For the most part, the IPO market has been a bust this year. But there are some bright spots – such as energy deals.

To this end, there was an interesting IPO filing this week: Brand Energy.

The company is a provider of multi-craft services for the downstream infrastructure space. Some of the offerings include: insulation, corrosion protection, weatherproofing, specialty coatings and so on. What's more, there are four major focuses: refining, Canadian Sands, petrochemical and power generations.

Brand Energy certainly has a sterling customer list, which includes biggies like BP (NYSE: BP), ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX).

For 2008, the U.S. IPO market has been fairly bleak, but it is not alone. Things are tough in Asia, too. In fact, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal [a paid publication], about $20 billion in IPOs have been shelved.

The reasons are well-known: a fall-off in equity values; the credit crunch; high oil prices; and a global slowdown in economic growth.

Actually, even if things improve for the second half of 2008, there could still be problems. Why? Well, because there is a large backlog of filings.

All in all, this is serious stuff, especially for China. The country's policy is to maintain a strong economic growth rate. But if companies have difficulties raising equity capital, there is likely to be a drag on GDP.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

In the medical field, ultrasound imaging is extremely important. It's effective with many parts of the body (and tissues); it's real-time and cost-effective; and is portable. There is also no radiation exposure.

In fact, according to a report from InMedica, the market for ultrasound devices is expected to go from $4.4 billion in 2006 to $5.7 billion 2010.

Capitalizing on things, one of the fast-growing players in the space, ZONARE Medical Systems, has filed to go public.

The company's core product -- called the z.one ultrasound system -- uses sophisticated data acquisition and image formation approaches (called Zone Sonography). Apparently, this is more effective than the traditional method, which involves line-by-line acquisition. What's more, ZONARE has a portfolio of 32 US and foreign patents.

Liquidnet Holdings Inc, which got is start in the dot-com heyday of the late 1990s, has filed to go public.

Essentially, Liquidnet facilitates large equity trades for institutional investors – which are anonymous. In fact, the platform allows access to about 7.5 billion shares per day of liquidity.

No doubt, the company is putting pressure on the traditional exchanges and yes, is growing at a rapid clip. From 2005 to 2007, revenues spiked from $161.8 million to $346.5 million. Net income was a juicy $191.2 million last year. To keep up the growth, Liquidnet wants to expand aggressively into foreign markets, where things are still in the early stages.

The lead underwriters on the IPO include Goldman, Sachs & Co. (NYSE: GS) and Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS). Moreover, you can find the prospectus at the SEC website.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

So far this year, it's been horrible for the IPO market. In fact, in Q2 there were no venture-backed offerings.

But, going into July, there is some hope. For example, Energy Recovery (NYSE: ERII) was able to pull of its IPO, pricing the deal at $8.50. On its first day of trading, the stock ended at $9.83.

Founded in the early 1990s, Energy Recovery develops systems that capture and recycle energy from desalination. The company says that its main product – PX Pressure Exchanger (PX) – conserves up to 98% of the energy.

And, in terms of market coverage, PX systems are installed in over 300 desalination plants. As a result, Energy Recovery's growth rate has been particularly strong. Revenues have gone from $4 million in 2003 to $35.4 million in 2007.

The underwriters on the IPO included Citi (NYSE: C) and Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS). What's more, you can locate the prospectus at the SEC website.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

Gawker reports that Ben Mezrich, a Harvard graduate and author of a 'non-fiction' account of MIT students making it big in Las Vegas, has received a million dollar contract to write a book about Facebook. Mezrich's book proposal claims that his source co-founder, Eduardo Saverin, anticipated a Fall 2008 IPO for Facebook. But Facebook denies the claim. To go public this fall, Facebook would have had to register by now.

Here are some other story elements from Gawker:

• Founder Mark Zuckerberg and Severin started Facebook to help get into an exclusive Harvard Final club
• They also thought Facebook would boost their social life
• In high school, Zuckerberg got on an FBI list for accidentally hacking into a government site
• Zuckerberg and Severin "ate koala on the yacht of the CEO of Sun Microsystems" (NASDAQ: JAVA)

Meanwhile Zuckerberg has sued Saverin, claiming "Saverin tried to hijack the company by freezing its bank account when Facebook desperately needed cash in its formative months." And Saverin countersued for a return on his initial investment.

