Lime plans to name Uber as anchor investor in IPO

Lime planned to put Uber on the cover of an updated IPO prospectus and name the ride-hailing giant as an anchor investor, a move that could become the clearest sign yet that public markets are willing to rethink micromobility. The electric bike and scooter operator was aiming to raise about $200 million at an implied valuation of roughly $1.8 billion.

The reported tie-up matters because anchor investors often serve as a vote of confidence before a public offering hits the roadshow. In Lime’s case, the signal would come from a company that already sits deep inside the mobility economy. Uber already offers Lime electric scooters through its app in at least some markets, and its help pages direct ride-specific questions such as pricing and scooter issues to Lime’s support team.

That existing commercial relationship gives the proposed investment more weight than a simple financial placement. If Uber commits a meaningful amount, as The Information said it expected, Lime could present itself not just as a scooter operator but as part of a broader urban-transport platform with a strategic distribution partner. For investors, that distinction matters. Public-market demand will hinge on whether Lime can show that shared mobility is no longer just a cash-burning experiment from the late-2010s startup wave, but a business with enough demand stability and operating discipline to justify a multibillion-dollar valuation.

The timing also points to a more disciplined attempt to reopen the market. Lime was preparing to begin investor roadshow talks and planned to file the updated prospectus on Monday, steps that would formally start the push toward pricing the deal. A $200 million raise is modest by blockbuster IPO standards, but it would still give Lime fresh capital while testing whether investors will back a company in a category that has spent years under pressure from weak unit economics and uncertain profitability.

For Uber, backing Lime would extend a relationship that already runs through the Uber app and would reinforce its interest in adjacent transport assets even as it keeps a tight focus on its own platform economics. For Lime, the bigger question is whether an Uber endorsement can help persuade public investors that scooters and e-bikes have evolved from a speculative urban novelty into a durable part of city transportation. That is the real test embedded in the IPO.