Job Postings By Shoe Company Allbirds Suggest IPO Afoot

Allbirds Inc, the San Francisco-based sustainable footwear and apparel brand, has been rumored to be heading towards an IPO. It now may be inching its way closer, if its recent job postings are any indication.

What Happened: The company lately has been posting a notice that it is seeking an "SEC Reporting & Technical Accounting Manager," referring to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The notice, posted at its site as well as on job sites, leads off with the statement: "We're looking for someone who will help us build a best-in-class SEC Reporting function."

Related content: Benzinga's Full Upcoming and Recent IPOs Calendar

While the posts don't necessarily mean the company plans to go public, they do seem to indicate that serious plans are afoot.

"You'll work closely with various teams including Finance, Legal, Employee Experience, and Sustainability to lead the charge on our SEC filings," the posts continue.

According to an Allbirds post on Indeed.com from three days ago, the qualifications the company seeks include:

• "Someone with IPO experience including knowledge of the S-1 filing process"
• Experience working at one of the "Big Four" public accounting firms, such as Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
• "Experience in stock-based compensation"
• "Experience with ownership of end-to-end SEC reporting and earnings cycle, including project management of deliverables and preparation of financial statements and disclosures"

Unicorn With New Zealand Roots: In September, Allbirds raised $100 million in a Series E round led by Franklin Templeton. It came with a $1.6 billion valuation, according to TechCrunch.

Founded in 2014 by New Zealand-based Tim Brown, Allbirds has grown its product line and its customer base in the U.S. The company opened its first stores in 2018, in San Francisco and Manhattan. 

The company aims to boost its number of physical stores by 50% in 2021 to 36, including its first location in Minneapolis.

Allbirds didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

Gary Anglebrandt contributed to this report.

Photo by Hunters Race on Unsplash.