The meager IPO market has been tough for the private equity crowd. After all, this is a key way for them to make big returns for their investors.

But Thursday, a private-equity-backed firm -- Verso Paper (NYSE: VRS) – hit the public markets. The company priced 14 million shares at $12 each. Unfortunately, by the end of the trading day, the stock was at $10. The company originally wanted to issue 18.8 million shares at a price range of $16-$18.

Verso's private equity sponsor is Apollo Global Management LLC, which bought the company back in 2006.

The company is a major supplier of coated papers for catalog and magazine publishers. Some of the customers include Condé Nast Publications, National Geographic Society, Avon Products and Sears Holdings

However, with high energy prices and pesky inflation, Verso's industry has come under much pressure. As a result, there have been a variety of mill closings from the competition, which should ultimately help the survivors. What's more, Verso has built a low-cost structure.

But as seen with Verso's stock performance Thursday, it's not a story Wall Street is interested in right now.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

Yesterday, I met with a couple deal attorneys and we talked about IPOs. I learned that that they are currently working on an offering. Of course, the company is in the energy sector.

While the IPO market should remain listless, there are still a few sectors that are hot. Look at Colfax (NYSE: CFX), which launched its IPO today. The company priced its offering at $18 per share (the price range was $15-$17). So far in today's trading, Colfax shares are trading up 22% to $22.08.

Basically, Colfax is a major supplier of fluid handling products, such as pumps, fluid handling systems and specialty valves. The main customer groups include power generation, global navy, commercial marine and yes, oil & gas. Some of the brands include Allweiler, Fairmount, Houttuin, Imo, LSC, Portland Valve, Tushaco, Warren and Zenith. In fact, the Allweiler brand goes back to 1860.

Actually, the marketplace is highly fragmented, with more than 10,000 companies. So, with the IPO proceeds and public stock, Colfax is positioned for M&A deals (the company has already purchased 12 companies).

And the financials look pretty good. Last year, Colfax's revenues jumped 29% to $506.3 million and net income came to $64.9 million.

The lead underwriter on the deal is Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER). Also, you can find the prospectus at the SEC website.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

Safety-Kleen got its start in 1963 as a parts washer for auto repair. However, by the late 1990s, Laidlaw bought the company and added waste disposal assets (such as for landfills). Unfortunately, a few years later, the company was mired in an SEC investigation and bankruptcy.

But after a painful restructuring, Safety-Kleen is back on track. In fact, the company has filed for a public offering.

As of now, Safety-Kleen is the largest collector, recycler and re-refiner of used oil. The company also is a provider of environmental solutions (such as containerized waste services). There are more than 200 facilities across the US, Canada and Mexico.

Customers include 420 of the Fortune 500 and more than 300,000 small-to-medium sized companies. In fact, this is a user base that tends to have recurring requirements, making for a nice revenue stream. So last year, Safety-Kleen posted $1 billion in revenues and $116.6 million in adjusted EBITDA.

Safety-Kleen has market power and a dominant brand (there is a key deal with NASCAR). And with extensive regulations, the company should continue to grow.

The lead underwriters on the IPO include Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER) and JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM). You can also find the prospectus at the SEC website.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

In the US, about $1.31 trillion is spent on transportation and logistics (according to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals). Yet, about 30% of transportation capacity is unused because of inefficiencies.

Well, this is what Echo Global Logistics helps to solve. Moreover, this week the company filed for an IPO.

Echo has developed a platform that processes data on a network of more than 16,000 transportation providers. Through sophisticated optimization, the company can offer its clients cost savings that range from 5% to 15% (which is a big deal in the transportation industry).

So far, Echo has more than 4,600 clients. And the growth ramp has been stunning, increasing revenues from $7.3 million in 2005 to $95.5 million in 2007. Echo posted net income of $1.7 million last year.

