Angry Birds maker Rovio is flying high after floating for almost €900m
Rovio, the company behind iconic game Angry Birds, should have a smile on its face today after it floated in Helsinki at the top of its price range at a market value of €896m (£786m).
The price was set at €11.50 per share, compared with an initial range of €10.25 to €11.50, Rovio said.
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The company raised €30m for its own uses in the listing, while its major owners – Trema International and venture capital firms Accel Partners and Atomico – made a combined sum of approximately €458m.
Accel Partners, which has also backed Facebook and Groupon, and Atomico, which was created by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom, first invested in Rovio through a series A funding round in 2011.
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The company’s chairman, Mika Ihamuotila, said the listing would “strengthen Rovio’s brand recognition and brand awareness” and enhance its competitiveness.
As well as digital games, the business has now branched out into creating movies featuring its characters.
In the first half of this year, Rovio’s sales hit €153m while core profit jumped from €11m a year earlier to €42m.
Read more: Rovio hopes the Angry Birds Movie can help turnaround losses