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2020 has been marked by unprecedented D.A. Davidson’s second annual “The Herd”
times, and despite a pandemic and ensuing recognizes 100 of the top private technology
business disruptions and lockdowns, many companies in the United States. Ranging from
technology companies have successfully rising startups to private equity-backed
adapted to serving customers remotely. giants, companies in The Herd stand out for
Late-stage private company valuations have their innovation, growth, and valuation.
remained strong while public markets have
rebounded from initial March declines. This year’s Herd sees nearly 60 strong
members returning from last year’s list. We
A surplus of VC mega-deals driven by high have also seen a number graduate due to
levels of dry powder in the U.S. and investors IPO or acquisition, including, among others,
looking to protect value among their most Snowflake (IPO filing), Duck Creek (IPO),
mature holdings have driven up broader pre- Asana (Direct Listing), Plaid (acquired by
money valuations, while VC deal count Visa), and Vlocity (acquired by Salesforce).
remains largely flat. The level of valuation
step-ups has declined to date. Some exciting new additions to the 2020
Herd include Veeam, a data management
Major technology IPOs and S-1 filings have software provider; InVision, a digital product
accelerated throughout 2020 after coming design platform; and Sisense, a data and
off a slowdown in the beginning of the year business analytics platform.
as companies have regained confidence in
public markets. Renewed energy in the tech While cloud software companies tend
number of notable IPOs and high-profile S-1 representative list, this year’s The Herd
filings, many of which have occurred since consists of a robust and highly diverse
June 2020. We take a deeper dive into the group, from DevOps and Infrastructure
AT A GL AN CE 3–6
2
AT A G L A N C E
AT A G L A N C E
Companies in The Herd have raised over $34 billion in aggregate venture capital across all previously
disclosed series rounds, including $8 billion across 40 rounds over the past 12 months. Constituents of the
list have waited a median of 1.5 years between rounds, historically, while demonstrating healthy step-up
multiples from prior valuations at a median of 2.1x across all rounds.
Notable rounds include Tanium’s $9 billion post-money series-G in June, representing a 2.5x step up
multiple; HashiCorp’s $5.3 billion post-money series-E in March, representing a 2.8x step-up multiple; and
Talkdesk’s $3.1 billion post-money series-C in July, representing a 6.3x step-up from its prior round.
C O U N T O F L AT E S T D I S C L O S E D F I N A N C I N G B Y S E R I E S R O U N D 34
22
13
8 10
S T E P - U P M U LT I P L E B Y S E R I E S R O U N D : A L L H I S T O R I C A L E Q U I T Y F I N A N C I N G S
4 .1 x
MEDIAN
3 .3 x 3 .2x
AV E R A G E 2.8x
2 .6 x 2.5x
2.4x 2.2x 2.4x
2.1x 2.1x
2.0x
O T H E R S E L E C T E D S TAT I S T I C S
M E D I A N A V E R A G E
T O TA L S E R I E S R O U N D S 5.0 4.7
D AY S B E T W E E N P R E V I O U S T W O R O U N D S 553 699
S T E P - U P M U LT I P L E B E T W E E N P R E V I O U S T W O R O U N D S 2.1x 2.4x
DEAL SIZE OF MOST RECENT ROUND $100.0 MILLION $135.1 MILLION
L AT E S T P O S T- M O N E Y V A L U AT I O N $1.0 BILLION $2.2 BILLION
AT A G L A N C E
In aggregate, The Herd has received over 445 disclosed, unique financing rounds over the past 15 years.
We analyze some of the data behind these aggregated rounds below. While some companies in The Herd
have taken their time to mature into highly valued private companies, a majority have proven to hit
significant financing milestones of $500 million and $1 billion by years six and seven from founding, while
most tend to hit a $250 million valuation by year five.
