SPF launches centre to help startups navigate IPOs and public markets

The Startup Policy Forum (SPF), a coalition of over 50 technology-driven companies, has launched a new platform to support India's growing base of IPO-bound and recently listed startups.

The Centre for New-Age Public Companies (CNPC) aims to serve as a founder-led platform to help startups transition into public entities amid rising interest in India's capital markets.

The announcement was made in the presence of SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey during a closed-door meeting attended by 20 startup founders and executives.

The SPF said CNPC will address the regulatory, governance, and market-readiness needs of these firms, and act as a bridge between startups, investors, regulators, and market intermediaries.

The CNPC will operate across four strategic pillars designed to support new-age companies through their public market journey.

The first is advocacy, where the Centre will engage with SEBI, other regulators, policymakers, and market participants to help evolve the regulatory framework in alignment with the specific needs of digital-first companies.

The second is capacity building, which will involve organising workshops, masterclasses, and webinars focused on critical topics such as compliance, corporate governance, investor relations, and ESG best practices.

The third pillar, community engagement, aims to facilitate peer learning, knowledge sharing, and collective problem-solving among founders and CXOs of listed and IPO-bound startups.

Finally, through its Research & Insights arm, the CNPC will develop toolkits, policy briefs, and governance guides tailored to the unique requirements of tech-driven public companies in India.