to question whether there is a bubble in the works.

Online and mobile gaming firm Zynga Inc., which could have a valuation of around $10 billion, may file for an IPO at the end of this month, according to people familiar with the matter.

Groupon has investments from venture capital firms such as Lightbank, Andreessen Horowitz and Battery Ventures, as well as Russian Internet investment firm Digital Sky Technologies.

Written by ANUPREETA DAS And GINA CHON of Wall Street Journal