Windows . . .

is a phrase used in two distinctly different contexts, but in both cases the aspect of timing is crucial.

First, venture capitalists are very sensitive to the timing of the introduction of a company’s new product into the market. If the technology is too revolutionary, the cost of creating a market for the product may be prohibitive. On the other hand, if the product does not have enough to distinguish it from its competition, it may be too late for the product to gain a profitable market share. That period of time when the company’s technology is new enough to distinguish its products in the marketplace but not too new so that no one understands its application is sometimes called "the window of opportunity." Introducing the product "while the window is open" is critical to a company’s prospects for success.

Second, window is used to refer to the period of time when the stock market is receptive to new issues of stock in the particular industry of a company. When one company conducts a successful initial public offering in computer software, for example, other software companies will rush to complete their offerings "while the window is open." See: Five Factors, Going Public, IPOs (Initial Public Offerings), Market Research.