German AI translation startup DeepL, last valued at $2bn, is looking closely at a public listing, which could come in 2026, three sources close to the company tell Sifted.
Founded in 2017, DeepL last year raised $300m in a round led by Index Ventures. Other investors include ICONIQ Growth, Teachers’ Venture Growth, IVP, Atomico and WiL.
“They are looking very closely at current IPO market dynamics to determine when the timing might be right,” a source with knowledge of the matter tells Sifted.
Two other sources close to DeepL tell Sifted they understand the company is mulling a listing. Both sources said the company was targeting a 2026 float, though one suggested it could come by the end of this year.
All three sources said the plans were early in stage and could change.
DeepL sells translation technology to businesses and other organisations and says it has “a customer network of 100k+ businesses, governments and other organisations worldwide” including Zendesk, Nikkei, Coursera and Deutsche Bahn.
The startup has also recently been involved in initiatives like EU Inc, among a host of other startups and investors including Personio and investor Index Ventures in calling for a new legal framework for startups to be able to operate more smoothly across different EU countries and their business rules.
DeepL did not respond to a request for comment.
