We're all familiar with IPOs from the market perspective. We've seen the announcements and watched share price rise and fall. However, when it comes time to take a company public, we may not know the basics. For instance, how long is the IPO process? Do you know how to prepare your company for an IPO?

Wilson Sonsini, a global law firm, ushering promising and innovative companies through their business life cycle, needed a time- and resource-intensive process to meet tight deadlines.

They leverage DFIN’s ActiveDisclosure platform to increase the operational efficiency of OneStream’s IPO process which provides an ecosystem of digital workflows, allowing the attorneys to securely share documents for real-time reviews and comments by clients, bankers, auditors, and other stakeholders.

OneStream, in collaboration with Wilson Sonsini and DFIN subject matter experts, used ActiveDisclosure financial reporting and SEC filing software to optimize IPO process efficiency.

It's no secret that the IPO market has been sluggish since 2021. Market volatility, geopolitical instability and increased interest rates are just a few of the forces that have tampered enthusiasm for initial public offerings. Fortunately, the trend in the first half of 2024 has shown some signs of improvement. According to the most recent figures, there were 94 total IPOs in the first half of the year, with roughly $18.5 billion in capital raised through those efforts. This represents an increase of more than 80% when compared to the same period in 2023.

In transactions as complex as mergers and acquisitions (M&As), many companies encounter pitfalls that can weaken their negotiating positions and jeopardise the success of the deal. This article will show you how to avoid the most common ones.

Achieving an IPO is a major milestone for any company. However, to achieve the best price and earn investors' confidence, you'll need to navigate a complex regulatory landscape and time the IPO effectively. 

Achieving an Initial Public Offering (IPO) is a major achievement for any company - and the rewards can be substantial. This is because gaining access to the public capital markets unlocks unlimited opportunities to grow your company and achieve your long-term strategic goals. However, to achieve the highest IPO price and a smooth integration into public life, choosing the right underwriter during the preparatory stages is essential.

In fact, the right underwriter can be the difference between a successful IPO and a failed IPO.

Organising a business plan that is articulate, ambitious and stands to scrutiny, is essential in today’s competitive global economy. This requires plenty of time and research, and the process should not be rushed, even if you are anxious to get your business to market as soon as possible.

First of all, define what you do

Define what your business does and the problem it's trying to solve. If an investor doesn’t understand what your business does after reading the first paragraph of your business plan, you may have lost their attention already.

Discover how DFIN helped PMV Pharma execute a successful IPO followed soon after by a 10-Q and 10-K.

“If we hadn’t had ActiveDisclosure in place, however, I’m not sure how we would have survived at all. We had a third-quarter 10-Q requirement very soon after IPO, and without AD, we would have had to work either through our attorneys or with a paper proofing process that would have been extremely inefficient.”
J.D. KERN 
VP & Controller at PMV Pharma 

Discover how DFIN helped Zapp go public on NASDAQ without spending a lot of time and money.

“We find ActiveDisclosure's time-saving abilities a major advantage, especially the automatic updates of financial reports and SEC disclosures when linked Excel files change.”
JONATHAN SALMON
Group Financial Controller at Zapp