Alex Porter describes his role at Nasdaq, 
which he calls “one of the best jobs in the 
world,” in simple terms: to help companies 
grow in the private markets and go public 
through successful transactions. 
The Senior Managing Director of New 
Listings and Capital Markets, Porter advises 
leaders long before they make their debut 
on the Nasdaq podium. He says the stron­
gest candidates begin working with an 
exchange 12 to 24 months before a poten­
tial IPO. They use the time to strengthen 
governance, build their boards, sharpen 
investor communications, and prepare 
their people, processes, and technology 
for public-company expectations. 
Making sure the right CFO is in place, 
closing the books quickly, and forecasting 
financials consistently for at least four 
consecutive quarters are other critical 
steps. “You want to operate like a public 
company before you are,” Porter says.
Recommended preparation also includes 
sustained engagement with institutional 
investors. A few conferences or non-deal 
roadshows are not enough. “Companies 
that are serious about the public markets 
should be engaging with investors starting 
two years before they plan to go public,” 
he says.  
That ongoing dialogue helps final pre-IPO 
meetings feel like conversations with people 
who know and understand the company. 
Nasdaq is the go-to destination for the 
sector. Nasdaq is home to 94% of public 
biotechnology companies in the United 
States, and 93% of all eligible healthcare 
IPOs since 2021 have chosen the exchange. 
In June, Parabilis Medicines raised $670 
million in the largest biotechnology IPO 
on record.
Porter sees strong opportunity in 
Colorado. The state has produced suc­
cessful public companies, including DaVita, 
Biodesix, and Paragon 28, while devel­
oping a deep pipeline of venture-backed 
innovators across diagnostics, medical 
devices, digital health, and therapeutics.
“The best companies with the best science, 
the best leadership teams, and the biggest 
markets are going to surface and be taken 
seriously,” he says.
As the biotechnology IPO market reopens, 
Porter believes Colorado is increasingly 
positioned to produce the next generation 
of public healthcare companies.
He welcomes the chance to help them 
reach that defining moment.
“We get to help companies and their leaders 
go through one of the most exciting and 
memorable moments of their lives and 
capitalize their business for their next 
stage of growth,” Porter says. “It’s incred­
ibly rewarding, especially when working 
with life sciences companies solving the 
hardest and most important problems.”
For Colorado companies looking ahead, 
his message is clear: prepare early, build 
strong investor relationships, and run the 
business as though the public markets are 
already watching your every move.   
NASDAQ Prepares Companies for the Public Stage
“
The best companies with 
the best science, the 
best leadership teams, 
and the biggest markets 
are going to surface and 
be taken seriously.
A L E X  P O RT E R
S E N I O R M A N AG I N G  D I R E CTO R 
N E W  L I ST I N G S  &  C A P I TA L M A R K E T S
N A S D AQ
Parabilis Medicines celebrates its June 
2026 Nasdaq debut after completing 
the largest biotechnology IPO on 
record. Credit: Nasdaq.
32     2026-27 BIOSCIENCE COLORADO

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