Snapchat is looking to raise as much as $500 million in a new funding round that would value the mobile messaging company at up to $19 billion, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing a person with knowledge of the matter.
The latest valuation is a massive increase for the company, which Facebook Inc offered to buy for $3 billion in late 2013. Snapchat`s previous funding round, completed late last year, valued the company at more than $10 billion.
Executives of the company, which allows its more than 100 million users to send messages that disappear after a few seconds, are in advanced talks with fund managers, the person told Bloomberg. (http://bloom.bg/1AiWtif)
Los Angeles-based Snapchat could not be reached immediately for comment.