Who will IPO in 2010?

As the below chart indicates, IPOS have dramatically decreased since 2007, but for 2010 there is some hope!

So, which lucky companies with venture capital financing are most likely to have the opportunity for this type of company exit strategy? A TechCrunch article provides some great insight into the 2010 IPO forecast. Below are the top 10 candidates.

1. Facebook  Total Raise: $716 million
2. ZyngaTotal Raise: $219 million
3. LinkedInTotal Raise: $103 million
4. Glam MediaTotal Raise: $125 million
5. Demand MediaTotal Raise: $355 million
6. Gilt Group Total Raise: $48 million
7. Etsy Total Raise: 31.6 million
8. Yelp Total Raise: $31 million
9. Tesla Motors Total Raise: $783 million
10. Skype  Total Raise: $69 million

When comparing the above list of companies to the top IPOs of other years, it is dramatically different and one can tell that there is an obvious difference in the types of businesses that are succeeding in today’s marketplace, but how do you define this change? For example, the top IPOs of 2007 (the last year there really was any IPOs) included VMware, NetSuite, Netezza, Data Domain and ShoreTel. All of these companies help to increase and protect business and productivity and data. The top candidates for a 2010 IPO are social networking, gaming and ecommerce sites… I have a feeling if I told someone this in 2007 they would laugh me out of my office!

So why exactly is this IPO and venture funding trend occurring? And how do you define the trend? I’m interested in hearing your ideas – leave a comment!