Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s 2021 Mid-Year Technology and Life Sciences IPO Report presents analyses related to the pricing of 123 initial public offerings completed by U.S.-based technology and life sciences companies between January 1 and June 30, 2021. The report includes IPO filing, pricing, and value statistics for both sectors; governance details; ownership and structure factors; and defensive measure data points. The report also briefly discusses concurrent private placements, indications of interest, direct listings, and special purpose acquisition companies.

The first half of 2021 has proven to be the most active first half of any year for tech and life sciences IPOs since the high levels reached during the dot-com era in the late 1990s. As 2020 wound down, closing out a surprisingly robust year that saw unexpected numbers of technology and life sciences IPOs—despite the pandemic—the number of IPOs in early 2021 started with a burst and has since maintained a frenetic pace with clusters of technology and life sciences IPOs pricing steadily, week-by-week. Comparing the first six-month period of 2021 IPO activity with the same timeframe covered in the firm’s 2020 Year-End IPO Report, the total number of IPOs for this year’s first six months is nearly four times the total number of IPOs. In short, 2021 thus far is on pace to be a record year for technology and life sciences IPOs.