James Black, vice president of listings development at the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE), sat down with the Investing News Network (INN) to talk about the viability of taking a company public in Canada right now.

Speaking with INN at the Extraordinary Future Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Black discussed how the CSE has emerged as the fastest-growing exchange in the country. He also provided insight on the listing process for technology companies.

“What we’re trying to do is attract companies — entrepreneurial companies, entrepreneurial-led companies — to the public markets to access public venture capital on our exchange,” said Black.

Additionally, Black discussed what is standing out in the publicly listed space. “The past year we’ve seen a variety of things. From my perspective, we’re seeing a lot of interest in esports,” said Black. “Last year, blockchain and blockchain-enabled solutions. We (also) have a lot of data-focused companies right now.”

As the discussion continued, Black spoke about the elements involved in taking a company public. Typically, Black said, it takes between a year and 18 months to complete the process. Regulatory reviews, exchange revenues and audits are all core parts of the process.

Black also spoke on company financials. “I would suggest they have an eye towards top-line and bottom-line growth and bottom-line profitability, revenue generating and maybe even profitability,” Black said.

Companies such as Enthusiast Gaming (TSXV:EGLX), Interlapse Technologies (TSXV:INLA) and 79North have undergone public listings over the past year, and Black also spoke about expanding across the exchange in the near future.

“What we’re hoping to see in the next couple years is a growth in technology companies using the market to fund their ambitions,” he said.

Watch the video above for more on what Black had to say, and stay tuned for our Extraordinary Future Conference video coverage. Our full playlist for the event can be found on YouTube.

Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Technology for real-time news updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Dorothy Neufeld, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article. 

Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.