Snapchat has been in talks with investment bankers to possibly IPO in 2017. This contrasts with the greater industry of tech unicorns, which by and large has had a reluctance to enter the public markets this year. The majority that have hit the market has been comprised of companies within the enterprise software vertical. CEO Evan Spiegel has been clear that an IPO is in the company’s top interests as opposed to sticking with private funding as long as possible. Since its 2011 founding, Snapchat has secured $2.5 billion in funding from numerous investors, including Sequoia, Spark Capital, SV Angel, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Benchmark Capital. A $1.8 billion round of capital secured this past May valued the company at approximately $18 billion.