With the IPO money, Echo will be in a strong position to strike M&A deals. Keep in mind that the logistics sector is highly fragmented. According to the Transportation Intermediaries Association, no third-party logistics provider controls more than 5% of the US market.

What's more, the growth of outsourced logistics services should continue to grow. About 17% of logistics expenditures, in the US, are outsourced (this is according to a study from Armstrong & Associates).

The lead underwriters on the Echo IPO include Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) and Citi (NYSE: C). You can also locate the prospectus at the SEC website.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

Back in 2000, Rackspace attempted an IPO. Of course, the dot-com implosion derailed those plans.

Well, now the company is back and its IPO prospects look much better.

Rackspace is a giant in the web hosting industry. While the company has a solid infrastructure, it also has an extreme focus on customer service. In fact, the company terms it "Fanatical Support" (which is trademarked).

By the end of 2007, Rackspace had more than 29,000 customers. Actually, over the past five years, revenues have soared from $56.6 million to $362 million,a 59% annual growth rate. The company also posted a $17.8 million profit last year.

What's more, the prospects for the global hosting market look bright. According to Tier1Research, the market is expected to grow 26% per year to $24.4 billion by 2010.

The lead underwriters on the IPO include Goldman, Sachs & Co. (NYSE: GS), Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) and Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER). You can find the prospectus at the SEC website.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook (www.mergerbook.com) and is also a principal in Averiware, which provides an ERP system to small and midsize businesses.

Increasingly, PDAs are becoming a critical tool for physicians. For example, according to a Manhattan Research report, the penetration rate is over 50% -- which compares to 30% in 2001. There are certainly major benefits, such as patient safety, compliance, and improved productivity.

One of the top operators in the space is Epocrates. And the company has recently filed to go public.

Basically, Epocrates has a huge database of clinical information and decision support systems that are delivered wirelessly. Just some of the information includes: dosing, pricing, insurance coverage, and disease diagnostics. The subscriber base is in excess of 500,000.

There are a variety of problems with conventional chemical reactions in the manufacturing process – such as high energy use, hazards, high temperatures, expensive equipment, and so on.

But there is an alternative: biocatalysts. These can operate at or near room temperature, which provides significant energy savings.

One of the top players in the space is: Codexis. And, the company has recently filed to go public.

With the growth in the world population, the demand for fresh drinking water continues to increase. In fact, according to the United Nations Population Fund, the global consumption of water is expected to double every 20 years. Unfortunately, by 2025, the expectation is that 33% of the populations in the developing world will suffer from severe water shortages.

But some companies are trying to find solutions, such as Energy Recovery, which has filed to go public.

Energy Recovery builds recovery devices for desalination, using sea water reverse osmosis. The technology recaptures and recycles up to 98% of the energy used in the process.

So far, Energy Recovery's systems have been installed in over 300 desalination plans. And, the company has been growing at a rapid clip, with revenues going from $4 million in 2003 to $35.4 million in 2007. In light of the secular trends, it's a good bet the growth will continue to ramp.

The lead underwriters on the IPO include Citi (NYSE: C) and Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS). You can also find the prospectus at the SEC website.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.

Except for a few deals -- such as the Visa (NYSE: V) public offering -- the IPO market has been fairly quiet. But, there are some companies that think things will warm up.

Take SolarWinds, which has recently filed for an offering. The company develops enterprise-class network management software. What's more, the technology is easy to use (which is a rarity in the space).

As of last year, SolarWinds had more than 50,000 customers, which range from small businesses to Fortune 500 biggies.

A key to SolarWinds success is its focused marketing, which heavily leverages online marketing. There is also a direct sales force that knows how to close leads.

So far, the results have been stunning. From 2005 to 2007, revenues have gone from $27.9 million to $61.7 million. What's more, operating income is about $30.9 million.

And there is much room for growth. According to a research report from Gartner, the network management sector is expected to grow from $4.95 billion in 2008 to $5.66 billion by 2011.

The underwriters on the IPO include JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM), Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH). You can also locate the prospectus at the SEC website.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.