Equity can be raised through a private placement or an initial public offering as well as through a primary or secondary offering.
In a private placement, non-listed companies raise capital by selling shares privately to venture capital companies, private equity companies, institutional investors and others.
In an initial public offering, a company offers shares to 'the public' for the first time via a listing on a stock exchange. This is also referred to as 'going public'.
In a primary offering a listed company sells new shares to investors, while in a secondary offering certain shareholders offer their shares to other investors.