Canva's IPO Rumors Rise Amid Figma's Success and OpenAI's $500B Valuation Talks

Canva is gaining attention as a potential IPO candidate following Figma's successful debut. Meanwhile, OpenAI is in early-stage discussions about a stock sale that could value the company at $500B, a significant bump from its current valuation of $300B. Other notable capital raises include Strand Therapeutics' $153M Series B financing and beatBread's $124M credit and equity capital. Unicorns to watch this week include Canva, Celonis, and Databricks.

Following the successful debut of Figma, Canva is gaining attention as a potential IPO candidate. Meanwhile, OpenAI is in early-stage discussions about a stock sale that could value the company at $500 billion, a significant bump from its current valuation of $300 billion. Other notable capital raises include Strand Therapeutics' $153 million Series B financing and beatBread's $124 million credit and equity capital. Unicorns to watch this week include Canva, Celonis, and Databricks.

Canva: The Next Design Powerhouse?

Canva, a design platform, has been making waves in the design industry. With a user base of millions and a valuation of over $10 billion, it is a strong candidate for an IPO. The company's success can be attributed to its user-friendly interface and extensive library of templates. Canva's potential IPO could be a game-changer, attracting more investors and capital to the design tech sector.

OpenAI: The $500 Billion Dream

OpenAI, the leading artificial intelligence startup, is in early talks about a potential secondary share sale that could elevate its valuation to $500 billion. This move comes on the heels of OpenAI securing $8.3 billion from a syndicate of investors for a second tranche of its $40 billion financing round, which was oversubscribed by nearly five times. The company is exploring this option to provide liquidity to its current and former employees, reflecting the significant growth of the business [1].

The discussions come at a time when OpenAI is gearing up for the release of its latest GPT-5 model. The company's recurring annual revenue (ARR) has grown to $12 billion since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022 and is forecasted to exceed $20 billion in 2025. This move could help retain top talent, given the competitive nature of the AI industry and the lavish compensation packages offered by companies like Meta Platforms Inc. [1].

Strand Therapeutics: Advancing Programmable mRNA Therapies

Strand Therapeutics, a leader in next-generation mRNA-based therapeutics, has raised $153 million in Series B funding. The funding will advance Strand’s pipeline, led by STX-001, a programmable mRNA therapy that expresses the cytokine interleukin-12 (IL-12) directly from the tumor microenvironment. The company recently presented promising initial Phase 1 clinical data for patients with advanced solid tumors at the 2025 ASCO annual meeting [3].

The funding will also support the development of STX-003, a world-first systemically administrable mRNA therapy with tumor targeting that is programmed to avoid off-target payload delivery. IL-12 holds significant promise in cancer immunotherapy due to its robust immunostimulatory effects. Strand's innovative approach to mRNA therapies could revolutionize cancer treatment.

References:

[1] https://www.ainvest.com/news/openai-plans-500b-valuation-secondary-share-sale-current-employees-2508/
[2] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250807475027/en/Strand-Therapeutics-Raises-%24153-Million-Series-B-Financing-to-Further-Advance-Programmable-mRNA-Therapeutic-Pipeline