First North offers companies in all industries and of all sizes access to the financial market and the risk capital needed for growth and development. We believe that your success ensures our own success, and we are therefore dedicated to helping you get the most out of the financial market.

First North is suitable for companies in different situations, such as:

• Growth companies with the ambition to develop
• Established companies that need capital to move into new markets, prevail over competition in existing ones or make acquisitions
• Family-owned companies carrying out a generation shift
• Companies open to acquisition
• Companies aiming for listing on the regulated market in the future

The reasons for going public and joining First North differ from company to company, but often the main reason is the need for capital. A growing company may need an injection of new capital to realize, for example, expansion plans, increased R&D or intensified marketing. Going public can help bring in necessary capital and also attract new investors willing to facilitate company’s growth

Going public can serve a number of other purposes, such as:

• A mark of quality, which facilities international business as well as helps attracting qualified staff
• Visibility for the company’s business as well as products
• Provide a market value of the company and its shares
• Serve as an exit opportunity for owners
• Facilitate ownership succession
• Possibility to offer employee incentive programs
• Publicity

A public company has several possibilities of raising capital on the marketplace to realize expansion plans, mergers and acquisitions or investments.

Raising capital may be the initial reason for becoming listed, but it is also a common measure used by established, already listed companies. Below is a short description of the different ways capital can be raised in the capital market and other common measures by public companies.

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The visibility of your company naturally increases when you go public since a listing requires ongoing information disclosure to the market and investors. This raises the profile of your company and products.

It is almost a guarantee that a new listing will attract attention and is covered in the media. After being admitted to trading, share data distributed by the trading and information systems of the Nordic Exchange and First North are continually seen by investors throughout the Baltics as well as Europe. However, wider attention from media and investors may require additional efforts by the company.

Being part of a bigger market and larger investor pool also requires proactive efforts from the company to raise awareness, since there are other companies that compete for visibility. If you want to stand out from the rest, there are measures that can be taken. An investor-oriented and media-friendly attitude, for example, can help to promote investor and media relations.