With the country—and the economy—reopening, there is increased interest in the initial public offering as a financing model for privately held companies.

The Wall Street Journal describes late summer 2021 as a “searing market” for newly public companies. Well-known firms such as the trading app platform Robinhood as well as several high-profile outdoor grill and restaurant companies and multiple portfolio entities of private equity companies, are among those going public in the current uptick of activity.

Yet despite these projections, the IPO process remains a fairly complex, highly regulated, expensive and ultimately uncertain process for many companies. For those reasons, there is value in corporate leadership familiarizing themselves and their board members with the elements of the process and both its overall advantages and disadvantages. A “boardroom briefing” on IPOs might cover the following topics, among others.