Sympathy Plays For The Groupon, Pandora IPOs (LOCM)

Yesterday it was announced that Groupon and Pandora had met with bankers this week to discuss separate IPOs for the spring of 2011. Groupon is looking to raise $1-$1.5 billion, while Pandora would raise around $100 million. Groupon's IPO implies a valuation of around $15 billion, far higher than any number we've seen for the coupon company so far. This begs the question is there any way to capture the growth in this market if you can't trade on SecondMarket or Sharespost.com? People have been trading these stocks, along with the behemoth Facebook on these exchanges, and it has caught people's attention, that's for sure. Goldman Sachs GS has even invested in Facebook, implying a $50 billion valuation. Obviously if you're accredited, going to invest on on these secondary exchanges is probably the best way to go, as you will likely see strong upside in your shares as the IPO gets closer to fruition. If you can't invest on these exchanges, names like Local.com Corp. LOCM and SuperMedia Inc SPMD are other advertising companies that should see increased upside as the Groupon IPO continues to get closer. Disclosure: no position in names mentioned