The aim of the Sparks IPO Academy is to increase the readiness of these companies for an IPO on Sparks – our SME exchange.
Participants
To ensure direct interaction with leading industry experts, the number of participating companies was limited to 15 scale-ups and SMEs. These companies were selected based on various criteria, such as management commitment, IPO maturity, track record, valuation, attractiveness of the business model/equity story as well as the likelihood of an IPO on SIX Swiss Exchange in the next 12-36 months. There was also a focus on diversity and an attempt was made to include companies from various sectors and regions across Switzerland. This year was also the first time that a company from outside of Switzerland took part.
Structure and content of the program
The exclusive six-month training program, which started with a kick-off event in November and ended with a two-day closing event in May, included eight online sessions and was supplemented with two additional in-person events compared to the first edition. On 9 February 2023, the participating companies got the chance to present their equity story and exchange ideas during speed dating session with public small-cap investors at the investors roundtable event, and on 30 March, a learning event on the topic of financial IPO readiness took place, followed by a networking aperitif in the Clouds Bar.
The program was optimized and taken to the next level. However, the core of the learning content was not changed too much and the companies were trained on topics in the areas of good corporate governance, legal matters and financial IPO readiness. Furthermore, there was a clear focus on how to create and communicate a successful public equity story, how to prepare a listing prospectus and what other rules there are to follow as a listed company.