Uber plans to launch IPO in April

(ReutersUS firm Uber plans to launch its initial public offering in April, which will bring it closer to his rival Lyft, said Thursday close to the issue.

Next month, Uber will release its mandatory public statement, known as S-1, and launch its roadshow for investors, the public said. These events will mark the launch, on Wall Street, of one of the most watched companies in Silicon Valley.

The timing of Uber's IPO means that government procurement is likely to hit public markets soon after the completion of its own IPO, which is expected to take place by the end of the month in March, announced sources close to the case. Uber refused to comment.

The elbow race continues a long-standing rivalry between the two loss-making companies, which have been competing for riders and drivers since their inception.

Uber's business is much larger and more varied than Lyft's, and the company was established fairly quickly as both companies filed confidential documents for an IPO at the same time in December.

Uber, a $ 76 billion global logistics and transportation company in the private market, is seeking $ 120 billion in value, although some badysts have brought its value up to $ 100 billion on the basis of some financial figures communicated by him.

Lyft, a small bike rental company in the United States and several Canadian cities, is seeking $ 20 billion worth of value, up from $ 15 billion as a private company.

Both companies are well positioned to launch a series of highly anticipated public debut of high-tech companies, boosting the IPO market after a serene start to the year.

Both companies should benefit from Lyft's integration into public markets.

Being ahead of its big rivals allows Lyft to take advantage of investors' accumulated demand for high tech companies, rather than divesting available investor capital to Uber. And a successful IPO for Lyft would allow Uber to benefit from the euphoria of the market and also demand a high valuation.

Uber's revenues reached $ 11.3 billion last year, while gross airline bookings were $ 50 billion. However, the company lost $ 3.3 billion, excluding gains on the sale of its business units abroad in Russia and Southeast Asia.

Lyft's revenue for the last year was $ 2.2 billion, including $ 8.1 billion in gross travel reservations. The company lost $ 911 million.

Uber will have the challenge of explaining and selling to investors a more complex and less focused company than Lyft.

Uber's business is present in more than 70 countries and includes not only hiking, but also bike and scooter rentals, freight transportation, food delivery and an expensive division of autonomous cars.

The SoftBank Vision Fund and Toyota Motor Corp. are part of a consortium of investors to invest $ 1 billion in Uber's self-driving unit, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Dealing with large investors who will influence a key business is an unusual move for a company so close to an IPO.

Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi will be tasked with convincing investors that he has managed to change the company's culture and business practices after a series of embarrbading scandals in the last two years.

These include allegations of badual harbadment, a mbadive data breach concealed from regulators, the use of illicit software to evade authorities and allegations of bribery abroad.