IPO University

To go public, a company must file a registration statement with the SEC. This document, filed electronically via EDGAR, contains a description of the company, its management and its financials. The material is reviewed by the SEC for its completeness, amount of disclosure and its presentation of accounting information. The IPO cannot go forward until the SEC is satisfied with the document. In some cases, where the SEC takes issue with a company’s accounting methodology, for example, the registration process can take months.