Former investment banker, venture capitalist and analyst, Lise Buyer, is no stranger to controversial IPOs. About five years ago, she was a key architect of Google's unconventional, auction-styled initial offering. It was a formative time for her and the experience helped shape her new role as a consultant to companies that need guidance through the IPO process. I caught up with Lise at the Citibank media conference in Arizona recently. She gave me her video pitch for her new consulting practice, Class V Group, which helps companies in this exit process.
Of course, I couldn't let Lise go without getting her to share some lessons she's learned from executing an extremely controversial and unpopular IPO process. Not surprisingly, the biggest lesson for her was learning how to accept change. "Just because it hasn't been done that way before, there are all sorts of ways to make the process efficient," she said in this video. Essentially, she says that "time-honored" traditions have a shelf life. The other lessons she provides are learning to be patient in the process and being as upfront about negative aspects of the business. But I'm not going to tell you her advice. You should watch and listen for yourself.
