The sale of equity shares or other financial instruments by an organization to the public in order to raise funds for business expansion and investment.

A company or entity in which a venture capital firm, buyout firm, holding company, or other investment fund invests. All of the companies currently backed

A decentralized market of securities not listed on a stock exchange.

Stocks that are are not considered large or stable enough to trade on a major exchange.

The right, but not the obligation, to buy (for a call option) or sell (for a put option) a specific amount of a given stock,

A person who trades on a stock market or financial market. (Read more: http://www.investorwords.com/10283/market_operator.html#ixzz2WTV0VlQD)

An order that an investor makes through a broker or brokerage service to buy or sell an investment immediately at the best available current price.

End of the trading day in financial markets, the point when trading ceases. In some markets it is actually defined as the point in time

a legal entity that develops, registers and sells securities for the purpose of financing its operations. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issuer)