Analyst: Gevo IPO Expected to Raise $80M-$100M

Next-gen biofuel developer Gevo inspired chatter in the greentech world last week when it filed its S-1, planning to raise up to $150 million in an IPO. Of course, the amount that Gevo will actually raise won’t be finalized until shortly before it hits the public markets, and Lux research analyst Samhitha Udupa told me in an interview on Monday that she thinks Gevo will likely raise between $80 million and $100 million — a good deal less than the $150 maximum offering.

“I think the $150 million is a little high,” said Udupa, but “I think they are in good shape for an IPO, and I think there will be investor interest.” Udupa tells me she has been following Gevo over the past two years, and helped write a report for Lux Research, which was published back in February, ranking the various biofuel startups by viability.

In the report Udupa gave Gevo a solid score, ranking it with “Dominant Status” out of the competing startups alongside Amyris (who also has filed for an IPO and is also backed by Vinod Khosl...