EquityZen
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Financial technology, Investment |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Atish Davda (CEO) Shriram Bhashyam Phil Haslett |
| Headquarters | New York City , U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Secondary Market |
| Services | Electronic trading platform Online marketplace |
| Website | https://equityzen.com/ |
EquityZen functions as a digital platform facilitating the trading of pre-IPO shares owned by employees at privately held companies. By linking private company employees with accredited investors, it provides an avenue for investment opportunities prior to public offerings. The company’s headquarters are situated in the Flatiron District of Manhattan.
History
Established in 2013 in New York City by Atish Davda (CEO), Shriram Bhashyam, and Phil Haslett, EquityZen was designed to offer liquidity solutions for private company employees through the sale of their equity stakes to accredited investors. The enterprise initially participated in the 500 Startups accelerator during the latter part of 2013. It obtained seed capital in January 2014 and subsequently completed a Series A financing round by September 2015 with undisclosed backers. To date, EquityZen has amassed $6.5 million in external funding, including a $3 million contribution led by Tim Draper’s Draper Associates in 2017. The firm earned a spot on Forbes’ 2015 Fintech 50 list.
Service
EquityZen provides a marketplace where employee shareholders of private companies can liquidate their equity by selling it to external investors. Its distinctive approach involves collaborating with issuers to facilitate the registration of share transfers, enabling employees and early investors to convert shares into cash before an IPO or acquisition event. The platform exclusively partners with companies valued at $50 million or above that have attracted investment from prominent institutional backers. Investors must commit a minimum of $20,000.
Additionally, financial advisors overseeing client assets participate via EquityZen, which has drawn a global investor base, including participants from India. The company has enabled transactions involving more than half of the top 25 venture-backed private firms, featuring prominent entities such as Lyft, Evernote, and AppNexus.