Does the exclusion of publicly traded companies apply to franchises that are publicly traded but listed on the SBA Franchise Directory?

No. If your business is listed on the SBA Franchise Directory, you are not excluded from eligibility due to the franchisor being a publicly traded company.

Please see this knowledge base article for more information on franchises and the requirement to be listed on SBA's Franchise Directory, including additional documentation required with the application: Does my franchise need to be on the SBA franchise directory?