EquityZen

Check out the "hockey stick" growth in Agentic AI interest. 🏒🔥 On the EquityZen platform, investor interest in the sector grew 384% in just over a year. Why? • Outcome-based pricing: AI startups are now charging for results, not just seats. • M&A Momentum: Legacy tech giants are aggressively acquiring agentic startups to integrate autonomous workflows into their enterprise suites (SiliconANGLE, Workday) • Capital: Over $1.1B was raised in 2025 by agentic firms alone (CBInsights) See the full breakdown of the companies driving this curve: 🔗 hubs.la/Q047yrZd0 There are inherent risks in pre-IPO investments, including the risk of loss of the entire investment, illiquidity, and fluctuations in value and returns.

"Hard Power" is on the rise. 🛡️ Our data reveals that investor interest in National Security and Aerospace went parabolic in 2025, leapfrogging traditional software heavyweights like SaaS. This "Hard Tech" flip follows a record-breaking $28.4B (according to Pitchbook) raised by defense tech startups in the first half of 2025 alone. The Shift: • Aerospace + National Security: Now ranks #2 and #4 in popularity on EquityZen. • High Barriers: Capital is rotating into physical industries with massive revenue potential from government contracts. • Demand: Investor interest in defense tech now rivals generative AI breakouts. (Source: EquityZen) Read the full deep dive on why investors are betting on defense: hubs.ly/Q046WSc80 Not all pre-IPO companies will go public or be acquired, and not all IPOs or acquisitions are or will become successful investments. There are inherent risks in pre-IPO investments, including the risk of loss of the entire investment, illiquidity, and fluctuations in value and returns.

The chatbot era was just the warm-up. In 2026, the focus has shifted from AI that talks to AI that does. 🤖💼 We’ve officially entered the era of Agentic AI: autonomous systems capable of reasoning, planning, and executing complex enterprise workflows. With the market projected to hit $236B by 2034 (YahooFinance), private investors are betting big on the shift from "per-seat" pricing to outcome-based results. Check out EquityZen’s breakdown of the 6 private #agentic #AI companies to watch: hubs.la/Q046M6rD0 There are inherent risks in pre-IPO investments, including the risk of loss of the entire investment, illiquidity, and fluctuations in value and returns.

The "traditional" portfolio just got a 2026 makeover. ✨ From the $80B surge in evergreen funds to the "Great Wealth Transfer" rejecting the status quo (Jefferies), the move toward private markets is officially mainstream. If you're still relying solely on public indices, you might be missing the growth phase of tomorrow’s potential tech giants. 🦄 Check out our latest blog post to see how the "Liquidity Spectrum" and late-stage private companies are changing the game for modern investors. 🔗 hubs.la/Q046xQtM0 This information is provided for reference only and does not constitute a recommendation or personal financial advice. Use of this information is at the user’s discretion and risk.

In finance, 99% accuracy isn't a success…it’s a crash. EquityZen CEO, Atish Davda’s latest piece in Forbes explores the "AI Paradox": how to harness the power of LLMs without sacrificing the 100% reliability that regulated markets demand. The Blueprint: • Internal Gains vs. External Dangers: Use AI to build, but keep a human in the loop for client interactions. • Regulation as a Moat: Compliance isn't a nuisance; it’s a competitive advantage that builds mass-market trust. • Accessibility Wins: Why AI is scaling faster than Blockchain. Read the full founder’s playbook here: 👉 hubs.la/Q046n-zf0

Ever wonder why a private company can be "worth" $1B on paper but trade at a 30% discount in the secondary market? Unlike the public markets, where prices flash in real-time, private market pricing is both an art and a science. Understanding the "why" behind premiums and discounts is the key to spotting true value before an IPO. In our latest blog, we break down: ✅ How secondary prices are determined. ✅ Why a "discount" isn’t a red flag. ✅ What a "premium" signals about market demand. Stop guessing and start strategizing. Read the full breakdown here: hubs.la/Q0466yGC0 This information is intended for reference only and does not constitute a recommendation or personal financial advice. Use of this information is at the user's discretion and risk.

Investor interest in defense tech has gone vertical. 📈 As our latest data shows, interest went parabolic in late 2024 as private defense companies moved from R&D into active government contracts, reaching demand levels once reserved for generative AI breakouts. Hard Power by the Numbers: • $28.4B raised by defense tech startups in H1 2025 alone. (Source: Pitchbook) • Aerospace and National Security have surpassed SaaS in popularity on the EquityZen platform. • Secondary Market: High conviction has led to defense leaders trading at significant premiums. (Source: EquityZen) Read the full deep dive on why "Hard Power" is back: hubs.la/Q0461_-20 Not all pre-IPO companies will go public or be acquired, and not all IPOs or acquisitions are or will become successful investments. There are inherent risks in pre-IPO investments, including the risk of loss of the entire investment, illiquidity, and fluctuations in value and returns.

