Exclusive - Hot tech start-up Box picks banks for '14 IPO - sources

Data storage company Box, one of the most highly anticipated IPO candidates in Silicon Valley, has selected banks to lead a proposed initial public offering that could come in the first half of 2014, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The fast-growing technology start-up has selected Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and JPMorgan Chase & Co to lead the offering that could raise around $500 million, the people said.

Representatives for Box, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse did not immediately respond to requests for comment. JPMorgan declined to comment.

Box is one of several high-profile start-ups gearing up for an IPO, on the heels of a successful debut by Twitter Inc on Thursday, which raised more than $1.8 billion for the microblogging company.

(Reporting by Nicola Leske and Olivia Oran in New York, Editing by Soyoung Kim and Gerald E. McCormick)