U.S. taxi service firm Uber said it was in early talks with investors to raise money at a higher valuation than $17 billion it secured with June’s round of funding, Financial Times reported on Friday citing people familiar with the matter.
Uber is planning to raise at least $1 billion more in capital from its existing investors, which include Blackrock, TPG, Google Ventures (capital investment arm of Google ) and Menlo Ventures, and new funds from beyond Wall Street and Silicon Valley, especially in Asia. The company still has $1 billion in the bank from its most recent round, Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with Uber’s finances.
The ridesharing company gained ground in Las Vegas last week when a District Court judge ruled against a restraining order that would have temporarily prohibited it from operating in Clark County, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Taxi drivers around the world have urged lawmakers to regulate or ban such services, which allow users to use apps on their smartphones to hire a private driver, rather than calling a taxi company.
Uber could not be immediately reached for comment.
