Initial Public Offerings and Equity Markets Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Corporate Finance Managers, Treasury Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-TI-053

Before you join: Participants should understand core financial statements, corporate finance concepts and basic company valuation terminology.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

An initial public offering is a financing event, a governance transition and a public-market commitment. Issuers must establish a credible equity story, produce reliable financial information, meet listing and disclosure rules, secure investor demand and price shares within a narrow market window. Treasury, finance, corporate development and advisory professionals need to understand how these decisions connect, from IPO readiness through pricing, allocation and aftermarket performance.

This course examines the end-to-end IPO and equity capital markets process. Participants assess whether an IPO is suitable, prepare an issuer readiness plan, build and defend valuation ranges, interpret prospectus requirements, coordinate advisers and manage bookbuilding decisions. The syllabus covers primary and secondary offerings, financial reporting, due diligence, underwriting, investor education, roadshows, order-book analysis, allocation, stabilisation and post-listing investor relations. Participants learn the practical terminology, transaction documents and decision points used by issuers, banks, counsel, auditors and institutional investors.

Teaching combines concise instructor briefings with transaction cases, valuation analysis, document reviews, group discussions and bookbuilding simulations. Participants work with realistic issuer information, including forecasts, comparable-company data, investor orders and transaction timetables. They leave with an IPO execution pack containing readiness, valuation, disclosure, timetable and allocation materials that can be adapted for a planned listing, pre-IPO funding round or advisory mandate. The course is delivered over five days in a classroom in 50+ cities or live online, with approximately 6.5 contact hours each day. Participants receive a certificate of completion.

The course is designed for professionals who already work with corporate finance, financial reporting, investments or capital markets and need a structured working knowledge of equity issuance transactions.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess IPO suitability using funding, ownership, governance and market-readiness criteria
  • Build an IPO readiness workstream plan covering finance, legal, governance and communications tasks
  • Construct IPO valuation ranges using comparable companies, precedent transactions and DCF analysis
  • Prepare a financial-information and disclosure plan for prospectus production and verification
  • Coordinate issuer, underwriter, auditor, counsel and exchange responsibilities through a transaction timetable
  • Interpret bookbuilding data to recommend price ranges, investor allocations and greenshoe actions
  • Apply listing, prospectus, market-abuse and investor-communication controls to an equity offering
  • Create a post-IPO reporting and investor-relations plan for the first year of public ownership

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Contribute credibly to IPO readiness meetings and adviser discussions
  • Evaluate valuation arguments beyond headline price-to-earnings multiples
  • Interpret underwriting, prospectus and bookbuilding terminology used in live transactions
  • Identify financial reporting and governance gaps before formal IPO preparation begins
  • Build a practical pathway into ECM, corporate finance or investor-relations responsibilities

For your organisation

  • Earlier identification of IPO readiness gaps in reporting, controls and governance
  • Better coordination between finance, treasury, legal, communications and external advisers
  • More disciplined valuation expectations before selecting underwriters or launching a process
  • Improved oversight of disclosure, verification and market-communication risks
  • Stronger post-listing preparation for reporting deadlines, investor engagement and ownership changes

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can assess whether an IPO is an appropriate financing or exit route and identify its principal structural choices.

  • IPO objectives, funding alternatives and ownership consequences assessed against corporate strategy
  • Primary shares, secondary sales and greenshoe options distinguished
  • Equity story translated into investable growth, returns and risk drivers
  • Exit routes compared: IPO, trade sale, sponsor sale and dual-track process
  • Public-company obligations mapped before selecting a listing route
  • Board readiness evaluated using governance, controls and disclosure criteria

Participants can diagnose IPO readiness and create an integrated plan for issuer preparation.

  • IPO readiness diagnostic covering governance, reporting, controls and management bandwidth
  • Workstream plan sequenced across legal, finance, tax, communications and banks
  • Financial due diligence findings converted into remediation priorities
  • Historical financial information prepared under applicable reporting standards
  • Internal control gaps assessed against SOX-style documentation and testing
  • Data room protocols established for advisers, auditors and underwriters

Participants can develop and defend an IPO valuation range using accepted equity valuation methods.

  • Comparable-company analysis selects peers, multiples, adjustments and valuation ranges
  • Precedent transaction analysis distinguishes control premiums from market pricing
  • DCF valuation derives equity value from forecasts, WACC and terminal value
  • Enterprise value reconciled to equity value through net debt adjustments
  • IPO discount evaluated against execution risk, liquidity and aftermarket support
  • Valuation range defended using sensitivity tables and investor feedback

Participants can plan the financial reporting, disclosure and verification work required for an IPO prospectus.

  • IFRS financial statements aligned with prospectus financial-information requirements
  • Pro forma financial information constructed for acquisitions, disposals and reorganisations
  • Management discussion and analysis connects performance, liquidity and key risks
  • Non-GAAP measures reconciled, labelled and controlled under applicable guidance
  • Working capital statement supported by forecasts, assumptions and downside cases
  • Disclosure controls assign ownership, review evidence and sign-off responsibilities

Participants can identify the core regulatory, listing and liability considerations affecting an equity offering.

  • Listing venue criteria compared across eligibility, free float and governance requirements
  • Prospectus sections mapped to materiality, verification and liability standards
  • SEC Regulation S-K disclosure requirements contrasted with other listing regimes
  • Rule 144A and Regulation S structures explained for international offerings
  • Insider dealing, market abuse and blackout controls incorporated into timetables
  • Verification notes document source evidence for material prospectus statements

Participants can coordinate the adviser group and maintain effective governance throughout IPO execution.

