Greensheet

Categories: Banking

You run a company that makes Vitality! energy gum. It‘s chewing gum that tastes like an energy drink (though it doesn’t actually give the chewer any additional energy...but the FDA doesn’t require any label, so you don't really mention that part).

You started the business with a chemistry set in your garage and now you have millions in sales. You’re ready to sell your stock in the public market and bring in some real cash. Time for an initial public offering, or IPO.

As part of this, you’re going to hire an underwriter, a bank that will conduct the IPO. They are going to prepare a greensheet, a document that lays out the key info related to the offering. It’s like an executive summary, used for internal marketing.

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