P O S T- M O N E Y VA L U AT I O N B Y S E R I E S R O U N D
$5.8
(BILLIONS)
MEDIAN
$3.1
AV E R A G E
$1.7 $1.8
$1.5
$1.0 $0.9
$0.5 $0.5
$0.2 $0.3
$0.0 $0.1 $0.1
$2 48.4
DEAL SIZE BY SERIES ROUND
(MILLIONS)
MEDIAN
$158.1
$150.0
$123.0
AV E R A G E
$112.5
$85.0 $80.0
$70.0
$ 56.5
$ 4 0 .0
$ 3 1 .6
$ 1 5 .8 $ 2 1 .0
$7.3
C O M PA N Y D I S T R I B U T I O N : Y E A R S T O H I T VA L U AT I O N T H R E S H O L D
250M
500M
1,000M 12
14 14
10 10 10 10
8 9 9 9 9
8 8 8
7
6 6 6 6
5 5
4 4 4
3 3 4 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
1
0–2 2–3 3–4 4–5 5–6 6–7 7–8 8–9 9–10 10–11 11–12 >12
AT A G L A N C E
M O S T A C T I V E I N V E S T O R S B Y T O TA L I N V E S T M E N T S I N T H E H E R D
17
16 16
15
14
13
11 11
10 10
6 Source: Pitchbook
D. A. Davidson’s THE HERD:
T O P 1 0 0 P R I VAT E U . S . T E C H N O L O G Y C O M PA N I E S
CHAT-BASED HEALTHCARE
PLATFORM
SEATTLE,
WA
2015 255 $133.9M $ 170.0M (2018)
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
PLATFORM
MOUNTAIN
VIEW, CA
2009 390 $247.0M $ 560.0M (2017)
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
PLATFORM
BROOKLINE,
MA
2007 389 $30.0M $ 180.0M (2018)
2.6B
SAN
WORKPLACE COLLABORATION
PLATFORM
FRANCISCO,
CA
2012 309 $355.0M $ (2020)
CLOUD-BASED BANKING
PLATFORM
PLANO,
TX
2007 545 $390.3M $ 664.7M (2020)
1.0B
SAN
MOBILE ANALYTICS
PLATFORM
FRANCISCO, 2012 417 $185.1M $ (2020)
CA
850.0M
MOBILE MARKETING CRM
AND AUTOMATION SOFTWARE
NEW YORK,
NY
2011 640 $177.1M $ (2018)
SOLUTIONS
2.8B
SAN
CORPORATE CREDIT CARD
PLATFORM
FRANCISCO, 2017 457 $466.6M $ (2020)
CA
WORKING CAPITAL
MARKETPLACE
LEAWOOD,
KS
2008 445 $403.0M $ 1.3B (2019)
T O P 1 0 0 P R I VAT E U . S . T E C H N O L O G Y C O M PA N I E S
2.2B
SAN
ADVANCED BACKGROUND CHECK
TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM
FRANCISCO, 2014 429 $309.7M $ (2019)
CA
END-TO-END AUTOMATED
SOFTWARE DELIVERY SYSTEM
SAN JOSE,
CA
2010 460 $123.5M $ 432.0M (2019)
DATABASE MANAGEMENT
SOLUTIONS
NEW YORK,
NY
2015 179 $195.1M $ 886.6M (2020)
CROSS-ORGANIZATIONAL DATA
GOVERNANCE PLATFORM
BRUSSELS,
BELGIUM
2008 683 $390.0M $ 2.4B (2020)
EVENT STREAMING
PLATFORM
MOUNTAIN
VIEW, CA
2014 1,185 $455.9M $ 4.5B (2020)
1.6B
SAN
CYBER THREAT DEFENSE
PLATFORM
FRANCISCO, 2013 1,326 $388.4M $ (2018)
CA
6.2B
SAN
UNIFIED DATA ANALYTICS
PLATFORM
FRANCISCO, 2013 1,526 $897.4M $ (2019)
CA
REAL-TIME AI INFORMATION
DISCOVERY PLATFORM
NEW YORK,
NY
2009 603 $572.4M $ 1.6B (2018)
T O P 1 0 0 P R I VAT E U . S . T E C H N O L O G Y C O M PA N I E S
DATA-AS-A-SERVICE
PLATFORM
REDWOOD
CITY, CA
2008 402 $120.5M $ 1.0B (2015)
299.0M
SAN
MOBILE REAL-TIME HEALTH
CONSULTATION PLATFORM
FRANCISCO, 2012 706 $240.0M $ (2018)
CA
CONTENT INTELLIGENCE
PLATFORM
MOUNTAIN
VIEW, CA
2007 498 $138.5M $ 460.0M (2018)
ANALYTICS-LED SECURITY
INTELLIGENCE PLATFORM
FOSTER CITY,
CA
2013 523 $193.0M $ 820.0M (2019)
CYBER ANALYTICS
PLATFORM
SEATTLE,
WA
2007 514 $61.6M $ 300.0M (2014)
767.5M
SAN
DIGITAL IDENTITY MANAGEMENT
PLATFORM
FRANCISCO, 2009 661 $232.8M $ (2020)
CA
CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
SOFTWARE
SAN MATEO,
CA
2010 3,435 $400.2M $ 3.5B (2019)
515.0M
SAN
CUSTOMER SUCCESS MANAGEMENT
PLATFORM
FRANCISCO, 2009 710 $184.7M $ (2017)
CA
2.7B
SAN
DEVOPS MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
