IPO and Exit Strategies

Introduction

There are several exit strategies in addition to an IPO. Do businesses always make the best choice or are they swayed by the market or investors? Would a merger or acquisition have been a better alternative? Or did everyone win with the IPO?

Details of the Assignment

Find a publicly traded BIOTECH-RELATED company – (some examples / options are in the table below all may not be current). Write a summary of the business using the following section headers:

Details of the business: URL, location, number of employees, date founded

Products: What are the key products for the company? Describe the target market, including number of customers and financial value. What stage of development are the products? Have they or when will they be launched? Is there more than one product in the pipeline?

Publicity & Public Info: Look through the biotech news sites – can you find formal press releases and informal gossip (try the Biofind rumor mill) about the company?

Collaborators: Are they collaborating with anyone? Why? Do they have any agreements?
Competitors: Who are the competitors out there for this company? How much of a threat are they? (will they be faster to market, are they bigger, better funded etc.)

Financial Timeline:When did the company first become a publicly traded company? (how many years after being founded) What stock exchange is the company listed on? What have been the key events in the company’s life since IPO? How have they affected the share price? Have there been other stock offerings / buybacks / splits?

Share Price:In your own opinion, did the company choose the right time for an IPO? What motivated them into a public offering? Has company strategy changed since going public? Include a chart and summary of business performance and stock prices since IPO (see Resources)

Post your analysis in the relevant conference, turnitin and in your Assignments Folder and change the title of the post to reflect the name of the company being reviewed.

I would upload a list of possible companies of which you may choose from as well as additional resources. Information or the existence of some of these companies may have changed due to M&A etc; if you have trouble with the one, please use another.