It was a disappointing ASX debut for David Williams-backed agent comparison website Rate My Agent whose $92 million ASX listing was worth just $75.4 million by close-of-trade.
Though Williams is still well in the money. He was one of the company’s earliest investors, having lobbed in $1 million in 2014, and now owns 27.6 per cent worth of some $20.8 million (around $5 million less than what it was valued at the start of trade).
Williams’ firm Kidder Williams received a fee of $800k for conducting the IPO, half paid in shares. Kidder Williams had also advised the company on a $5 million capital raise in 2016, and was paid in shares then too. The company as a whole was valued at $20 million at that point, so Williams’ stake has appreciated at least four-fold since 2016, even with today’s fall.
Not letting the disappointing first day’s trade dampen their spirits were the lawyers at MinterElIison, who advised on the float. ”This is a big step for RMA, with the IPO receiving overwhelming support from investors,” said MinterEllison lead partner Bart Oude-Vrielink in a congratulatory press release. Which is one way of framing an 18 per cent fall.
Other early investors in the company include stockbroker Dean Smorgon, scion of the Smorgon dynasty, and online entrepreneur Gabby Leibovich.
https://www.afr.com/rear-window/market-doesnt-rate-rate-my-agent-float-20180705-h12ajh
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