Firms generally begin as privately owned entities. When they grow large enough, the decision to go public and its consequences are among the most crucial times in a firm's life cycle. The first time a firm is a reporting issuer gives rise to tremendous responsibilities about disclosing public...

"This book provides a comprehensive analysis of IPOs. The chapters cover the latest information on a range of fundamental questions, including: How are IPOs regulated? How are IPOs valued? How well does an IPO perform in the short and long run, and what are the drivers of performance"--

In this chapter, we present worldwide VC investment, exit and initial public offering (IPO) data up to 2010. Also, we focus on investment activity at the local level with reference to data from Canada and the U.S. We provide statistics which highlight how differences in investment and IPO exit...