  • Underwriter roles allocated across lead left, syndicate and selling group
  • Mandate selection evaluates research quality, distribution strength and sector credentials
  • IPO timetable coordinates issuer, banks, counsel, auditors, exchange and regulator
  • Due diligence sessions test business claims, forecasts and risk disclosures
  • Underwriting agreement terms examined: representations, indemnities, lock-ups and termination rights
  • Decision logs maintain accountability for unresolved transaction issues

Participants can prepare investor-facing messages and manage the principal controls around IPO marketing.

  • Analyst education establishes sector context before permitted investor communications
  • Equity research positions the issuer against peers and investment themes
  • Roadshow messaging separates factual disclosure from forward-looking promotion
  • Management presentations handle difficult valuation, risk and governance questions
  • Target investor lists balance long-only funds, hedge funds and retail demand
  • Marketing restrictions managed across jurisdictions, media channels and digital communications

Participants can interpret order-book evidence and support defensible pricing and allocation decisions.

  • Order book data interpreted by price, size, quality and investor type
  • Price range set using valuation, market conditions and early investor feedback
  • Indications of interest converted into demand curves and allocation scenarios
  • Cornerstone and anchor investors assessed for signalling, concentration and lock-up effects
  • Allocation principles balance price discipline, aftermarket stability and shareholder quality
  • Greenshoe mechanism explained through over-allotment, stabilisation and share lending

Participants can manage the critical execution steps from launch through admission to trading.

  • Launch decision integrates readiness status, market window and competing issuance
  • Public filing, announcement and bookbuild milestones controlled through critical-path tracking
  • Pricing committee materials assemble demand, valuation, risks and recommended terms
  • Settlement workflow covers allocations, confirmations, payment and admission to trading
  • Market stabilisation monitored within permitted price-support and disclosure rules
  • Contingency actions prepared for weak demand, volatility or adverse disclosures

Participants can establish post-IPO reporting, investor-relations and aftermarket monitoring priorities.

  • First-day trading analysed through pricing accuracy, liquidity and volatility indicators
  • Lock-up expiry calendar identifies potential supply events and communication needs
  • Investor relations calendar schedules results, guidance, meetings and shareholder feedback
  • Post-IPO reporting timetable assigns owners for earnings and continuous disclosure
  • Aftermarket performance reviewed against peer returns, volumes and ownership changes
  • Personal application plan prioritises transaction-readiness improvements for participants' organisations

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. IPO readiness diagnostic template
  2. IPO workstream and critical-path timetable
  3. Equity valuation range model
  4. Prospectus disclosure and verification checklist
  5. Bookbuilding and allocation decision framework
  6. Post-IPO reporting and investor-relations calendar

Who should attend

  • Corporate Finance Managers — preparing issuers for equity fundraising, listings or pre-IPO transactions
  • Treasury Managers — evaluating equity funding alongside debt capacity and capital structure decisions
  • Financial Controllers — producing IPO-ready financial information, controls and reporting evidence
  • Investment Banking Analysts and Associates — supporting ECM execution, valuation and investor materials
  • Corporate Development Professionals — assessing IPO exit routes, valuation and transaction readiness
  • Investor Relations Managers — preparing for public-market communications and shareholder engagement

Skills and tools covered

IPO readiness assessmentEquity valuationProspectus disclosureBookbuilding analysisInvestor allocationPost-IPO reporting

Tools and standards

Bookbuilding, SEC Regulation S-K, IFRS, Rule 144A and Regulation S

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce transaction mechanics, followed by issuer cases, valuation work, document reviews, group analysis and bookbuilding simulations. Participants assess IPO readiness evidence, interpret comparable-company data, review prospectus disclosures and make pricing and allocation recommendations from an investor order book. Facilitated discussion compares issuer, underwriter and investor perspectives. Each participant develops an application plan using their own organisation, a client situation or a realistic issuer scenario.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand core financial statements, corporate finance concepts and basic company valuation terminology. Experience in treasury, financial planning, accounting, corporate development, investment banking, legal advisory or investment analysis is useful. Participants should be comfortable reading an income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement and simple valuation multiples. Prior IPO transaction experience is not required, nor is detailed knowledge of securities law, investment banking models or a particular stock exchange. The course explains transaction terminology and regulatory concepts before applying them.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should understand financial statements, core corporate finance concepts and basic valuation terms. Previous IPO experience is not required, and securities-law concepts are introduced before they are applied.

Participants should bring a laptop if possible, particularly for valuation and transaction-planning work. They may also bring a non-confidential issuer, funding or listing scenario to use during application planning.

The course suits corporate finance, treasury, controllership, corporate development, investment banking and investor-relations professionals. It is particularly useful for teams preparing an issuer for future equity fundraising or a listing.

General corporate finance courses focus on financing decisions and valuation methods in isolation. This course applies those methods within the IPO process, including prospectus disclosure, underwriting, marketing, bookbuilding, allocation and post-listing obligations.

Participants can use the readiness diagnostic to identify gaps in reporting, governance and management capacity. They can also apply the valuation, timetable, disclosure and investor-relations materials to internal planning or client assignments.

The five days provide approximately 32.5 contact hours, combining transaction foundations, readiness, valuation, regulation, marketing, bookbuilding, execution and aftermarket responsibilities. Each day includes instructor input, applied case work and structured discussion.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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