GoPro Going Public, Files Confidential IPO Docs

Action camera maker GoPro is the latest tech company going public.

The San Mateo, Calif.-based firm on Friday announced plans to conduct a registered initial public offering of its common stock. “The offering is expected to commence after the SEC completes the review process initiated by GoPro’s confidential submission on Friday February 7, 2014 of its draft registration statement,” the company said in a brief statement(Opens in a new window).

The move makes GoPro the latest tech firm to file for a confidential IPO, following cloud storage company Box(Opens in a new window) and social media giant Twitter. This means GoPro will be able to keep much of its operating information a secret until shortly before its shares begin to trade.

The announcement comes after GoPro earlier this week appointed(Opens in a new window) former Qualcomm executive Jack Lazar as Chief Financial Officer. Lazar will report directly to GoPro Founder and CEO Nick Woodman, and be responsible for the company’s global financial operations.

Founded in 2002, GoPro is a favorite among extreme athletes and amateur adventure-seekers. The company most recently introduced its Hero3+ line of cameras, which are up to 20 percent smaller and lighter than previous models and feature 30 percent better battery life. GoPro also recently announced plans to launch Channel apps for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Xbox One video game consoles later this year.

Meanwhile, GoPro is in Sochi for the Olympics, where Russian snowboarder Alexey Sobolev strapped on one of the company’s cameras for a ride down the controversial(Opens in a new window) snowboard slopestyle course; check out the video below.

For more, see PCMag’s full reviews of the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition and GoPro HD Hero2 Outdoor Edition.