TheCorporateCounsel.net

Here’s some encouraging news:

In Q1 2025, the US IPO market saw a 55% uptick in the number of deals and a modest increase in total proceeds. The health care and technology sectors led the activity, while significant deals across various industries pointed to broader market interest.

That’s from an EY recap of Q1 IPO stats. However, momentum is choppy at best, and as this WSJ article points out, few venture-backed tech companies are rushing to market:

Just nine venture-backed companies went public in the US this year, including several biotechs and a couple of Chinese financial and consumer companies, according to Renaissance. That is fewer than the 11 that began trading in the same period last year.

No American tech company with a large ownership by venture investors has gone public this year yet.

One reason for pause is that new IPOs are likely to be a down-round for VCs who invested at sky-high valuations. A recent article from The Information says that’s been the case for every venture-backed IPO for the past 12 months! Even so, some of those investors may be willing to patiently recover their capital in the public markets. The WSJ notes:

“For many VC-backed names, it’s not a matter of avoiding a down round entirely,” Kennedy said, “as much as mitigating it.”

Companies go public to raise capital and provide liquidity to their investors. And a down-round IPO isn’t destiny—shares can rebound and soar over the longer term. Venture-backed ServiceTitan, for example, went public in December at $71 a share, well below the $118.96 paid by investors for its Series G stock in 2021. At $126.71 at Tuesday’s close, the company’s share price is up almost 80% since the IPO.

So, take heart, set expectations, and be ready to gear up if the IPO window really does open!

– Liz Dunshee