An initial public offering (IPO), referred to simply as an "offering" or "flotation", is when a company (called the issuer) issues common

stock or shares to the public for the first time. They are often issued by smaller, younger companies seeking capital to expand, but can also be done by large privately owned companies looking to become publicly traded. In an IPO the issuer obtains the assistance of an underwriting firm, which helps determine what type of security to issue (common or preferred), best offering price and time to bring it to market.

A follow-on offering (often called secondary offering) is an issuance of stock subsequent to the company's initial public offering. A follow-on offering can be either of two types (or a mixture of both): dilutive and non-dilutive. A secondary offering is an offering of securities by a shareholder of the company (as opposed to the company itself, which is a primary offering). A follow on offering is preceded by release of prospectus similar to IPO: a Followon Public Offer (FPO).