Skype Filing Points to Healthier IPO Market

Internet telephone service Skype, in a move that should be heartening to entrepreneurs and the network of venture capitalists and others who support them, has filed for an Initial Public Offering.

The company sold by eBay back in 2009 to an investor group led by Silver Lake and including Index Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and the Canada Pension Plan is looking to go public for $100 million. Demand Media has also filed for an IPO. If these hold up as some previous venture-backed IPOs have in the past few months, they could be a positive sign for entrepreneurs with dreams of taking their company public.

Recent IPOs have included Tesla Motors, the electric car company with a speedy and expensive roadster on the highway and plans to build a sedan, the Model S, and team with Toyota on development of the world’s largest automaker’s electric offerings.

The second quarter saw the best quarter for venture-backed IPOs since 2007, with 17 IPOs in that quarter, according to figures compiled for the National Venture Capital Association. It was the third straight quarter of increased offerings.

And with an offering like Skype’s on the table, it’s a good sign for the third quarter.

First of all, Skype is actually profitable, unlike Tesla, for instance, which is waiting for the Model S to show it can make money with electric cars.

For the six months ending June 1, Skype earned $13.1 million on revenue of $406.2 million. And it’s growing in a big way, as anyone who deals with entrepreneurs and heard them say, “do you use skype?” when setting up a phone call can attest.

The company now has 124 million users. That’s not exactly in the Facebook ballpark of $500 million, but it’s a pretty substantial customer base.

It will be an interesting test of just how healthy the IPO market is getting to see what happens with Skype and its brethren in coming months. If they’re successful, that’s definitely a good sign for companies with innovative technology and business models.