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initial public offering

corporate finance
Also known as: IPO
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Brian Duignan
Brian Duignan is a senior editor at Encyclopædia Britannica. His subject areas include philosophy, law, social science, politics, political theory, and religion.
Timothy Lake
Timothy Lake was an Editorial Intern at Encyclopædia Britannica.
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Initial public offering
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After the seedling sprouts, public investment can help it grow.
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In corporate finance, an initial public offering (IPO) is a primary market process through which a private company first offers to sell securities (usually shares) to public investors. The act of conducting an IPO is commonly referred to as “going public.” In the process:

A private company seeking to go public typically engages one or more investment banks to assess its market value and analyze its business fundamentals. The banks also help the company:

  • Reach preliminary decisions regarding the number, price, and date of issue of company shares.
  • Market the public offering to potential investors.
  • File with the SEC a mandatory registration statement consisting of a preliminary prospectus and additional private financial information for review and approval.
  • Issue shares in accordance with the number, price, and date of issue finally agreed upon by the company and its investment banks.

As underwriters of the IPO, the banks usually purchase the shares at the agreed price and then sell them to their clientele and/or in the secondary market.

Other types of private-to-public transitions introductions to the capital market are similar to IPOs (and sometimes the terms are used interchangeably):

  • Direct public offerings (DPOs): Processes in which a private company becomes public by selling shares directly to the public on an exchange. DPOs are not backed by underwriters or other intermediaries.
  • Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs): Companies that go public in order to raise money that will be used to acquire another private market that is ready to go public.

Learn more about initial public offerings and the pre-IPO process, which may include several rounds of seed funding.

Brian DuignanTimothy Lake