Valeska Pederson Hintz is quoted in Forbes in which she discusses Slack, a work-messaging tech unicorn, and the company’s plan to forego a traditional initial public offering (IPO) in favor of a direct listing this year. The article describes this as an unconventional move that could encourage other tech unicorn companies to consider a direct listing in lieu of an IPO, though this isn’t likely to become a mainstream trend. Pederson Hintz suggests that large tech unicorns are uniquely positioned to take advantage of a direct listing for their market debut because they are often well-capitalized and have brand recognition (Wealth Daily also quotes Pederson Hintz on this point). She states that direct listings are faster and cheaper than traditional IPOs. (subscription required to access article)