The wait is over, or at least that’s what the bankers want you to think. If you have been refreshing your feed for tech ipo news today, you probably noticed that the vibe in January 2026 feels fundamentally different from the "maybe next year" stalling we saw back in 2024 and 2025. The floodgates aren't just creaking; they are actually starting to move.
Seriously.
Just this morning, we saw Infinite Eagle Acquisition Corp (IEAGU) price its $300 million IPO on the Nasdaq. It’s a warrantless SPAC, which is a nerdy way of saying they are keeping the structure clean to attract serious tech targets. But that is just the appetizer. The real meat of the story is the massive backlog of "decacorns" that are finally tired of staying private. We are talking about the names you actually use—Stripe, Databricks, and maybe even a slice of Elon Musk’s empire.
The AI "Mega-Wave" Is No Longer Just Hype
Everyone is talking about the AI bubble, but the public markets are finally getting a chance to price it. According to the latest reports from EY and PwC, 2026 is shaping up to be the year of the "AI-driven mega-wave." This isn't just about small startups; it's about the infrastructure that runs the world.
Take Databricks, for instance. Honestly, they have been "about to IPO" since 2021. But things are different now. After a massive $4 billion Series L funding round in December 2025 that valued the company at a staggering **$134 billion**, CEO Ali Ghodsi finally told CNBC he "wouldn’t rule out" a 2026 debut. With an annualized revenue run rate surpassing $4.8 billion, they aren't just a promise anymore—they are a powerhouse.
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Then there’s the hardware side. Lambda Labs, which provides the GPU cloud power that keeps AI models running, has reportedly hired banks for an IPO in the first half of 2026. They are following the trail blazed by CoreWeave, proving that investors are hungry for anything that smells like Nvidia-adjacent growth.
The Giants: Stripe, SpaceX, and the $1 Trillion Question
If you’re looking for the biggest headline in tech ipo news today, look no further than the "Will They, Won't They" drama of Stripe.
Stripe is basically the plumbing of the internet. They handled over $1.4 trillion in payment volume last year. While Polymarket traders are still betting (with about an 80% probability) that we won't see a listing before June, the internal pressure is mounting. Sequoia Capital has already started getting "creative" to give their long-term investors some liquidity. Whether it happens in H1 or H2, Stripe is the "final boss" of the fintech IPO world.
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What about the Moonshots?
The most shocking update for 2026 is the shift in tone from SpaceX. For years, Elon Musk laughed off IPO rumors. But now, recent reports suggest SpaceX is preparing for a 2026 offering to fund the "insane flight rate" of Starship. We are looking at a potential valuation of $1.5 trillion. That’s not just an IPO; that’s a tectonic shift in the S&P 500.
- OpenAI: Rumors of a 2026 funding round or IPO persist, with valuations floating between $830 billion and $1 trillion.
- Anthropic: They are reportedly laying the groundwork for a listing to compete with OpenAI's massive capital needs.
- Kraken: The crypto exchange confidentially filed an S-1 in late 2025 and is targeting a Q1 2026 debut at a $20 billion valuation.
Why Today's Market Is Different
You’ve probably heard that the IPO market was "dead." It was. From 2022 to early 2025, rising interest rates made everyone's "growth at all costs" business models look like junk.
But 2026 is the year of operational maturity.
The companies filing today aren't the shaky pre-revenue startups of 2021. They are battle-tested. L3Harris just announced they are spinning off their Missile Solutions business into its own public company in the second half of 2026—a move backed by a $1 billion investment from the Department of War. This is "defense tech" becoming a massive, public-facing sector.
Even in logistics, companies like Shadowfax Technologies are hitting the markets. They are opening their IPO on January 20, 2026, with a price band of ₹118 to ₹124 per share. It’s a sign that the appetite for "real world" tech—stuff that actually moves boxes and builds rockets—is eclipsing the purely speculative software plays.
What Most People Get Wrong About "IPO News"
Most retail investors think an IPO announcement means you should buy on day one.
That is usually a mistake.
Look at the data from the first week of January 2026. Five SPACs raised $1.09 billion. OneIM Acquisition (OIMAU) ended its first day up only 0.7%. Lafayette Digital actually ended its first day below its IPO price. The market is "open," but it’s also incredibly skeptical. Investors are no longer paying a premium just for the "tech" label. They want to see 80%+ gross margins and 140%+ net revenue retention, which are the exact metrics Databricks is currently flaunting to justify its valuation.
Actionable Steps for Staying Ahead
If you want to play the tech IPO game in 2026, you can't just follow the headlines. You have to watch the "pre-game."
- Watch the S-1 Filings: Keep an eye on the SEC's EDGAR database. A confidential filing usually happens 6–12 months before the public sees it. If you hear "confidential filing" for a company like Canva or Cohesity, start your research then, not on the day they list.
- Monitor the Secondary Markets: Platforms like Forge Global or EquityZen give you a "preview" of what a company like Stripe is worth before it hits the Nasdaq. Stripe's "Forge Price" is currently hovering around $36.29, implying a $91.5 billion valuation.
- Check the Lead Underwriters: When a company picks Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, or JPMorgan, it’s a signal of intent. If you see these names attached to a firm like Dataiku or Bolt, the clock is officially ticking.
- Follow the "Arsenal of Freedom" Trend: Defense tech and AI infrastructure are the safest bets in the current 2026 macro environment. Keep an eye on how the L3Harris spinoff performs; it will be a bellwether for the rest of the year.
The tech ipo news today isn't about a single company; it's about a fundamental reopening of the world's most important capital market. The "Unicorn" era is ending, and the era of the "Public Powerhouse" is beginning. Whether you're a day trader or a long-term investor, the next six months will likely determine the tech leaders for the next decade.