PLATFORM
FRANCISCO, 2011 1,287 $413.8M $ (2019)
CA
3.8B
SAN
PAYROLL MANAGEMENT
PLATFORM
FRANCISCO, 2012 1,362 $521.3M $ (2019)
CA
5.3B
SAN
CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE
AUTOMATION PLATFORM
FRANCISCO, 2012 1,035 $349.5M $ (2020)
CA
CONTRACT MANAGEMENT
SOFTWARE
SEATTLE,
WA
2009 1,257 $171.5M $ 1.2B (2019)
T O P 1 0 0 P R I VAT E U . S . T E C H N O L O G Y C O M PA N I E S
CLOUD-BASED CYBERSECURITY
PLATFORM
SUNNYVALE,
CA
2013 356 $332.5M $ 1.7B (2019)
1.3B
SAN
CUSTOMER MESSAGING
PLATFORM
FRANCISCO,
CA
2011 916 $240.5M $ (2018)
1.8B
SAN
MOBILE SECURITY
SOFTWARE
FRANCISCO,
CA
2004 378 $380.7M $ (2020)
1.0B
COLLABORATIVE DIAGRAMMING
AND BRAND MANAGEMENT
SOUTH
JORDAN, UT
2009 677 $166.0M $ (2020)
SOFTWARE
NETWORK SECURITY
PLATFORM
SANTA CLARA,
CA
2004 781 $80.0M $ 625.0M (2016)
270.0M
SAN
REAL-TIME ANALYTICS
PLATFORM
FRANCISCO,
CA
2011 224 $110.9M $ (2018)
T O P 1 0 0 P R I VAT E U . S . T E C H N O L O G Y C O M PA N I E S
575.0M
MOUNTAIN
CYBERSECURITY PLATFORM VIEW,
CA
2013 237 $160.0M $ (2019)
540.0M
SAN
PAY-PER-MILE CAR INSURANCE
PLATFORM
FRANCISCO,
CA
2011 234 $285.2M $ (2018)
CLOUD SECURITY
PLATFORM
SANTA CLARA,
CA
2012 1,046 $744.3M $ 2.8B (2020)
ONLINE PAYMENTS
PLATFORM
NEW YORK,
NY
2005 1,564 $305.0M $ 1.0B (2017)
CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
ANALYTICS PLATFORM
RALEIGH,
NC
2013 448 $208.5M $ 1.0B (2019)
DATABASE MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM
MOUNTAIN
VIEW, CA
2011 379 $246.0M $ 1.0B (2020)
1.5B
SAN
CUSTOMER DATA COLLECTION
PLATFORM
FRANCISCO,
CA
2012 565 $283.6M $ (2019)
ENDPOINT PROTECTION
SOFTWARE
MOUNTAIN
VIEW, CA
2013 579 $430.0M $ 1.1B (2020)
T O P 1 0 0 P R I VAT E U . S . T E C H N O L O G Y C O M PA N I E S
CYBERSECURITY MANAGEMENT
SERVICES
SAN JOSE,
CA
2002 342 $208.7M N/A
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
MANAGEMENT PLATFORM
NEW YORK,
NY
2009 2,000 $446.0M $ 2.7B (2020)
36.0B
SAN
ONLINE PAYMENT PLATFORM FRANCISCO, 2009 2,984 $1.6B $ (2020)
CA
3.1B
SAN
CALL CENTER SOFTWARE FRANCISCO, 2011 1,078 $269.5M $ (2020)
CA
ENDPOINT MANAGEMENT
AND SECURITY PLATFORM
EMERYVILLE,
CA
2007 1,451 $837.6M $ 9.0B (2020)
RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT
PLATFORM
BOSTON,
MA
2011 1,580 $897.3M $ 4.9B (2020)
248.0M
SAN
DATA WRANGLING SOLUTIONS FRANCISCO, 2012 211 $269.9M $ (2018)
CA
APPLICATION RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT PLATFORM
BOSTON,
MA
2009 417 $194.9M $ 963.0M (2019)
T O P 1 0 0 P R I VAT E U . S . T E C H N O L O G Y C O M PA N I E S
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
MANAGEMENT PLATFORM
LEHI,
UT
2019 531 $156.1M $ 969.9M (2018)
COLLABORATIVE WORK
MANAGEMENT PLATFORM
SAN JOSE,
CA
2006 973 $36.0M $ 800.0M (2018)
GLOBAL PAYMENTS
PLATFORM
WALNUT
CREEK, CA
1999 255 $126.7M $ 471.3M (2017)
U.S. technology IPO filings have regained momentum in 2020, coming off the heels of a large hiatus since
Datadog’s IPO in August 2019. ZoomInfo marked the only major technology IPO in 2020 until Lemonade’s
June offering. Renewed energy and a better sense of stability in technology markets have since been
highlighted by a number of notable IPOs and S-1 filings in recent months, a number of which were
highlighted in D.A. Davidson’s 2019 Herd list.
