10 Big Winners From The Facebook IPO

You Know What's Cool? $104 Billion

Facebook is poised to become the most highly valued company ever at the time of its stock market debut with its estimated $104 billion initial public offering (IPO). It’s not even close. The number two largest ever IPO is United Parcel Service with a $60 billion initial public offering 13 years ago. Here are 10 big winners from the largest and most celebrated technology stock offering ever.

Bono

Believe it or not one of the big winners is none other than the lead singer of the rock band U2. Bono, through his investment firm Elevation Partners, owns 1.5 percent of Facebook. That’s worth an estimated $750 million, according to a Facebook IPO analysis by Learnvest, a personal financial planning website.

Sean Parker

The co-founder of Napster didn’t strike it rich with his music file sharing web-venture, but he is one of the big winners from the Facebook IPO. The entrepreneur, played by Justin Timberlake in the Hollywood film "The Social Network" that chronicled the Facebook phenomenon, holds 4 percent of Facebook valued at $2 billion, according to Learnvest.

Eduardo Saverin

The Facebook co-founder, whose battle with Mark Zuckerberg has become part of the Facebook lore, holds 5 percent or about $2.5 billion, according to Learnvest. Saverin has recently taken heat in the press for dropping his U.S. citizenship in what some have characterized as a bid to save $67 million in US income taxes.

Dustin Moskovitz

The Facebook co-founder, a one time Harvard Economics major who moved to California to work on Facebook full time with Zuckerberg, holds a 6 percent stake in Facebook worth an estimated $3 billion, according to Learnvest.

Digital Sky Technologies

The Russian investment firm, founded by Yuri Milner, holds a 10 percent stake worth an estimated $5 billion, according to Learnvest. Milner, through Digital Sky Technologies, has invested in some of the hottest internet ventures including Zynga and Groupon.

Goldman Sachs

The investment firm given the moniker the ’Great Vampire Squid’ by Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibbi holds an 0.8 percent share of Facebook. That’s worth a whopping $400 million for what has become the most revered and at times reviled investment firm in America.

Goldman Sachs Clients

There’s a reason investors want to be a Goldman Sachs client: it’s to get a piece of red-hot initial public offerings like Facebook. Goldman Sachs clients hold about 3 percent of the Facebook shares valued at an estimated $1.5 billion, according to Learnvest.

Peter Thiel

The co-founder of PayPal and president of global hedge fund Clarium Capital holds a 3 percent share of Facebook valued at an estimated $1.5 billion, according to Learnvest. That’s more money for the self-described libertarian to throw to political causes. Among those candidates he has supported: Presidential candidate Ron Paul and Meg Whitman, the HP CEO and former eBay CEO who made an unsuccessful run for Governor of California.

Facebook Employees

With Facebook employees holding a 30 percent stake worth an estimated $15 billion, according to Learnvest, there are estimates that more than 1,000 of the company’s 3,000 employees are now millionaires.

Facebook Co-Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Throw away the hoodie in favor of finely tailored Italian suits Mark. With a personal stake estimated at $19.1 billion you can afford it. Zuckerberg overnight becomes one of the richest people in the world, in the same class as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, worth an estimated $19.1 billion and Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, both worth an estimated $16.7 billion, according to the Forbes 400 list of richest people in America.

Facebook Coverage From CRN

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