Robotics is on the rise! 🤖 In 2025, investor interest on EquityZen surged, making Robotics the 14th most popular industry on our platform. As "Physical AI" takes center stage, companies like Apptronik and Gecko Robotics are leading the charge. Curious to see which private robotics companies are driving this shift? Check out the full list, ranked by EquityZen’s popularity score: hubs.la/Q045CMz60 #Robotics #TechTrends #PreIPO Not all pre-IPO companies will go public or be acquired, and not all IPOs or acquisitions are or will become successful investments. There are inherent risks in pre-IPO investments, including the risk of loss of the entire investment, illiquidity, and fluctuations in value and returns. Investors must be able to afford the loss of their entire investment.

Love is in the air, and so is growth! 💌🏹❤️ The February edition of #MonthlyMovers is officially here, featuring the private companies that kept their momentum charging forward through the shortest month of the year. More than just a list of names, these are the private players that saw the largest surge in investor interest throughout February. 🥇 XTEND 🥈 Valar Atomics 🥉 Life Biosciences ⭐ Miso Robotics ⭐ Quantum Systems ⭐ Isomorphic Labs ⭐ EnergyX ⭐ FluidStack ⭐ CHAOS Industries ⭐ Postman There are inherent risks in pre-IPO investments, including the risk of loss of the entire investment, illiquidity, and fluctuations in value and returns. This information is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation or personal financial advice. Use of this information is at the user's discretion and risk. All company names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.

The "Alphabet Soup" of private funding is getting longer. 🔠 As Bri Lynch notes in our 2026 IPO Outlook, the companies waiting in the wings aren't "small and scrappy" anymore; they are mature, market-leading giants. The stats on this year’s top 12 IPO contenders speak for themselves: 🗓️ Average age: 12 years 💰 Average last round: Series F (all the way to Series L!) 👥 Headcounts: Up to 10,000+ 💵 Revenue: $3 Billion+ In decades past, these companies would have been public years ago. Today, they are staying private longer, raising more capital, and scaling to massive proportions before hitting the bell. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results. This is not intended to predict or project the performance of any company.

The "Peace Dividend" is over, and the defense tech revolution is here. Geopolitical shifts have fundamentally changed the relationship between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon, moving software-defined autonomy from experimental concept to combat-ready deployment. At EquityZen, we’re seeing this transformation firsthand as investor demand for "Hard Power" reaches new highs. The Data: • Record Interest: Defense tech startups raised a staggering $28.4B in the first half of 2025 alone. (Source: Pitchbook) • Investor Rotation: Aerospace and National Security have surpassed traditional heavyweight industries like SaaS in popularity on our platform. • Market Premium: Demand is so high that defense leaders frequently trade at significant premiums in the secondary market. (Source: EquityZen) From Anduril’s hyperscale manufacturing to Shield AI’s autonomous pilots, a new guard is rebuilding the arsenal of democracy. Read our full analysis on the return of Hard Power: ezen.fyi/4aMNU84 Not all pre-IPO companies will go public or be acquired, and not all IPOs or acquisitions are or will become successful investments. There are inherent risks in pre-IPO investments, including the risk of loss of the entire investment, illiquidity, and fluctuations in value and returns.

The road to IPO now averages nearly 16 years, and the CB Insights Tech Trends 2026 report confirms that private markets are becoming the "new public". As part of Morgan Stanley, we are witnessing a fundamental shift in how investors access growth. With institutional leaders backing the infrastructure for secondary trading, a public stock ticker is no longer the only way to invest in the world's most influential companies. The Shift by the Numbers: • Scale Without Tickers: 12 unicorns are already valued higher than the median S&P 500 market cap (CB Insights). • Surging Interest: EquityZen has seen a 200% YoY increase in first-time investors looking to back leaders in AI and robotics before they go public (EquityZen). • Rapid Growth: Top AI startups are now reaching $100M in ARR in record time (CB Insights), largely outside traditional market visibility.

A little history less for #WelcomeWednesday 🕰️ From the .com crash to the rise of secondary markets, how did the pre-IPO world begin? Phil Haslett breaks down the history of staying private longer and the evolution of @EquityZen. Watch the full video here: hubs.la/Q044Dp650

The "Kink in the Hose" is Unwinding for 2026 📈 After a period of anticipation, the 2026 IPO market is shaping up to be the "full culmination" of the private company backlog. As EquityZen’s Phil Haslett notes, we aren't just seeing companies go public because they have to. We’re seeing healthy, billion-dollar revenue giants prepare for their debuts. With public market sentiment for 2025’s IPOs providing a clear roadmap for margins and growth, the stage is set for a massive year. This is not intended to predict or project the performance of any company.

