美国总统奥巴马签署《创业企业融资法案》（JOBS）两个月以来，已有几十家“新兴公司”向美国证券交易委员会（SEC）提交了保密的IPO登记文件。有些公司甚至已经结束了闭门审核流程，提交了“公开”文件（如LegalZoom）。

    从我听到的情况看，该流程运转顺利。SEC为此类发行人创建了一个安全电子邮件系统，让这些年轻的非上市公司能在媒体镁光灯之外解决一些微妙的问题。

    但是对于还没有确定究竟是上市、还是被收购的新兴公司，这一新选择让人左右为难。如何在秘密推进IPO计划的同时，继续寻求被收购的机会？

    要回答这个问题，不妨看看Fleetmatics，这是波士顿一家为商业车队提供全球定位服务（GPS）追踪应用的公司。5月25日，该公司发表了一份简短声明：FleetMatics Group Limited日前宣布，公司计划推进已完成登记的普通股IPO。FleetMatics于2012年5月17日保密提交了IPO登记表草稿，预计在SEC完成审核流程后将启动IPO。

    换言之：“嗨，潜在的收购者，我们愿意谈谈。”

    聪明的变通方法。其他公司是否效仿Fleetmatics，值得关注。

    译者：早稻米

    It's been two months since President Obama signed the JOBS Act into law, and dozens of "emerging companies" already have filed confidential IPO registration papers with the SEC. Some even have emerged from the private vetting process and filed "public" papers (e.g., LegalZoom).

    From what I hear, the process has been going smoothly. The SEC has created a secure email system for such issuers, and young, still-private companies get to resolve delicate issues outside of the media's glare.

    But the new option also has created a dilemma for companies that aren't yet sure if they'd prefer to go public or be acquired. How do you run a dual process when no one knows that you've put IPO plans in motion?

    For the answer, let's look at Fleetmatics, a Boston-based provider of GPS tracking applications for commercial fleets. On May 25, the company issued a brief press release which said the following:

    FleetMatics Group Limited today announced that it plans to conduct a registered initial public offering of its common stock. The offering is expected to commence after the SEC completes the review process initiated by FleetMatics' confidential submission on Thursday May 17, 2012 of its draft registration statement.

    In other words: "Hey potential acquirers, we're open to talking."

    Clever workaround. Should be interesting to see if others follow in Fleetmatics' footsteps.