EquityZen

EquityZen operates a marketplace connecting shareholders of private, venture-backed companies — typically employees and early investors — with accredited investors seeking exposure to specific pre-IPO names, facilitating hundreds of millions of dollars in trades annually.

Rather than transferring shares directly, EquityZen commonly structures a sale through a single-company special purpose vehicle, letting a buyer gain indirect economic exposure to one company's stock with buyer minimums typically in the $10,000-$20,000 range.

The platform has remained an independent, venture-backed fintech company rather than being acquired by a larger financial institution, positioning itself as an alternative to bank-owned or broker-owned marketplaces like Forge (now Schwab-owned) and Nasdaq Private Market.