Shane Smith, co-founder and CEO of Vice Media, told CNBC on Monday a new $450 million cash infusion from private equity powerhouse TPG helps his company take the next step.
Dodging a direct question about any plans Vice has to become a publicly traded company, Smith said, “It’s what we would do if we were going to go public — is get a third party paying and start building our book, and bringing in revenue on a sort of hockey stick basis. So that a theoretical IPO would look very sexy.”
Smith was interviewed on “Squawk on the Street” from the Cannes Lions creativity festival, which brings together the advertising, entertainment, and design communities.