[Unicorns are riding into the public markets, and their elite early investors will be the biggest winners.]
Investors turned a blind eye to the steep losses and heavy spending, which bodes well for a herd of coming offerings. Uber, which is also losing money, has filed paperwork to go public and is widely expected to hold the biggest I.P.O. of the past few years. Others set to join the I.P.O. bonanza are Pinterest, the digital pin board, the messaging company Slack and the home-fitness company Peloton.
Lyft’s high listing price and performance are a “reflection of the appetite” from investors, said Tom White, a senior vice president at D.A. Davidson, a wealth and asset management firm. “Right now I think investors generally are focused on growth.”
With its initial offering, Lyft leapt ahead of Uber to became the first publicly traded ride-hailing firm. Logan Green and John Zimmer, Lyft’s founders, celebrated the event in Los Angeles. Mr. Green, who grew up in Santa Monica, Calif., and has cited heavy traffic in the area as an inspiration for Lyft, and Mr. Zimmer used the occasion of the I.P.O. to announce a program called Lyft City Works, which will donate $50 million to transportation initiatives in cities where it operates.
Mr. Green said he planned to further expand Lyft into other modes of transportation, including public transit. “We want Lyft to be the first app that you open up,” he said. “The biggest investments we’re making today are broadening the portfolio of products that you can access within Lyft.”