*By Jacqueline Corba*
The Chinese gaming firm Huya made its public market debut Friday, trading up as much as 41 percent from its IPO price of $12.
"We are very glad," said Huya's chief financial officer, Henry Sha, in an interview with Cheddar shortly after the company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. "The e-sports environment in the U.S. market is quite good. A lot of gamers, a lot of e-sports are enthusiastic here, so we believe that the U.S. investor, the U.S. market can understand more about our company."
Huya's live-gaming platform has an average of 40 million active monthly users on mobile. In 2017, revenue was $344 million.
Sha said China is the primary market for Huya, but there is great potential among gamers in the United States.
Huya aims to raise $165 million in its public offering, Sha said, with the intention of using the capital to invest in e-sports and content creators.
Chinese entertainment giant Tencent is the second-largest stakeholder in Huya, and will maintain its 39.5 percent ownership. "We are very excited about future collaboration with Tencent," said Sha.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/huya-soars-in-market-debut).
Arkansas corporations, private investors and the government are coming together in the hopes to make the state a global leader in the future of transportation. Governor Asa Hutchinson joined Cheddar News to relay the council's plans. "I created the Council on Future Mobility to look at expanding drone delivery, to be able to utilize autonomous or driverless vehicles in delivery, and then also to be able to look at the future and whether you can have driverless or flying cars that can be imagined," he said. Hutchinson also stated that the council will take the safety measures needed before bringing along potentially unsafe tech.
Ford is reportedly considering separating its Electric Vehicle business from its other operations, in hopes of it becoming even more valuable as the company shifts toward electric vehicles. Dan Ives, Managing Director of Equity Research, Wedbush Securities joined Cheddar's 'Opening Bell' to discuss where the company stands in the race toward electrification.
Hertz is teaming up with UFODRIVE, a self service electric vehicle rental company, as part of its commitment to lead the future of mobility. Based in Europe, UFODRIVE is the first all-digital all-electric car rental service controlled from an app. Jayesh Patel, senior VP of corporate strategy at Hertz, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the partnership and how it will propel the transition to electric vehicles.
Equip is a virtual treatment platform for eating disorders, and recently raised $58 million in a Series B round led by The Chernin Group. The company aims to revolutionize treatment for eating disorders by delivering virtual care teams and clinical expertise directly to families' homes. Equip says the need for its platform has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Eating Disorder Association's helpline has had a 107% increase in contacts since the start of the pandemic. Kristina Saffran, CEO and co-founder of Equip, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Roku shares dropped during Friday's session after the streaming company reported Q4 revenue on Thursday that missed expectations, and disappointing guidance for the Q1 of 2022. Tuna Amobi, director and senior analyst at CFRA Research, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss what it means for investors and the company's future.
Karim Hijazi, CEO of Prevailion, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says that crypto's decentralized nature will pose obstacles for the FBI's new crypto unit, but it will also make progress with items such as managing fraudulent exchanges.
