In researching and updating our treatise, Exempt and Hybrid Securities Laws, we regularly review recent literature regarding capital markets developments. The principal underlying thesis of the treatise has been that exempt and hybrid offerings were becoming significantly more important as capital-raising tools. While that was true although not necessarily obvious when we first published the treatise, it seems to be a trend that has become even more pronounced in recent years, even affecting the number of IPOs. Each week, we'll be posting our "favorite" articles on these topics. Herewith, the first installment:
Unicorns, Guardians, and the Concentration of the U.S. Equity Markets, Amy Deen Westbrook and David A. Westbrook. This article discusses the more concentrated ownership of both private and public companies in recent years, including the closely held nature of most unicorns. Given the concentration of ownership in successful privately held companies and in most public companies today, the article addresses the governance and stewardship issues that this ownership concentration poses.
The Twilight of Equity Liquidity, Jeff Schwartz, 34 Cardozo L. Rev. 531. This article discusses a new approach to regulating companies, with the cornerstone being a new market for newly public companies (a "venture exchange"), which should be designed to encourage companies to pursue IPOs and revive the IPO market, as well as a more extensive "on-ramp" or phasing in of regulatory requirements as companies mature.
Regulating Unicorns: Disclosure and the New Private Economy, Jennifer Fan, 57 B.C. L. Rev. 583. This article discusses the unicorn phenomenon and the need to re-think regulation to address the growth of privately held companies with robust valuations and dispersed ownership.
Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.
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