This New York-based investment platform offers retail investors the opportunity to back privately-held companies before they’re listed on public exchanges. But you’ll need at least $10,000 to invest and should be prepared to lock in your funds for a minimum of two years.
$10,000
Minimum deposit
EquityZen is an online platform that allows retail investors to invest in companies before they go public. Investing in pre-IPO companies is typically limited to company employees and insider traders. But EquityZen opens up the floor to public investors as long as they meet the platform’s investment minimums and criteria.
EquityZen also purchases shares from shareholders holding equity in privately-funded companies. It can be difficult for shareholders to liquidate their investment when a company isn’t publicly traded. EquityZen solves this problem by offering cash in exchange for equity in privately funded companies.
To invest through EquityZen, you need to be an accredited investor. And you can’t purchase shares of the pre-IPO companies you’re interested in — at least not directly.
Instead, investors buy into EquityZen funds that purchase shares on their behalf. Minimum investments start at $10,000 and holding periods for single-company investments typically span two to five years. If the company is acquired or goes public, shares are distributed to your brokerage account or cash is deposited to your bank account.
You can also buy into a pre-populated portfolio hand-picked by the EquityZen investment team. This is EquityZen’s managed portfolio option, offering exposure to 4 to 25 companies with a single investment.
EquityZen purchases equity in privately-funded companies from shareholders looking to liquidate their investments and free up some cash. Shareholders are asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and provide shareholder documents so EquityZen can perform its due diligence and confirm equity ownership.
If everything checks out, your equity is listed on the EquityZen marketplace. And if there’s enough investor demand, EquityZen enters into a Placement Agreement with you to iron out the details and finalize the transaction. You’ll need to come to an agreement with EquityZen on the number of shares you’re prepared to offer and at what price. Deals typically close two to three weeks after company approval and a 5% transaction fee applies when the deal closes.
After the deal closes, equity ownership is transferred to EquityZen and you’ll receive a cash transfer to the external account of your choice.
To be considered an accredited investor, you must meet one of the following criteria set by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC):
EquityZen says that it vets companies before listing them on its marketplace, sticking with companies with proven track records of raising capital from well-established venture capital investors. EquityZen marketplace listings are equipped with numerous data metrics to help investors make an informed decision, including company valuations, funding history, relevant news stories and notable investors.
What you won’t find on an EquityZen listing is information on a company’s most recent financials, exit strategy, prospectus or investor presentation. Any information EquityZen presents on its platform is derived from what’s publicly available and its offerings are based on prices paid by recent investors.
EquityZen offers numerous investment options on its platform, including single-company investments, managed funds and direct acquisition options. Minimums, fees and holding periods vary by investment type.
| Standard deal | Express deal | Demand-driven deal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How does it work? | You invest in a fund that acquires shares from one company. | You buy a fund position from an existing EquityZen investor. | You invest in a fund that actively sources shares in companies with limited equity. |
| Minimum investment | $20,000 ($10,000 for your first investment) | Varies | $10,000 |
| Fees | 5% upfront | >5% upfront | 3% upfront, 10% carry |
| Time to close | 6-8 weeks | 3-5 days | 6-month investment period |
| Hold period | 2-5 years | 6 months to 5 years | 2-5 years |
| Distribution options | Shares or cash | Shares or cash | Shares or cash |
| Growth opportunity | Thematic | |
|---|---|---|
| How does it work? | You invest in a fund that offers exposure to 15-25 companies. | You invest in a fund that offers exposure to 4-6 companies in a target industry. |
| Minimum investment | $20,000 | $10,000 |
| Fees | 1-2% annual fee, 10% carry | >0.25%-1% annual fee, 10% carry |
| Time to close | 12-month investment period | 12-month investment period |
| Hold period | 5-7 year fund life | 5-7 year fund life |
| Distribution options | Cash | Cash |
| Direct share acquisition | |
|---|---|
| How does it work? | You directly purchase pre-IPO shares and cap table access. |
| Minimum investment | $200,000 |
| Fees | 3%-5% upfront |
| Time to close | 6-8 weeks |
| Hold period | Varies |
| Distribution options | Shares or cash |
Nonaccredited investors don’t qualify for EquityZen, which means you’ll generally need to wait for a company to be publicly traded to buy shares.
Brokers supporting an IPO do sometimes offer shares pre-market to their best customers, but those shares are in short supply. Two well-known online brokers, Robinhood and Sofi, did recently launch programs to allow users to buy select IPOs at the pre-IPO offering prices, but until at least several of these offerings take place, it’s unclear how well this option works. You can also check out platforms that trade alternative assets to gain exposure to other non-conventional categories.
For now, review your brokerage account options to find the best fit for your goals and budget.
EquityZen reviews are generally favorable. As of February 2022, it doesn’t have a Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile and there are no complaints about EquityZen on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The platform’s Trustpilot page is sparsely populated: nineteen lukewarm reviews praising the platform’s range and quality of investments, but complaining of distribution errors.
With no BBB profile and few Trustpilot reviews, we turn to Reddit for investor feedback on the platform. Redditors cite solid returns on successful deals and praise the platform’s healthy deal flow, but warn that some deals fall through and that investment liquidity can be slow and unpredictable.
| BBB rating | N/A |
| BBB accredited | No |
| BBB customer rating | N/A |
| Trustpilot score | 2.5/5 out of 19 customer reviews |
| Google Play app | N/A |
| Apple app store | 4.4/5 stars based on 68 reviews |
| Customer reviews verified as of | February 2022 |
EquityZen offers two distinct account options: one for investors ready to buy pre-IPO shares, and one for shareholders looking to sell shares.
Begin the signup process on EquityZen’s homepage:
The shareholder signup process also starts on EquityZen’s homepage:
EquityZen was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in New York City. It states that it’s closed over 14,000 investments and served over 200 companies, including Airbnb, ByteDance, Hulu, Instacart and SpaceX.
It doesn’t have a Better Business Bureau profile and its Trustpilot page has just two reviews. There’s some Reddit chatter about the platform, but nothing to suggest EquityZen isn’t a legitimate company.
With no BBB page and fewer customer reviews to draw from, you’ll have to vet the platform yourself before signing up. Browse Reddit forums that discuss the platform to hear what EquityZen investors have to say before you create an account.
Touch base with an EquityZen representative by:
Accredited investors can access a unique investment class through EquityZen: the opportunity to back privately-held companies before they’re listed on public exchanges. But high minimums and lengthy holding periods may act as an investment deterrent.
Before you invest, review your account options across multiple platforms to find the account best suited to your needs.
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