Shares of unicorn Pure Storage fall at first hurdle

Shares slump more than five per cent

Shares in Pure Storage slumped on the firm's first day on the stock market yesterday, closing at almost a dollar lower than their debut price.

The fledgling flash firm floated yesterday morning, with share prices set at $17 (£11.09) each. By the end of the day, they were worth $16.01 - a 5.82 per cent slump.

The initial public offering was hyped across the industry, with many onlookers keen to see how the aggressive flash firm fared. It was widely expected that the fast-growing company would do well.

Fellow flash firm Violin Memory floated back in 2013, and since then its shares have tanked. Its share price at the time of its IPO was $7 each, but yesterday they closed at $1.76.

Since Pure Storage launched in the channel two years ago, it has ramped up its fiery marketing campaign, which involved entering a number of public spats with rivals - mainly EMC.

On top of this, the company's status as a so-called unicorn - a private firm with a valuation of more than $1bn - added to the IPO hype.

Its chief executive, Scott Dietzen, told The New York Times: "The markets are going to do what the markets are going to do."