The mobile car-hailing application is in early talks to raise a new round of financing that could value the startup at $50 billion, according to a person familiar with the discussions, who spoke anonymously because the process is confidential.

Uber could raise more than $1.5 billion, given the amount of interest from investors in the company, the person said. Uber fundraising

Uber fundraising value startups at $50 billion

The new capital will not be used primarily for expansion purposes, unlike Uber’s previous financing rounds.

Uber, based in San Francisco, has raised money relentlessly in recent years at rapidly swelling valuations. Uber fundraising

The company has raised more than $4 billion as it moves into new markets globally, disrupting established taxi and other transportation industries by letting people request rides through their smartphones.

In December, Uber closed a $1.2 billion round of financing that valued it at $40 billion. Uber fundraising

That round followed one in June, when the service said that it had raised $1.2 billion at a valuation of $17 billion.

At a $50 billion valuation, Uber would be the world’s most valuable private startup, topping the Chinese electronics maker Xiaomi, which was last valued at $45 billion. Uber fundraising

It would also be worth more than publicly traded companies like FedEx, with a market value of $48 billion, and Nissan Motor, with a capitalization of $47 billion.

The divide between Uber and other “Unicorns” – Silicon Valley’s term for billion-dollar startups – would also grow. Uber fundraising

Even at its current $40 billion valuation, it was nearly triple that of other elite Silicon Valley startups like data-analysis firm Palantir, according to the research firm CB Insights.

Among Silicon Valley startups, only Facebook had attained a $50 billion valuation as a private company. Uber fundraising

Uber’s new fundraising discussions come as many Silicon Valley startups have been on a fundraising tear.

This week alone, lending startup Affirm said it had raised $275 million in debt and equity at an undisclosed valuation, while Zenefits, a software-as-a-service startup, said it had raised $500 million at a valuation of $4 billion. Uber fundraising

(Credits to Pui Wing Tam)

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