(Reuters) – Investment platform Linqto has agreed to go public through a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Blockchain Coinvestors Acquisition in a deal valued at $700 million, the companies said on Tuesday.
San Jose, California-based Linqto, which has more than 750,000 users in 110 countries, allows users to make investments in unicorns – startups valued at over $1 billion – and other private companies.
The company’s platform has provided investors access to private companies such as Fortnite maker Epic Games and cryptocurrency company Ripple among others.
Linqto is the latest company to decide to go public with a blank-check firm, a route that has largely fallen out of favor following intense scrutiny from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Blank-check firms, also known as SPACs, use proceeds raised from an initial public offering to merge with a private company.
Following the deal, which is expected to close in the second half of 2024, the combined company will operate as Linqto.
In February, trading platform Webull also agreed to list its shares on Nasdaq via a merger with a blank-check firm in a deal valued at $7.3 billion.
(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
