$CHYM TIME: The Three Boxes Chime’s IPO Checked for Me

Whoa, it’s been a minute. Somehow went almost two months without a post. Bad blogger!

Yesterday Satya and I had the chance to celebrate Chime going public on NASDAQ. There are many ways to ‘grade’ an IPO from a punditry perspective ( here’s my own framework which I think still holds), so I’m not going chime in with my own speculation (see what i did there), but on the other side of it, did want to recognize why this one felt special. It was our fourth IPO as a firm (defined in the loosest terms as Homebrew holding pre-IPO stock in a company), but the first which checked off all three of the boxes of consequence.

1. Financial Outcome for the Team: Founders and VCs know how to make money over the course of a journey like this, but what makes me giddy is seeing so many people on the Chime team win too. Being part of a special startup pays off in terms of career trajectory, learnings, and network, but also seeing your equity convert can change your life. I’m sure $CHYM minted many paper millionaires, but regardless of amounts, getting some dollars into the bank account allows these folks to continue taking career risk, which is positive for the ecosystem.
2. We Were There Since the Beginning: DPI without stories is boring. Stories without DPI is fatal. Chime provides us both DPI -and- Stories. The best combo! Special credit to my partner Satya who sat on their Board for many years, interviewed most of the early hires on behalf of the founders, and generally did more work than me 🙂
3. Founders are Still Running the Company: To have Chris Britt become the CEO of a NASDAQ company is a credit to him, and a role model for our industry. Chris came from a working class community in the New York City suburbs and brings that mentality, that respect, and that ethic to every day on the job. I’m romantic (and old) enough to believe going public means something.

Onward. Not the end of our relationship with Chris, Ryan, and Chime. Just the beginning of a next phase.

GET ALL MY POSTS VIA EMAIL (first and free)

Bluesky has the JUICE -> https://bsky.app/profile/hunterwalk.com

Originally published at https://hunterwalk.com on June 13, 2025.