China Internet search provider Baidu files for IPO (BIDU)

From the China Stock Blog: Chinese language Internet search provider Baidu.com (proposed ticker: BIDU) filed an F-1 with the SEC yesterday in preparation for an upcoming IPO on the Nasdaq. Here are a number of key points about the company and its services:

• Web site.
• Based in Beijing, China.
• Baidu is a Chinese language Internet search provider.
• Baidu has an index of over 690 million web pages, 80 million images and 10 million multimedia files.
• It operates auction-based pay-for-performance (P4P) services enabling customers to bid for priority placement of their links in keyword search results.
• In 2004, Baidu had over 34,600 online marketing customers.
• Approximately 22% of Baidu's traffic goes to its MP3 search platform (mp3.baidu.com). The MP3 search helps users find links to downloadable MP3 music, movies, images and other multimedia files.
• 76,000 third-party websites in China place a Baidu search box on their websites to enable their users to access Baidu.com. In return, Baidu pays third parties a portion of P4P revenues generated from click-throughs. In 2004, approximately 25% of Baidu revenues were generated this way.
• Baidu offers a query-based online community which currently consists of over 820,000 message boards.
• As of June 30, 2005, Baidu had 750 employees, including 74 in management and administration, 234 in research and development and 321 in sales and marketing.

Traffic statistics

• Baidu was the most visited search engine in China in 2004 (iResearch).
• It was the second most visited website in China and seventh most globally trafficked site for the three months ended July 9, 2005 (Alexa.com).

Competition

• Competitors include Google (ticker: GOOG), Yahoo! (ticker: YHOO), Microsoft (ticker: MSFT), Netease (ticker: NTES), Sina (ticker: SINA), Sohu (ticker: SOHU), Sougou, Yisou and ZhongSou, and Alibaba.
• From Baidu's F-1: "In addition, we may face greater competition from our U.S. competitors as a result of, among other things, a relaxation on the foreign ownership restrictions of PRC Internet content and advertising companies, improvements in online payment systems and Internet infrastructure in China and our U.S. competitors’ increased business activities in China."

Institutional ownership

• Google (ticker: GOOG), Draper Fisher Jurvetson ePlanet Ventures, Integrity Partners, Peninsula Capital Fund, Swiftcurrent Offshore, Venture TDF Technology Fund, CMT CV-BD Limited, and China Equity International.