A Raspberry Pi 2 Model B single-board computer.
Olly Curtis | Future Publishing | Future | Getty Images
Shares of Raspberry Pi on Tuesday rose 32% at its market debut, as the British computing startup seeks to raise some £166 million ($211.2 million) from its initial public offering.
Shares of Raspberry Pi begun “conditional dealing” on Tuesday with a full open trade due to begin later this week. Shares rose to 370 pence after the firm, which makes tiny single-board computers, priced its shares at 280 pence apiece. The listing is seen as a rare win for London’s main stock exchange which has struggled to attract technology listings.
While small relative to other tech firms, the IPO could breathe life into the struggling London bourse, which has been snubbed by technology firms in favor or listings in other parts of Europe, and particularly in the U.S.
Softbank-owned chip designer Arm, which is headquartered in the U.K., chose to list in the U.S last year.
A number of high-profile industry staples back Raspberry Pi, including Arm and Sony. Last year, Sony Semiconductor Solutions, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation, invested an undisclosed amount in the British startup.
This is a period during which certain investors — like institutional ones — can begin trading shares on the LSE. Retail investors are not able to buy or sell shares at this time, and must wait until the start of unconditional dealings on Friday.
The Raspberry Pi offering comprises 45.9 million ordinary shares sold by the company’s existing majority shareholder, Raspberry Pi Mid Co Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. It also includes 2.13 million ordinary shares sold by other shareholders, along with 11.23 million freshly issued shares.
If there is more demand, a so-called overallotement option will allow the Raspberry Pi Foundation to issue another 4.6 million shares. If the overallotment option is exercised, the final offer size will be £178.9 million.
Raspberry CEO Eben Upton established the company in 2012 to make computing more accessible to young people. Its single board computers can be used to power a whole range of uses.
While it initially gained traction with hobbyists, the company says that 72% of its unit sales target the industrial market, where it is used, for example, in factories.
In 2023, Raspberry Pi posted revenues of $265.8 million, up 41% year-on-year from 2022.
