This is from the link Longzzzzz provided. The entire link is worth reading. Of course POET is not a private company but some of these advantages may still be worth it expecially with regard to taxes.

Advantages of Reverse Mergers

The following are the many advantages to performing reverse mergers.

• The ability for a private company to become public for a lower cost and in less time than with an initial public offering (IPO). When a company plans to go public through an IPO, the process can take a year or more to complete. This can cost the company money and time. With a reverse merger, a private company can go public in as little as 30 days.
• Public companies have higher valuations compared with private companies. Some of the reasons for this include: greater liquidity, increased transparency and publicity, and they have a faster growth rates compared to private companies.
• Reverse mergers are less likely to be canceled or put on hold because of the adverse effects of current market conditions. This means that if the equity markets are performing poorly or there is unfavorable publicity surrounding the IPO, underwriters can pull the offering off the table.
• The public company can offer a tax shelter to the private company. In many cases, the public company has taken a series of losses. A percentage of the losses can be carried forward and applied to future income. By merging the private and public company, it is possible to protect a percentage of the merged company's profits from future taxes.

Read more: A Guide To Spotting A Reverse Merger | Investopedia http://www.investopedia.com/articles/stocks/08/reverse-merger.asp#ixzz4OLk0vXjL
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