Private-market and alternative-investment platforms
Broker Review
EquityZen
EquityZen entered the market in 2013 under Atish Davda, Shriram Bhashyam and Phil Haslett. Its role in the U.S. retail landscape is distinctive: it matches accredited investors with secondary transactions in venture-backed private companies. That positioning determines which customers, instruments and account structures the service is designed to support. The company is privately held or not separately listed, so no public market capitalization is available.
Strengths
- Matches accredited investors with secondary transactions in venture-backed private companies
Drawbacks
- At EquityZen, investors must evaluate valuation methodology, holding periods, transfer limits and the absence of exchange liquidity
Profile
What you can trade
Matches accredited investors with secondary transactions in venture-backed private companies. The available deals are not interchangeable with public stocks and commonly carry holding-period, transfer or accreditation constraints.
Account types
Individual or entity investment account, usually requiring identity checks and sometimes accredited-investor verification before an offering can be purchased. The registration structure reflects the fact that the service matches accredited investors with secondary transactions in venture-backed private companies.
Platform
EquityZen provides web and mobile account access; desktop software, APIs and third-party integrations are available only where specifically supported. The resulting workflow is tailored to a business that matches accredited investors with secondary transactions in venture-backed private companies.
Who it suits
Best suited to EquityZen customers whose principal requirement is the capability described in this profile, rather than investors choosing a broker only because of a zero-commission headline.
Where it is offered
EquityZen determines eligibility transaction by transaction using securities-law exemptions, accreditation checks, issuer transfer rules and state notice filings; access is not guaranteed merely because a user resides in the United States.
Regulation and sources
Official website: https://equityzen.com/ Regulatory status should be verified through FINRA BrokerCheck, SEC/IAPD, NFA BASIC, state regulators or applicable alternative-asset disclosures. Last verified: 2026-08-11.