Bezos’ Blue Origin valued at $130 billion in first public fundraising round

Jeff Bezos‘ Blue Origin is raising about $10 billion, in its first outside funding round that will value the rocket company at $130 billion, sources told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin.

Bezos is set to contribute $2 billion into the round, along with about $4 billion from hedge fund Coatue Management, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the details are private.

The remaining $4 billion has seen significant demand, with several major investors expected to participate, the people said.

The funding round comes hot on the heels of a blockbuster IPO by Elon Musk‘s SpaceX last month. SpaceX raised nearly $86 billion, including the underwriters’ option, making it the largest IPO on record and minting Musk a trillionaire. The company is now valued at about $2 trillion.

Bezos told CNBC in May that the company was “considering” outside investment, but it had not happened yet.

“It’s a good time, actually, to start thinking about the future and bring on some other outside investors,” he said.

Bezos, who founded Amazon and stepped down as its CEO in 2021, has turned more of his attention to Blue Origin, which he founded in 2000. It competes in many of the same markets as SpaceX, including heavy-lift rockets, lunar landers and satellite internet, though Musk has a significant lead in several of those areas.

Bezos has in the past funded Blue Origin solely through sales of his Amazon stock.