In meetings with private technology companies eyeing the prospects of the capital markets, we are often
asked which KPIs investors we will focus on. For The Herd 2020, we take a deeper dive and analyze some
of the data behind the recent wave of S-1 filings to better highlight the common metrics being disclosed.
Our analysis included review of (i) revenue, including scale (annualized most recent quarter) and growth
rates; (ii) gross margins; (iii) retention and expansion metrics, including the relevant calculation
methodology when disclosed; and (iv) customer-level analytics. We continue to be impressed with the
growth rates achieved by these companies, especially Snowflake, which is growing at 120% on over $500
million of annualized revenue.
138% $1,007.6
121% $532.6
82% $364.4
71% $357.0
59% $339.6
54% $332.9
50% $204.5
46% $190.8
43% $188.8
31% $178.8
24% $145.7
20% $122.0
15
D. A. Davidson’s THE HERD:
REVENUE GROWTH, SCALE & MARGIN +7.3% REVENUE GROWTH +24.3% REVENUE GROWTH
(MILLIONS) Fiscal year ended August 31st $30.1MM ARR 8/31/18 $ 4 3 . 2 M M ARR 5/31/19
$51.7MM ARR 8/31/19 $ 7 5 . 8 M M ARR 5/31/20
REVENUE
$171.3
$159.7 $153.4
G R O S S M A R GIN %
$123.4
60%
58% 56% 56%
16
D. A. Davidson’s THE HERD:
$13.8
$11.0
$9.0
$6.8 22%
$4.2 17% 21% 21%
$29.8 $32.0
G R O S S M A R GIN %
$26.2
$22.6 $23.7
17
D. A. Davidson’s THE HERD:
18
D. A. Davidson’s THE HERD:
19
D. A. Davidson’s THE HERD:
56%
98 BR
A CKET CAP
AB
I
40+
TRANSACTIONS E INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY
LI
COMPLETED IN 2019 RESEARCH PROFESSIONALS
LG
TI
BU
ES
150+ 25+
INVESTMENT BANKING SALES & TRADING
PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS
5 BO
~400
UT US
INDUSTRY COVERAGE COMPANIES UNDER
IQUE FOC
GROUPS RESEARCH COVERAGE
$49.7
$482.4
$43.8
$263.7 $348.7
$21.7
$179.0 $ 211.0
$ 130.8
$ 263.7M
2 019 S H A R E H O L D E R S’ EQ U I T Y
$ 482.4M
2 019 N E T R E V E N U E
$ 49.7B
2 019 AUA
21
D. A. Davidson’s THE HERD:
COMPLETED 10 D . A . D AV I D S O N ’ S SECTOR-FOCUSED A N N UA L S O F T WA R E
C A P I TA L M A R K E T S THE HERD – A SALES & TRADING & INTERNET
TR ANSAC TIONS TO P R O P R I E TA R Y AND EQUIT Y CONFERENCE
DAT E I N 2 0 2 0 F O R A LIST OF THE 10 0 RESEARCH
T O T A L O F $ 7. 2 B FA S T E S T- G R OW I N G PROFESSIONALS
T E C H C O M PA N I E S
20 $ 9.8B 37 10+
TOTAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS RAISED FOR TECH DEDICATED TECHNOLOGY UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY
COMPLETED SINCE 2018 CLIENTS SINCE 2018 PROFESSIONALS VERTICALS UNDER
COVERAGE
D.A. Davidson’s Technology team brings a unique perspective based on decades of experience, deep
industry knowledge, and a proven track record of superior execution. Our senior professionals are focused
on developing long-term relationships and delivering lasting value to our clients while helping them
navigate and capitalize on the industry’s rapidly evolving landscape.
