Web hosting company The GoDaddy Group Inc is preparing for a second run at an initial public offering, according to two people familiar with the matter, as the 2014 tech IPO pipeline continues to grow.<\/p>\n
GoDaddy, the Internet domain registrar and web host known for its racy ads, would join a number of high-profile technames expected to go public this year in the wake of Twitter Inc’s successful debut. They include “Candy Crush” developer King Digital and cloud services providers Box and Dropbox.<\/p>\n
The company is in the process of selecting underwriters for its IPO, one of the two sources said on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
GoDaddy was not immediately available for comment.<\/p>\n
GoDaddy had filed to go public in 2006 but was told at the time that it would be required to take a 50 percent haircut — a percentage that is subtracted from the par value of assets that are being used as collateral — on its initial public offering.<\/p>\n
The company instead decided to pull its filing, citing unfavorable market conditions.<\/p>\n
The company, founded in 1997, was eventually acquired by a private equity consortium led by KKR & Co and Silver Lake in 2011 for $2.25 billion. Silver Lake declined to comment while KKR did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
Other private equity buyers included Technology Crossover Ventures.<\/p>\n
GoDaddy, which provides website domain names, is famous for airing bawdy commercials with scantily clad women for the past decade during the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the plans.<\/p>\n