what is a direct public offering dpo 
a direct public offering dpo also known as a direct listing is a type of offering in which a company offers its securities directly to the public to raise capital an issuing company using a dpo eliminates the intermediaries investment banks broker dealers and underwriters that are typical in initial public offerings ipo and self underwrites its securities 1cutting out the intermediaries from a public offering substantially lowers the cost of capital of a dpo therefore a dpo is attractive to small companies and companies with an established and loyal client base 1 a dpo is also known as direct placement 