Rusty Wiley is CEO of Datasite, a leading provider of private markets tools that drive execution across the full investment lifecycle.
The initial public offering (IPO) venue, or the exchange or market where a company lists, used to be treated as a late-stage decision, made after a company had tested its business, financials and investor story.
However, companies now need the data infrastructure, disclosure processes and diligence workflows to assess multiple markets well before filing. Listing strategy belongs at the beginning of IPO readiness planning, not at the end.
How Boards Play A Role In Venue Selection
Based on the preparation activity I see before public filings, companies are organizing diligence earlier and assessing multiple markets, investor bases and regulatory pathways before committing to a venue.
This is a board-level question about valuation, investor fit and execution risk: Which jurisdictions can support the company’s disclosure profile, peer set and long-term liquidity needs? What work must be done before a public filing?
The shift from calendar-driven IPO planning to readiness-driven planning is prompting companies to begin governance upgrades, financial reporting preparation and equity-story development as much as 18 to 24 months before a potential listing, as noted by Mike Bellin, U.S. IPO services leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, in a recent interview with Crunchbase.
The change is clearest before companies file publicly. Issuers are organizing diligence materials sooner, involving advisers across jurisdictions and stress-testing investor narratives earlier.
That requires more than assembling documents. Companies need a structured information environment in which financial, legal, governance and commercial materials can be updated once, reviewed securely and adapted for different disclosure regimes.
The aim is not to keep every option open indefinitely, but to determine which markets are credible before timing, valuation or investor appetite forces a decision.
What The Data Shows
Recent market activity shows why that analysis matters.
Some European companies continue to evaluate U.S. listings, according to the European Central Bank, because New York can offer deeper liquidity, a broader peer set and larger pools of capital for certain growth sectors.
That does not mean every European issuer should look abroad. It means venue choice is becoming a more strategic assessment of where a company’s sector, growth profile and investor narrative will be best understood, especially in areas such as AI infrastructure and advanced technology.
Platform activity on Datasite, the company I lead, offers another early indicator. The number of global capital-raising projects initiated on the platform rose 13% in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, while projects identified as fund raising or IPO-related rose 22%. These figures reflect anonymized, aggregated project activity rather than completed transactions.
Because preparation often begins well before a public filing, the increases suggest that more companies are positioning themselves to act, even as execution windows remain episodic.
In that environment, the companies best positioned to move are those that have already aligned advisers, prepared governance materials, organized diligence and shaped a consistent investment case that can be adapted responsibly for different markets.
Making The Venue Decision
Venue optionality is valuable only when it is operationally credible. A company may appeal to investors in more than one market, but it still needs financial information, governance records, security controls and adviser workflows that can withstand different levels of scrutiny.
Technology can make that information easier to organize, update and review. It cannot resolve weak governance, unclear economics or an investor narrative that changes from one audience to another.
Venue optionality can determine whether a company can act when a window opens. If regulatory, valuation or investor-demand assumptions change, companies that have prepared for more than one credible market can adjust without restarting the process. Those that have not may miss narrow windows, lose valuation leverage or duplicate disclosure and diligence work under pressure.
These capabilities turn venue selection from a preference into an evidence-based decision. Companies do not need identical materials or messaging in every jurisdiction, but they do need a consistent investment case supported by reliable information and adaptable disclosure processes. Clean financials and a compelling growth story remain essential, but they are no longer enough on their own.
Four Tests Of Venue Readiness
CEOs, CFOs and boards can evaluate venue readiness through four tests:
• Investor Fit: Identify where the company’s sector, growth model and peer group are best understood. Management should test not only initial investor interest but also the depth of the likely long-term shareholder base.
• Disclosure Readiness: Map the financial reporting, governance and regulatory requirements for each credible venue. Address material gaps before the company enters a filing timetable.
• Execution Readiness: Build a controlled source of information that advisers can review efficiently across jurisdictions. Set clear ownership, access and update processes so parallel preparation does not create conflicting documents or duplicate work.
• Aftermarket Readiness: Evaluate research coverage, trading liquidity and the company’s ability to sustain investor engagement after listing. A strong first day is not the same as a durable public market.
The IPO window is reopening selectively, not uniformly. Companies that can compare venues, adapt disclosure work and test investor demand before filing will have more room to act when conditions improve.
Companies can’t count on predicting the perfect market window, but they can build the information, governance and execution infrastructure to use one when it appears.
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