The Financial Post reports in its Thursday edition that as the dearth of initial public offerings drags on, the few signs of activity in the innovation economy are coming from small firms attempting small raises on junior markets, while large ones wait for market conditions improve. The Post's Aleksandra Sagan writes that over the past several months, two Canadian tech firms have applied for IPOs in the United States. Toronto-based Pineapple Financial Inc., a mortgage broker, filed for a $17.25-million (U.S.) offering on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Droneify Holdings Ltd., a drone company in Oakville, Ont., filed for a $6-million (U.S.) listing on the same exchange. The stirrings among small companies came amid a dead calm for innovation economy IPOs on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Not a single firm in the tech, cleantech or life-sciences sectors listed in the first quarter. The first quarter of 2022 was similarly quiet, but at least saw four such firms go public on the TSX through other methods, such as qualifying transactions, while the TSX Venture Exchange had a dozen. This past Q1, none did so on the TSX, and the TSX-V added just five. Over all, the TSX hosted 26 IPOs in Q1, down nearly 24 per cent from 34 in 2022.