The Lime IPO Offers Excitement, but This Stock Will Be the Better Long-Term Moneymaker

There seems to be a never-ending supply of initial public offerings (IPOs) in 2026, with Neutron Holdings the latest company planning to go public. Most people know Neutron better as Lime, the electric scooter and bike rental company, which I'll also refer to by that name because of its recognition.

The company steadily increased its revenue from $522 million in 2023 to $686.6 million in 2024 to $886.7 million in 2025, and its electric bike segment could see meaningful revenue growth ahead. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global electric bike market is expected to grow in value from $65.8 billion in 2026 to $193.2 billion by 2034.

That said, when Lime goes public, there's a connected company to this IPO that offers more moneymaking potential for long-term investors: Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER).

Image source: Getty Images.

Uber's connection to Lime

In 2018, Uber invested in Lime and formed a partnership in which Lime rentals would be available on the Uber app. Then, in 2020, Uber led a $170 million investment round in Lime, which also involved Uber transferring its electric bike and scooter division to Lime.

Over the last few years, that partnership has become increasingly important to Lime. In 2023, Uber accounted for 14.1% of Lime's revenue; in 2024, 15.8%; and in 2025, 14.3%. Nevertheless, Lime is losing money, reporting net losses of $122.4 million in 2023, $33.9 million in 2024, and $59.3 million in 2025.

The bigger opportunity

Lime's focus is on electric scooters and bikes, but Uber has the bigger moneymaking potential as the operator of a broader transportation network. Uber is working with autonomous carmakers Rivian Automotive and Lucid to develop a robotaxi fleet, and with Uber's reach on its app, that could open the door for other autonomous vehicle makers to seek out working with Uber.

In addition to robotaxis, as of March 31, Uber owned more than 325 million shares in the autonomous trucking company Aurora Innovation. It's also working with the air taxi company, Joby Aviation, and Joby riders will eventually be able to book trips through the Uber app.

Plus, on top of all that, it's also seeing noteworthy revenue growth in its delivery business. In Uber's 2026 first-quarter (ended March 31) earnings report, delivery revenue was more than $5 billion, a 34% increase that also topped analyst estimates of $4.8 billion.

The challenges and rewards

There's a lot of opportunity with Uber, but it also reported a significant earnings miss in its Q1 2026 earnings report.

Before the quarter's earnings call, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi cited weather disruptions, geopolitical tensions, and gas price volatility as issues the company was facing. Weather disruptions may only last for a season, but geopolitical tensions and gas price volatility aren't going to end anytime soon.

Still, for long-term investors, an investment in Uber gives you access to industries like robotaxis, autonomous trucking, and air taxis. Plus, Uber owns that stake in Lime. It will take time for most of those markets to become more commercialized, but they also offer a much bigger moneymaking opportunity for Uber than investors will experience by only investing in the Lime IPO.

Jack Delaney has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.