| Key Points: – Figma’s IPO surged 242%, pushing its market cap near $55B. – AI-powered tools, 46% revenue growth, and strong margins fuel investor demand. – CEO Dylan Field retains control and eyes future expansion, including M&A. |
Figma Inc. stunned Wall Street on Thursday with a meteoric debut on the New York Stock Exchange, soaring 242% above its IPO price and closing in on a $55 billion valuation. The design software company raised $1.2 billion in its offering, marking one of the most explosive IPO launches in recent tech history.
Shares opened at $33 but quickly surged to over $112 before being halted twice for volatility. Demand was extraordinary—the IPO was more than 40 times oversubscribed, with many institutional investors receiving no allocation. The excitement vaulted Figma’s valuation well past the $20 billion figure from its canceled merger with Adobe in 2023, which had been derailed by regulatory scrutiny.
Founded in 2012 by Dylan Field and Evan Wallace, Figma has revolutionized web-based design tools, offering real-time collaboration across browsers. Over time, the platform has evolved beyond interface design to support development workflows, workplace collaboration, and, more recently, AI-driven prototyping. Its latest tool, Figma Make, turns user prompts into functioning design prototypes using artificial intelligence.
The IPO included 12.47 million shares sold by the company, while major early investors like Index Ventures and Greylock Partners offloaded 24.46 million shares. Based on the last trading price before halts, Figma’s fully diluted valuation—including employee stock options—exceeds $65 billion.
CEO Dylan Field, who controls over 74% of the company’s voting power through Class B shares, now holds a stake worth nearly $4.9 billion. His recently awarded 10-year “moon-shot” compensation package begins to vest only if the stock maintains a 60-day average above $60. At current prices, he’s well on his way to surpassing even the highest $130 performance hurdle.
Figma’s first-quarter performance was impressive, with 46% year-over-year revenue growth and a net income of $44.9 million on $228 million in revenue. Despite a full-year net loss of $732 million in 2024—largely due to increased R&D and expansion efforts—its 92% gross margin puts it ahead of many of its SaaS peers, giving it ample runway for aggressive growth.
With its public debut, Figma signals a revival in the IPO market, becoming the first major U.S. software company to go public since SailPoint in early 2025. Its successful auction-style order-taking process and investor enthusiasm are seen as green lights for other venture-backed tech firms contemplating IPOs this year.
As Figma eyes expansion, Field says M&A is on the table—but only if the team and culture align. “We’re just getting started,” he noted, emphasizing that public listing is not the end goal but a launchpad for broader ambitions.
The company now trades under the ticker symbol FIG on the NYSE. With demand red-hot and the AI design space heating up, Figma’s future appears as sharply defined as the interfaces it helps bring to life.
