Officials of companies on the verge of going public must make certain the company is ready for the plunge, according to Edward C. Blair Jr., a partner of William Blair & Co., a full-service investment banking firm located in Chicago.
With three other people, Blair spoke to the MountainWest Venture Group in the Marriott Hotel Thursday and offered tips on what companies should and shouldn't do when approaching venture capitalists.Blair said some companies are right for going public, but the market isn't. Other times the market is right, but the company isn't ready. Part of getting ready to go public is hiring experts who can assist the company when it starts selling stock.
Other speakers were Joseph Carlson, portfolio manager for Dialogic Systems Corp.; Orrin Phillips, Thiokol Corp.; and Don Parsons, Centennial Group, who are helping several companies refine presentations that will be made to the Wayne Brown Institute Venture Capital Conference March 5 in the University Park Hotel.