# EquityZen

> EquityZen is a New York marketplace for private-company shares, matching employees and early shareholders who want liquidity with accredited investors seeking pre-IPO exposure. Its technology, broker-dealer infrastructure and special-purpose funds turn bespoke share transfers into repeatable transactions; after more than 51,000 private placements across nearly 500 companies, Morgan Stanley acquired the business in January 2026 and cut standard marketplace fees in half the following month.

- **Founded:** 2013
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Founders:** Atish Davda (Co-founder and CEO), Shriram Bhashyam (Co-founder), Phil Haslett (Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer)
- **Team size:** Approximately 50 professionals at the October 2025 acquisition announcement; third-party listings in 2026 range from about 43 to 56 employees.
- **Products:** Standard Deals, Express Deals, Multi-Company Funds, Direct Share Acquisitions, Shareholder Liquidity
- **Notable:** Completed more than 51,000 private placements across nearly 500 private companies by early 2026., Built a registered community exceeding 800,000 users., Reported a 100% year-over-year increase in transaction count and more than 200% growth in first-time investors during 2025.

## Products & services

- **Standard Deals** — Single-company EquityZen funds that pool investor capital to acquire shares in a private company, subject to transfer restrictions and company approval.
- **Express Deals** — A marketplace for eligible investors to resell interests in certain existing EquityZen single-company funds, with some transactions able to close in days because no new underlying share transfer is required.
- **Multi-Company Funds** — Professionally selected portfolios of primarily late-stage private companies, including annual Growth Opportunity funds and thematic strategies.
- **Direct Share Acquisitions** — Brokered transactions in which larger investors acquire private-company shares directly rather than through an EquityZen fund.
- **Shareholder Liquidity** — A guided process for employees and early shareholders to indicate shares for sale, complete diligence and navigate company transfer approvals.
- **Issuer Solutions** — KYC, BSA/AML and OFAC screening plus operational support for company-controlled secondary transactions and liquidity programs.
- **Private-Market Data and Research** — Company pages, reference prices, buyer and seller interest, capitalization analysis, market commentary and data feeds, including private-company insights supplied to Yahoo Finance.
- **Bids** — A marketplace feature allowing investors to propose a price and size against a specific listed Express or Direct deal for seller review.

## Achievements

- Completed more than 51,000 private placements across nearly 500 private companies by early 2026.
- Built a registered community exceeding 800,000 users.
- Reported a 100% year-over-year increase in transaction count and more than 200% growth in first-time investors during 2025.
- Acquired by Morgan Stanley in January 2026 for an undisclosed price.
- Selected for the 500 Startups accelerator's seventh batch in 2013.
- Named to the 2015 Forbes Fintech 50, according to contemporaneous company histories.
- Won the Innovation in Wealth, Asset and Investment Management category at the 2016 FinTech Innovation Awards.

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — EquityZen became Yahoo Finance's exclusive provider of proprietary private-market insights for its private-company pages and hub.
- **2025-10** — Morgan Stanley announced an agreement to acquire EquityZen and connect the marketplace to its workplace, wealth and cap-table businesses.
- **2025-12** — EquityZen reported more than 800,000 users, a doubling of annual transaction count and a more than 200% rise in first-time investors during 2025.
- **2026-01** — Morgan Stanley completed the EquityZen acquisition; the purchase price was not disclosed.
- **2026-02** — Standard buy- and sell-side fees fell from 5% to 2.5% for most transactions, while select investment minimums remained as low as $5,000.
- **2026-04** — EquityZen introduced Bids, letting investors propose a price and size against specific Express and Direct deal listings.

## Links

- Website: https://equityzen.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/equityzen
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/equityzen
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equityzen
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EquityZen

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/equityzen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-16