April 18 (Reuters) - Digital marketing firm Ibotta was valued at $3.55 billion in its market debut on Thursday, after shares of the Walmart-backed company opened 33% higher on the NYSE.

Ibotta sold 6.6 million shares at $88 apiece in its initial public offering (IPO), raising $577.3 million. Its earlier price range was $76-$84 apiece.

Tech offerings are leading the charge as the U.S. IPO market rebounds in 2024, after a sluggish two years, fueled by hopes of a soft landing in the economy.

"We're going to use the proceeds of the IPO to build out the AI-enabled technology to provide richer set of capabilities for our advertisers, who want to be able to reach large audiences," Ibotta CEO Bryan Leach told Reuters in an interview.

Ibotta provides a platform for consumer brands to deliver promotions to customers and offer cash-back rewards on their everyday purchases. (Reporting by Jaiveer Shekhawat and Sri Hari N S in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Shilpi Majumdar)