Summary List Placement Some tech investors have been pushing hard for more companies to go public by the direct listing route because VCs are among the big beneficiaries of direct listings. Direct listings, where companies allow existing shareholders to sell their shares on the public market without the use of investment bankers, give existing investors more freedom to sell their stock earlier. They can sell during the honeymoon period before the company's stock gets impacted by its ability (or inability) to meet Wall Street's demanding quarterly expectations.