Not long ago IPOs were the answer to many entrepreneur's
prayers – a listing on AIM was seen as a quick and
efficient way to access funds allowing small and growing companies
to expand quickly.
Since the collapse of Lehmans however, the world has been a very
different place. The flood of applications to list on AIM has
become a trickle and being listed on a "growth" market
has for many companies been a big disappointment as investors
become more cautious and choose to place their funds only in
"blue chip" companies (now excluding Banks!)
In 1995 AIM began as a market for small companies with big plans
who found difficulty in accessing capital using traditional routes,
in many cases they lacked assets or cashflow to allow debt funding
on any scale equity funding was the only option. The flexible
regulatory environment provided by AIM has attracted over 3,000
companies from around the world but there is no doubt that the
current economic climate has led to a serious
