Robinhood venture fund attracts over 150,000 investors

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev announced the success of the company's new Ventures Fund I project. This fund allows retail investors to invest in major private tech companies such as Stripe, Oura, Databricks, and OpenAI. Over 150,000 retail investors participated in the IPO process through this fund, which is registered on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). This is reported by Techcrunch.com .

According to Tenev, the term "unicorn" is losing its relevance today. As AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic reach valuations of hundreds of billions of dollars, it is more accurate to call them "frontier companies." He believes many companies could reach a trillion-dollar valuation before going public.

The new fund is a logical continuation of Robinhood's mission to democratize markets. While the company previously increased participation in public markets through commission-free trading, it is now providing access to private company investments. This fund offers daily liquidity and, unlike traditional venture funds, does not charge carried interest.

Tenev believes retail investors should participate in the early stages of company development rather than waiting for an IPO. His goal is to enable retail investors to access opportunities when startups raise initial capital, ensuring they benefit from growth in private markets.