On June 1, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court (the Supreme Court) issued a much-anticipated decision in the case captioned Slack Technologies, LLC, fka Slack Technologies, Inc. (Slack), et al. v. Pirani (the Slack Decision), which...more
6/12/2023
/ Corporate Governance ,
Direct Listing ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 11 ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Slack ,
Slack Technologies Inc v Pirani ,
Stock Prices
Following a record-breaking year for IPOs and other going-public transactions in 2021, the beginning of 2022 has presented a challenging environment. That’s largely a result of volatile market conditions due to the ongoing...more
Following a record-breaking year for IPOs and other going-public transactions, the beginning of 2022 has presented a challenging environment. That’s largely a result of volatile market conditions due to the ongoing conflict...more
3/30/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Direct Listing ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Life Sciences ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Technology
[Editor's Note (1/25/22): This article includes an update regarding the amended rule proposal Nasdaq filed with the SEC in January 2022.]
[Editor's Note (6/1/21): This article includes an update regarding a proposed rule...more
Technology and life sciences companies went public at an extraordinary rate in the first half of 2021 and they continued to do so via different paths: initial public offerings, de-SPAC mergers and direct listings.
Our...more
In our prior article on the latest and greatest in direct listings, we noted that we were expecting that Nasdaq would follow the NYSE’s lead to allow for capital raising concurrently with a direct listing. On May 19, 2021,...more
5/27/2021
/ Capital Markets ,
Capital Raising ,
Direct Listing ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Listing Standards ,
Nasdaq ,
Proposed Rules ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
With a new U.S. administration, an economic rebound in sight and historically low interest rates that are unlikely to budge in the near-term, equity markets have been on a tear since late 2020. The torrid pace of technology...more
A recent Fenwick survey found that the length of IPO lock-up agreements for technology companies continues to predominantly be 180 days but that lock-ups are now increasingly subject to early release provisions in connection...more
9/1/2020
/ Blackout Rules ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Officers ,
Direct Listing ,
Employees ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investors ,
Lock-Up Agreement ,
Performance Standards ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Surveys ,
Technology Sector ,
Venture Capital
Our last in a series of articles on direct listings noted that we were expecting significant regulatory developments to give companies more flexibility to pursue alternatives to a traditional initial public offering. Those...more
9/1/2020
/ Capital Raising ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Direct Listing ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investors ,
Lock-Up Agreement ,
Nasdaq ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Offerings ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders ,
Venture Capital
Executing a successful IPO or direct listing in the United States requires a significant amount of work. Much of this work has to be done well in advance of the anticipated date of the company’s organizational meeting with...more
In 2019, we published analysis to help tech and life sciences companies navigate U.S. tax law changes, an evolving IP landscape and new privacy regulations such as the California Consumer Privacy Act. We also tracked venture...more
1/8/2020
/ ABC Test ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Convertible Debt ,
Corporate Governance ,
Data Privacy ,
Debt Financing ,
Direct Listing ,
Diversity ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Foreign Tax Credits ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
Life Sciences ,
Misclassification ,
New Guidance ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Privacy Laws ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proxy Season ,
Silicon Valley ,
Startups ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Venture Capital ,
Withholding Tax ,
Woman Board Members
Direct Listings: The What, The Why and Common Misconceptions -
Spotify did it. Slack did it. Many other late-stage private technology companies are reported to be seriously considering doing it. Should yours? In this...more
12/6/2019
/ Best Practices ,
Board of Directors ,
Capital Raising ,
Corporate Governance ,
Direct Listing ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Banks ,
Investment Funds ,
Investors ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Shareholders ,
Venture Capital