EquityZen

EquityZen was founded in 2013 by Atish Davda, Shriram Bhashyam, and Phil Haslett in New York City Wikipedia, with the original mission of helping startup employees unlock value from their equity before an IPO. Over the following decade, the platform grew into the dominant retail-accessible pre-IPO secondary marketplace. In January 2026, Morgan Stanley completed its acquisition of EquityZen Morgan Stanley — a deal that immediately changed the competitive math: fees dropped, institutional deal flow deepened, and the platform gained the backing of the world's largest wealth manager.

The mechanics are straightforward. EquityZen operates as a registered broker-dealer, SEC-registered and a FINRA and SIPC member, structuring investments primarily through special purpose vehicle LLCs where investors purchase membership interests in entities holding the underlying company shares. AltStreet As of January 2026, the platform counted over 820,000 subscribers, had served more than 450 companies, completed over 50,000 private placements, and distributed more than $1.5 billion to selling shareholders and $710 million to investors. AltStreet Three investment structures are available: single-company funds, multi-company diversified funds, and direct share acquisitions for larger check sizes.