Equidate, the stock market for private technology companies, has raised $50 million in a Series B financing round led by FT Partners, Panorama Point Partners, and Operative Capital, which join existing investors such as Peter Thiel, Tim Draper, and Scott Banister.
“As a global leader in FinTech investment banking, we have executed many hundreds of private deals and have evaluated thousands more. I have rarely seen a business with Equidate’s potential to define the future of private company investment services. Equidate’s global technology platform has accelerated the behavioral shifts fueling the growth of the private markets, and we are excited to partner with them through this period of strong growth to create a truly foundational component of this new economy”, said Steve McLaughlin, founder and CEO of FT Partners.
Founded in 2014, Equidate connects individual and institutional investors with sellers like venture capitalists and shareholder employees, as well as some of the largest and most prominent private companies themselves. The leading stock market for private companies.is about to print a run-rate of $1 billion of trade volume in 2018.
“Our recent growth has been powered by the entrance of significant global institutional players in our market. Many of these large investors made secondary investments for the first time ever in 2017, and it’s clear to us that this asset class is quickly becoming a dedicated part of their portfolios”, commented Samvit Ramadurgam, Founder and co-CEO of Equidate.
Traditional institutional investors have become significantly more active in the pre-IPO economy, which has been dominated by networks of brokers for the last decade. Equidate intends to unlock the market’s true potential.
“By combining data with our sophisticated technology, we’ve been able to operate at a level of scale, efficiency, and intelligence which to date has never before been seen in this industry. This financing represents us entering our next phase of strong growth. We’ve been seeing outsized demand from international players, and our singular focus is now on the broadest global distribution of our platform onto the desks of institutions and into the hands of individuals”, added Sohail Prasad, Founder and co-CEO of Equidate.
