Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein visited Groupon’s Chicago headquarters to make a case for hiring his firm for a possible share sale this year, according to Bloomberg.
The visit came just as Morgan Stanley is also in talks with Groupon to arrange an IPO, according to the report, which cites “a person familiar with the matter.” A Groupon rep could not be reached for comment.
Goldman was also behind a recent funding round of $500 million for Facebook, which is expected to go public in 2012.
The report of the visit is the latest bit of intrigue around Groupon, which rebuffed a $6 billion takeover offer from Google in December. Sources say Groupon is preparing for a spring IPO that would put the startup at a valuation somewhere between $15 billion and $20 billion.
The company, which offers group-based discounts via e-mail and social networks, also raised $950 million Series D funding this month from Morgan Stanley, Greylock Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
More About: facebook, goldman sachs, groupon
