Find Companies Going Public That Need D&O Coverage

Overview

An S-1 filing is a public countdown. Going public transforms a company's liability exposure — securities class actions, shareholder suits, disclosure risk — and public-company D&O is both mandatory and one of the largest line items in the process. That program gets placed months before the listing, and it's a high-premium, high-retention account.

This Hound watches for S-1 and IPO filings, filters for the companies whose programs you can place, finds the CFO or GC, and opens the conversation while the placement decision is still forming.

How to set it up

Four things to brief your Hound. This is the exact configuration behind this play.

A · Describe the opportunity

This is the brief every source is filtered against. You describe what you're looking for in plain language, add keywords to sharpen it, then set the structured criteria.

Tell Forest what you're looking for:

"I'm looking for companies that just filed to go public — S-1, F-1, or confidential-filing announcements, plus direct listings and SPAC de-SPACs. Going public mandates a public-company D&O tower, placed months ahead of listing. I want them at filing, before the program is bound. Match to my industries and program size. Skip companies that have already publicly named their broker and withdrawn filings."

Keywords to watch for: files S-1 · IPO · initial public offering · confidentially submitted · direct listing · de-SPAC · going public · F-1 · [your industries]

Fields to extract: company · filing_type · filing_date · proposed_raise · exchange · industry · underwriters · expected_listing_date

Match criteria:

• ✓ Filing indicates a genuine path to listing (not withdrawn/stale)

• ✓ Program size within your placement capability

• ✓ Industry you can write

• ✗ Exclude companies with a broker already publicly engaged

• ✗ Exclude withdrawn or long-dormant filings

B · Choose the sources to monitor

IPO filings are public via SEC EDGAR — free, structured, and same-day. This is the cleanest source in the insurance section.

SEC filings (free — connected by default) 🟢

• SEC EDGAR — sec.gov/edgar — S-1 (domestic IPO), F-1 (foreign issuer), S-4 (de-SPAC), and amendments. Same-day, structured, authoritative.

• EDGAR full-text search — efts.sec.gov — Search filing text for the specifics your brief targets.

Note: Many companies now file confidentially first under the JOBS Act and only surface publicly ~15 days before the roadshow. Pair EDGAR with News & Press below to catch the earlier, softer signals.

News & Press 🟡 default source, always on — reads the open web against your brief for "confidentially submitted," banker-hire news, and IPO-intent coverage that precedes the public filing — often your earliest lead.

C · Define the ICP to reach

Who to reach at the filing company, in priority order, with fallbacks.

1. CFO — Primary — owns the D&O program and the IPO process — PRIMARY

2. General Counsel / Chief Legal Officer — Owns the liability terms

3. Head of Risk / Treasurer — Fallback at larger issuers — FALLBACK

D · Email & LinkedIn sequence

The play the Hound runs for each match. Fields drop in as variables. Tone is senior and consultative — these are sophisticated buyers.

Email · Day 0 Congratulations on {{company}}'s {{filing_type}} filing. Public-company D&O is one of the more consequential decisions in the process — the tower structure and retentions you set now tend to follow you for years. We place IPO D&O for {{industry}} issuers and would welcome the chance to share what the market looks like right now. Open to a brief call?

↓ Wait 3 days · no reply

LinkedIn · connection request · Day 3 Hi {{first_name}} — congratulations on {{company}}'s filing. Would value connecting.

↓ Wait 4 days · no reply

Email · Day 7 · follow-up Following up on {{company}}'s offering — happy to send current benchmarking on IPO D&O pricing and structure for comparable {{industry}} issuers, no obligation. Useful context even if your program is well underway.

⏸ Any reply on either channel pauses the whole sequence — the conversation is yours.