We describe and analyze how a stock exchange can be used to finance emerging companies and to assume the role usually played by private VCs. We find that the Canadian public VC market has a success rate which is approximately four times the corresponding rate for private VC. The public VC market...

To close an asserted equity gap, the Canadian regulators implemented the Capital Pool Company program, which enables small firms to directly access the stock market, thus bypassing the conventional growth cycle. Similar to American Blind Pools/Blank-Checks, Capital Pool Companies have spawned...

We analyze the long-run performance of the population of Canadian firms that cross-list in the US between 1990 and 2005, paying particular attention to cross-delisting companies. We ask why, since numerous firms cross-list to get the advantages associated with cross-listing, these firms'...

The Canadian stock market lists many low capitalization securities, i.e. "penny stocks, which are generally acquired and exchanged by individual investors. These securities have not been studied in depth and are thus not very well known. We describe this market and three particular risk forms to...

In Canada, most of the private placements are offered by small and unprofitable entrepreneurial ventures -- for which the asymmetry of information and adverse selection problems are particularly acute. Private placements are a very important source of equity for these emerging businesses. In...

According to Coffee (2002), the number of securities exchanges in the world is likely to eventually shrink radically, under the effects of globalization and technology, thus leading to the question of the survival of relatively small exchanges. However, little information exists regarding the...

Most countries have set up structures and programs for new business creation and financing. We analyze strategies implemented in France, Germany and United Kingdom, where the proportion of government funds in venture capital financing is significantly smaller than in the Quebec, yet the rate of...

Acknowledging that securities regulation penalizes small growing firms in their attempt to raise equity capital, most of the Canadian provinces have recently reformed their exemption rules. These rules allow the issuance of securities outside the boundaries of securities regulation. The rules...

We analyze the survival and success of a large sample of Canadian penny stock initial public offerings (IPOs), launched mostly by small and unprofitable firms from 1986 to 2003. The failure rate of these IPOs is lower than the one observed in the U.S. for larger IPOs, probably because of lax...

The Quebec Stock Savings Plan (QSSP) is one of the oldest tax expenditures programs put in place by the Quebec government to capitalize small businesses. Subsequently adopted by other provinces, QSSP is primarily intended to increase the demand for newly issued shares of small businesses. This...