Please note: Blueprint for an IPO was updated in October 2023. All links point to the updated version.
Bass, Berry & Sims is pleased to provide its Blueprint for an IPO to help companies understand the process of going public and the new challenges they will face once their securities are publicly traded. An initial public offering (IPO) is a transaction in which a company’s securities are offered to the public for the first time. Companies go public to raise capital to fuel growth, pay down debt and provide liquidity to shareholders, among other things. Going public is a corporate milestone, particularly in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act era of corporate reform. An IPO is at the same time exciting and very demanding on a company’s management team. IPO candidates face for the first time the expansive regulatory scheme administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and must deal with corporate governance processes that are much different than what they had as private companies.
Although all issuers and offerings are different, the basic process of going public remains relatively constant and this publication, in an easy to use Q&A format, identifies the key players and their roles and details the process of going public. In addition, the publication details many of the ongoing obligations a company will face after it becomes a public company.
Bass, Berry & Sims is nationally known for its extensive experience in securities transactions, and is principal securities counsel to more than 35 public companies. We have incorporated our experience into the Blueprint for an IPO for the benefit of our clients and friends and hope that it will be a valuable resource.
The Blueprint for an IPO offers discussion and analysis on the following:
- Overview Of IPOs
- Corporate Housekeeping
- Limitations On Publicity During The Offering Process
- Ongoing Disclosure Obligations
This publication is summary in nature and is not intended to be legal advice. If you would like a courtesy hard copy of the publication, please reach out to a member of our Capital Markets team. Venture Nashville Connections cited the Blueprint for an IPO in an article on September 12, 2016, “Coffee Minute: Bass Berry IPO ‘Roadmap’ Could Help in Following Ayers’ or Other IPOs.”