Earlier this month, I joined Jason Calacanis and Alex Wilhelm on “This Week in Startups.” We discussed the current state of the IPO market, Zoom’s pricing power, top stock picks for 2021, and some of the most anticipated IPOs of 2021. 

The conversation begins with a discussion about the IPO market and some of the recent froth we have seen. The recent offerings of DoorDash, Airbnb, and C3.ai demonstrate how much demand and hype we are currently seeing for new issues. We discuss if this is sustainable and if future companies are better off going public via a direct listing.

Later, we talk about valuations and different accounting methods companies sometimes use to enhance their numbers. The discussion shifts to Slack’s acquisition and some key differences that allowed Zoom to have more success. I talk about Zoom’s pricing power and why I believe it will continue to thrive in a post-pandemic world.

We wrap up the interview by talking about our top stock picks for 2021 and what IPOs we are most looking forward to next year. My answers include a stock in connected TV space and a fast-growing AI company set to debut in the first half of 2021.

Although I do discuss Luminar, I’ve since cooled off from the company following the announcement that Mobileye is making their own LiDAR sensors.

You can access my full interview on “This Week in Startups” below:

Access the interview here:

Interview timestamps:

0:55 – Introduction

3:30 – Thoughts on Airbnb (ABNB) and DoorDash (DASH) IPOs and valuations

4:20 – Thoughts on Luminar (LAZR) and C3.ai (AI)  

7:25 – Discussion about direct listings vs IPOs

10:30 – What multiples do you consider attractive vs unattractive?

15:00 – Discussion about Non-GAAP metrics and “creative accounting” methods companies use

18:00 – Thoughts on Snowflake (SNOW) and adjusting growth for the age of the company

20:20 – Discussion about the Slack (WORK) acquisition

28:45 – What do you think about Zoom Video (ZM) and DoorDash (DASH) post-pandemic?

41:00 – Discussion about Zoom’s pricing power

49:00 – Top stock picks for 2021

58:40 – Discussion about C3.ai (AI)

1:00:15 – Thoughts on SPACs

1:06:00 – Most anticipated IPOs of 2021

1:11:00 – Risk of investing in China-based companies