The number of public companies has dropped by 50% in the last 30 years, while private companies have grown by 43% (Fortune). By focusing solely on public exchanges, investors may overlook early-stage opportunities and emerging sectors before they IPO. Know the differences before you dive in: 🔹 Public: Instant liquidity, open to all. 🔹 Private: Potential for outsized returns, longer horizons. Full breakdown on the blog: hubs.la/Q044hppg0 #Stocks #PrivateMarket There are material differences between public market and private stock investing, including differences in investment objectives, costs, expenses, and suitability. The information provided is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered a recommendation or personal advice. There are inherent risks in private stock investments, including the risk of loss of the entire investment, illiquidity, and fluctuations in value and return.

Your private market access just got an upgrade. We’ve officially lowered our transaction fees to 2.5% for all investors and shareholders, cutting current standard fees in half. Powered by our integration with @MorganStanley, we’re using our scale to continue broadening access to the private markets, now with lower fees. Same low investment minimums (starting at $5k). Now better pricing. Read more: hubs.la/Q043PqRV0 #Fintech #PrivateEquity #Investing

In fintech, being "mostly right" is the same as being wrong. ❌ EquityZen CEO Atish Davda recently shared his perspective in @Forbes on the dangerous paradox of Generative AI: it’s a massive business accelerant, but a potential business-ending liability if mismanaged. Drawing on his experience at Lehman Brothers and Lockheed Martin, Atish explains why fintech’s that handle people’s nest eggs require "airplane-level" reliability (99.9999999%) rather than "car-level" risk. Read the full piece on why trust, regulation, and a "human-in-the-loop" approach are the keys to building an enduring fintech company in the age of AI. Read more here: hubs.la/Q043zrNT0 #Fintech #AI #Innovation #EquityZen #PrivateMarkets #RegTech

We talk a lot about the massive ARR of foundational AI models, but we don’t talk enough about the physical bottleneck: The Grid. In this clip, @haslettp breaks down the fascinating evolution of @CrusoeAI. Originally started to capture wasted energy from natural gas flaring for crypto mining, CEO Chase Lockmiller made a prescient pivot. Today, Crusoe is a power infrastructure powerhouse, aiming to solve the energy crisis for the next generation of data centers. As AI demand skyrockets, the winners won't just be the software builders, they'll be the ones powering the machines. 🔗 Read more on the convergence of AI and renewables here: hubs.la/Q043mPpl0 This is not intended to predict or project the performance of any company. Not all pre-IPO companies will go public or be acquired, and not all IPOs or acquisitions are or will become successful investments. This information is intended for reference only and does not constitute a recommendation or personal financial advice. Use of this information is at the user's discretion and risk.

New year, new trends! 🎊✨ The first #MonthlyMovers list of 2026 is officially here, featuring the private companies that hit the ground running in January. More than just a list of names, these are the private players that saw the largest surge in investor interest throughout the month. 🥇Apnimed 🥈 KoBold Metals 🥉 Confidential AI Company ⭐ Beast Industries ⭐ BitGo (now public) ⭐ Gecko Robotics ⭐ Fundrise ⭐ 1X ⭐ Confidential Social App ⭐ Confidential Robotics Company There are inherent risks in pre-IPO investments, including the risk of loss of the entire investment, illiquidity, and fluctuations in value and returns. This information is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation or personal financial advice. Use of this information is at the user's discretion and risk. All company names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.

It’s #WelcomeWednesday! 🌟 New to the world of pre-IPO investing? It’s an exciting way to diversify your portfolio, but it’s important to understand the "rules of the road" before you dive in. Choosing the right platform is your first step. Today we’re sharing a checklist of what to look for, from investment minimums (ours start at $5k!) to navigating the "Right of First Refusal." Today's Topic: How to pick a platform that fits your needs. Read the full guide on the EquityZen blog: ezen.fyi/4ryr8q1 #PreIPO #EquityZen #NewInvestor #PortfolioGrowth #SecondaryMarket #StartupEquity Diversification does not assure a profit or protect against market losses. Not all pre-IPO companies will go public or be acquired, and not all IPOs or acquisitions are or will become successful investments. There are inherent risks in pre-IPO investments, including the risk of loss of the entire investment, illiquidity, and fluctuations in value and returns.