Blue Origin is set to raise about $10 billion in its inaugural outside funding round, which will value the company at $130 billion. Jeff Bezos plans to contribute $2 billion, with hedge fund Coatue Management adding around $4 billion. The remaining $4 billion has attracted considerable interest from various major investors.
This funding round follows SpaceX's recent IPO, which raised nearly $86 billion, marking it as the largest IPO in history and elevating Elon Musk's net worth to a trillion dollars. Bezos had previously indicated in May that Blue Origin was contemplating outside investment, emphasizing the importance of bringing in additional investors to plan for the future.
Since its founding in 2000, Blue Origin has primarily been funded by Bezos through the sale of his Amazon stock. Despite facing challenges, such as a recent explosion of a New Glenn rocket during a test, Bezos and Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp are aiming to return the rocket to flight by the end of 2026, which is crucial for upcoming missions with NASA and other clients.
Bezos has expressed confidence that Blue Origin could eventually surpass Amazon in size and influence