Robinhood Ventures Fund I Seeks to Open Private Markets to Retail Investors

Menlo Park, California – Robinhood has announced that its newly formed subsidiary, Robinhood Ventures DE, LLC, filed an initial registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a public offering of shares in Robinhood Ventures Fund I (RVI). This closed-end fund aims to provide retail investors access to private market opportunities.

Historically, private investments have been dominated by wealthy individuals and institutions. “For decades, wealthy people and institutions have invested in private companies while retail investors have been unfairly locked out,” stated Robinhood Chairman and CEO Vlad Tenev. RVI intends to change that by allowing everyday people to invest in companies at the cutting edge of their industries before they go public.

As of 2024, the number of publicly traded companies in the U.S. has dropped to about 4,000 from around 7,000 in 2000. Simultaneously, the value of private firms in the U.S. has surpassed $10 trillion. RVI is designed to expand access to this growing segment of the market.

Similar to private tokenized stocks in the EU, RVI provides a pathway for U.S. retail investors to engage with private markets. The fund will maintain a concentrated portfolio of private companies and intends to hold investments for the long term through initial public offerings (IPOs) and beyond.

The filing submitted to the SEC is subject to review, and shares cannot be sold until declared effective. RVI plans for its shares to trade under the ticker symbol RVI on the NYSE. Retail investors will have the option to buy and sell shares through brokerages, including Robinhood Financial LLC.

Investors interested in participating or seeking further information can visit the Robinhood website for updates regarding RVI.