Ride hailing and delivery company Lyft has filed an S-1 application with the US Security Exchange Commission (SEC) to pursue an IPO in 2019. Uber is likely to follow in the next few months.

The Lyft IPO is expected in the coming Spring. The IPO follows several funding rounds and the company, despite its multibillion dollar revenue, has yet to file a profit since it was founded. In the first half of 2018 Lyft managed to double its revenues, suggesting great demand for its ride sharing and delivery offering.

The IPO is believed to value Lyft at $15 billion, which will be a very good return on investment for those getting in at the start. Uber may benefit however should current volatility in the market and worries about how Lyft can break into profitability mean a lacklustre performance.

Lyft certainly won’t be the first high visibility new company that has floated even while its management work out how to generate a profit. Notable companies that have been very successful with this include Facebook, that has still become a giant in terms of share value and Tesla that still baffles critics and short sellers as to its buoyancy even in the face of constant criticism.

Should Uber float next year, some value it at $120 billion or more than eight times the value of Lyft, which is still three years younger than than the groundbreaking ride sharing giant. That should have a big impact over here in the UK as Uber has a much bigger footprint in many cities.