RORY MCKINNEY JOE MORGAN TIM MONFORT AMY JOHNSON DEREK BELL KEVIN BERRY BRAD GEVURTZ
HEAD OF INVESTMENT BANKING M A N AG I N G D I R E C T O R , M A N AG I N G D I R E C T O R , M A N AG I N G D I R E C T O R , M A N AG I N G D I R E C T O R M A N AG I N G D I R E C T O R M A N AG I N G D I R E C T O R
R M C K I N N E Y@ DA D C O . C O M HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY E Q U I T Y C A P I TA L M A R K E T S H E A D O F D E B T A DV I S O R Y D B E L L @ DA D C O . C O M K B E R R Y@ DA D C O . C O M B G E V U R T Z @ DA D C O . C O M
( 3 10 ) 5 0 0 - 3 8 6 5 J M O R G A N @ DA D C O . C O M T M O N F O R T @ DA D C O . C O M A S J O H N S O N @ DA D C O . C O M ( 2 12 ) 8 8 2 - 3 9 2 1 ( 7 14 ) 8 5 0 - 8 3 5 0 (503) 603 -3060
( 7 14 ) 8 5 0 - 8 3 5 5 ( 2 12 ) 2 2 3 - 5 4 0 1 ( 2 12 ) 8 8 2 - 3 9 0 9
22
D. A. Davidson’s THE HERD:
D . A . D A V I D S O N P R O V I D E S D ATA A N D T H E S I S -
D R I V E N P R O P R I E TA R Y I N S T I T U T I O N A L R E S E A R C H
12 130+ 200+
RESEARCH TECHNOLOGY NDRS & VNDRS
ANALYSTS COMPANIES UNDER COMPLETED
COVERAGE SINCE 2018
Software Coverage
RISHI JALURIA
A P P L I C AT I O N
& DATA B A S E
SO F T WA R E
A N DY N O W I N S K I
INFRASTRUCTURE
& CYBERSECURIT Y
PETE HECKMANN
P AY M E N T S
& VERTICAL
SO F T WA R E
TOM FORTE
CONSUMER
TECHNOLOGY
Internet
T O M D I F F E LY
S E M I C A P, E D A
SO F T WA R E ,
L ASER /OPTICAL
23
THE STRENGTH OF ADVICE
®
D.A. Davidson & Co.’s dedicated Technology Group has decades of experience helping clients achieve their
strategic and financial objectives.
has completed an initial has completed a follow-on has completed a public offering has completed an initial offering has completed a follow-on
public offering of common stock offering of common stock of senior convertible notes of common stock offering of common stock
has completed a follow-on has completed a follow-on has completed a public offering has completed a public offering has completed a public offering
offering of common stock offering of common stock of senior convertible notes of senior convertible notes of convertible notes
has completed a follow-on has completed a public offering has completed a follow-on has completed a follow-on has completed an initial
offering of common stock of convertible senior notes public offering of common stock public offering of common stock public offering of common stock
SELL-SIDE ADVISOR SELL-SIDE ADVISOR SELL-SIDE ADVISOR SELL-SIDE ADVISOR SELL-SIDE ADVISOR
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
FINANCIAL ADVISOR SELL-SIDE ADVISOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR SELL-SIDE ADVISOR
SELL-SIDE ADVISOR SELL-SIDE ADVISOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR SELL-SIDE ADVISOR SELL-SIDE ADVISOR
This presentation is proprietary to D.A. Davidson & Co. and may not be reproduced, distributed or used for any other
purpose without the prior written consent of D.A. Davidson & Co.
The analyses contained herein rely upon information obtained from the recipient or from public sources, the accuracy
of which has not been verified, and cannot be assured, by D.A. Davidson & Co.