Here comes the SPAC attack

Here comes the SPAC attack

The IPO market is getting ugly for many startups, but the sun is still shining for special-purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs — sort of shell companies with blank-checks to acquire other companies opportunistically.

SPACs are raising money hand-over-fist with public offerings, and since they have only 18 to 24 months to spend their stash, they’re eager to deal. Two SPACs, in fact, have recently cut deals with biotech startups, and chances are good they’ll be nosing… Continue Reading

Brace yourselves for the SPAC attack

Brace yourselves for the SPAC attack

Life-science IPOs may be hitting the wall — so far this year, seven biotech and medical-device startups have yanked their offerings — but one part of the IPO market is booming. That’s the field of “special-purpose acquisition corporations,” or SPACs, which are essentially blank-check companies that raise money through initial offerings specifically for the purpose of acquiring other companies.

At Renaissance Capital’s IPOhome news page (partial screenshot here, as the flow of news will probably throw… Continue Reading