What Are the Risks in Pre-IPO?

Pre-IPO is an investment option that allows investors to purchase shares of private companies before they go public. These shares are often traded at a discount to the company’s IPO price.

Investing in pre-IPOs can be lucrative, but it comes with certain risks. You should be sure to do your research before making an investment.

Low Returns

Pre-IPO stocks are private company shares sold to investors before a public company goes public. They are usually bought by institutional investors, hedge funds, venture capitalists and private equity firms. However, high-net-worth individual (HNWI) investors sometimes also invest in these pre-IPOs.

Low Returns

Compared with other investments, investing in pre-IPOs at preipoconnect.com can be extremely risky, and it’s unlikely that you will get the returns you expect. If the company stock doesn’t perform well, you could end up losing your entire investment.

Liquidity Crunch

A lack of liquidity in the market may lead to a liquidity crunch for companies that are seeking financing through an IPO. The IPO process could be delayed, postponed or canceled altogether.

In the pre-IPO period, many private equity firms, HNIs and hedge funds raise capital in a number of ways. One is through a pre-IPO placement method, which involves the sale of shares before an IPO goes live in the market.

Another is through a secondary offering, which means companies issue shares to investors at a discounted rate. This is done to fund unforeseen circumstances during the IPO, increase trading volume or provide additional additive capital later on.

While a lack of liquidity is certainly an issue for some companies, others are using it as a monetization opportunity to boost cash flow or build up future growth potential. The pre-IPO space is a highly fragmented and complex market that requires an array of intermediaries to match buyers and sellers, structure transactions, provide market insights, create new trading platforms and assist with transfer processes.

Few Companies Paying Dividends

While paying dividends may seem like an obvious way to boost the liquidity of a company before its IPO, few companies do so. Instead, they focus on growth and reinvest profits to develop new products or services.

The risk of paying a dividend before the IPO is that it sends a negative signal to potential investors. Furthermore, tax laws change over time and make dividends less attractive than capital gains.

Some companies pay pre-IPO dividends because they fall under specific legal classifications, such as real estate investment trusts (REITs). Others do so due to industry dynamics and regulations.

In general, these dividends are usually paid to private shareholders, and they often end when the company goes public. However, some companies choose to use their pre-IPO dividends as a way to finance their IPO through a dividend recapitalization strategy. This can provide a guaranteed return to company insiders and other private shareholders, but it also increases debt levels.

Total Capital Washout

Pre-IPO investing is a risky endeavor because it involves unregistered shares. There is a large risk of frauds, scams, and cons. Investing in the wrong company can be devastating to your finances.

In addition, there are no liquidity guarantees in the pre-IPO market. This means you won’t be able to sell your shares and get your money back if the company goes bankrupt.

The best way to mitigate this risk is by diversifying your portfolio. It’s also a good idea to get an unbiased second opinion on the company you want to invest in.

One of the leading companies in this space is EquityZen, which recently facilitated 29 private company-sponsored secondary transactions in a six month period. The company’s transactional technology makes it easier for both buyers and sellers to complete deals.