--- title: The Keys to a Successful Private Market | EquityZen description: Unlock the keys to a successful private market with EquityZen's transparent and fair approach. Learn how to navigate the private market landscape responsibly and efficiently. image: https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/shutterstock_1463198537.jpg --- [![EquityZen](https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/equityzen-logo.svg "EquityZen")](https://equityzen.com/) - [Investments](https://equityzen.com/explore/) - [Explore](https://equityzen.com/explore-private-market/) - How it Works - [Investors](https://equityzen.com/investor/) - [Shareholders](https://equityzen.com/shareholder/) - [Institutions](https://equityzen.com/institutions/) - [Issuers](https://equityzen.com/issuers/) - [Financial Advisors](https://equityzen.com/financial-advisors/) - [Insights](https://blog.equityzen.com/) - [Login](https://equityzen.com/accounts/login/) - [Sign Up](https://equityzen.com/accounts/register/) [Back to insights](https://blog.equityzen.com) [Market Views](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/market-views) [From Our Founders](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/from-our-founders) # The Keys to a Successful Private Market ![Atish Davda](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-11-12%20at%203.15.11%20PM.png?width=96&height=96&name=Screenshot%202025-11-12%20at%203.15.11%20PM.png) Written by Atish Davda • May 8, 2024 • 2 min read ![Overhead view of bridge over water](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock_1463198537.jpg?width=1318&height=736&name=shutterstock_1463198537.jpg) In this article Like this article? The private market is good for employees, private companies, and shareholders – as long as the market remains transparent and accessible. In my 10+ years running EquityZen, I have come across many good actors who have dedicated themselves to this above-board approach.  However, as happens every few years, some players are signaling that they are comfortable “moving fast and breaking things”, not just when building technology, but when structuring transactions in a highly regulated and complicated market. When you’re touching people’s nest eggs, asking for forgiveness (not permission) in financial markets is dangerous: full stop.  Forward contracts are akin to an unofficial sublease of an apartment. Imagine being a landlord that a tenant they never approved is living on their property! To best serve our customers, and for an efficient and scalable private market, EquityZen always acts with these guiding principles: - Transactions must always happen in a fair manner that takes into account all parties – private companies that issue these shares, alongside selling shareholders, and interested investors.  - Without trust, transparency, and sound structure, both investors and private companies are hurt.  - Investing through risky, convoluted structures (like forward contracts) comes with outsized risk. - When “shadow markets” grow, private companies lose control of their ownership at a crucial phase of their growth.  - Private companies have every right to know who owns their stock and approve transfers.  - EquityZen has completed over 41,000 transactions, across 450+ private issuers1. In each instance, we received company approval: either individually or in bulk. Yes, it takes longer to do it this way, but it is the only way to build an efficient and sustainable market. - Treat clients' money like your own.  - There is growing demand amongst smaller investors that are eager to get access to late stage private company investments, especially as companies stay private longer.  - They deserve to know what they own and also the process related to acquiring, owning, and exiting their investments.  - The reason we founded EquityZen was to create tools that support "team little check" as we fondly call them, enabling them to invest in late stage private companies through our funds with as little as $10,000. We are supportive of innovation and increased access. But it must be done with transparency and within the letter of the law.  Yes, innovation is possible and necessary to broaden access to an increasingly important market. So, we are called to innovate through technology and process improvements, benefitting all players, including the private company itself. All participants in the private markets should operate above board, not only because we have to (as regulated businesses), but because it’s the key to a transparent and accessible private market.   Sources 1. EquityZen data     --- *![Screenshot 2024-02-20 at 2.39.43 PM](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202024-02-20%20at%202.39.43%20PM.png?width=1136&height=48&name=Screenshot%202024-02-20%20at%202.39.43%20PM.png)* *Interested in exploring private company investment opportunities available on EquityZen's marketplace?* *[![Sign Up](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/20754585/604181f1-0356-4332-98e8-242da4bcf263.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/20754585/604181f1-0356-4332-98e8-242da4bcf263)*     Join Investors and Shareholders Exploring the Private Markets Today [![Get Started](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/20754585/8e691282-6ef2-4809-87ba-5604efc0edbe.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/20754585/8e691282-6ef2-4809-87ba-5604efc0edbe) ### Related Articles ![EquityZen Launches Private Market Map and Market Score: Demystifying Pre-IPO Investing through Visualization and Data-Driven Insights](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/yahoofinance.png?width=812&height=446&name=yahoofinance.png) ##### EquityZen Launches Private Market Map and Market Score: Demystifying Pre-IPO Investing through Visualization and Data-Driven Insights Explore EquityZen's latest innovation - Private Market Map and Market Score on Yahoo! 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Investing in private companies may be considered highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk, including the risk of substantial loss of investment. Investors must be able to afford the loss of their entire investment. See [our Risk Factors](https://equityzen.com/risk-factors/) for a more detailed explanation of the risks involved by investing through EquityZen’s platform.   EquityZen Securities LLC (“EquityZen Securities”) is a subsidiary of EquityZen Inc. EquityZen Securities is a broker/dealer registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and is a [FINRA](http://www.finra.org/)/[SIPC](https://www.sipc.org/) member firm.   Equity securities are offered through EquityZen Securities. Check the background of this firm on [FINRA’s BrokerCheck](https://brokercheck.finra.org/firm/summary/281820).   EquityZen Inc. was awarded a 2024 Fintech Breakthrough Award by Tech Breakthrough LLC on March 19, 2025, based on the prior year and covering calendar year 2024, and has compensated FinTech Breakthrough LLC for use of its name and logo in connection with the award. FinTech Breakthrough LLC is a third party and has no affiliation with EquityZen.   EquityZen created the ticker symbols referenced on this page for use solely on the EquityZen platform. They do not refer to any publicly traded stock. EquityZen does not have an affiliation with, formal relationship with, or endorsement from any of the companies featured and none of the statements on the site should be attributed to those companies.   “Market Activity” and other transactional data displayed on this website is compiled by EquityZen and is confidential and historical in nature. 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EquityZen 1 New York Plaza 12th floor New York, NY 10004 [Trustpilot](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/equityzen.com) [![Secured via DigiCert Extended Validation certificate](https://dioguwdgf472v.cloudfront.net/assets/equityzen/img/digicert-site-seal.png)](https://seal.digicert.com/seals/popup/?tag=eoBY_h-N&url=equityzen.com&lang=en_US&cbr=1411486682292) [![FINRA's BrokerCheck](https://dioguwdgf472v.cloudfront.net/assets/equityzen/img/broker-check.png)](https://brokercheck.finra.org/firm/summary/281820) [![SIPC](https://dioguwdgf472v.cloudfront.net/assets/equityzen/image/common/sipc.png)![FinTech Breakthrough Award](https://dioguwdgf472v.cloudfront.net/assets/equityzen/img/fintech-award.png)](https://www.sipc.org/) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Atish Davda", "url" : "https://blog.equityzen.com/author/atish-davda" }, "dateModified" : "2025-03-10T18:47:41.895Z", "datePublished" : "2024-05-08T11:05:00.000Z", "headline" : "The Keys to a Successful Private Market | EquityZen", "image" : [ "https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/shutterstock_1463198537.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.equityzen.com/the-keys-to-a-successful-private-market-equityzen", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/EZ_logo_h_color-bk_RGB-1.png" }, "name" : "EquityZen, Inc." } } ```