Facebook road show to start on Monday

The road show for Facebook Inc.'s initial public offering is scheduled to start on Monday, meaning the company's shares could begin trading May 18, a source familiar with the process told Reuters Tuesday.

Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has mostly operated in the background during Facebook's journey to public markets, will be involved in the road show, another source said.

IPO road shows, in which company executives present their strategy to prospective investors, typically last about two weeks. If the road show goes particularly well, shares sometimes start trading a few days earlier.

The sources did not want to be identified because they are not authorized to speak about the company's IPO.

Facebook is set to raise at least $5 billion in what will likely be the largest Silicon Valley IPO ever, valuing the company at $75 billion to $100 billion.

"I have not seen as broad-based interest in an IPO since Google. Investor demand is immense," said Scott Sweet of research firm IPO Boutique. "I expect a road show that will rival all road shows where investors will be turned away at the door."

Jonathan Thaw, a spokesman for Facebook, declined to comment.

-- Wire reports