Who this route fits
Eligible professional or institutional investors able to assess illiquid private-company securities and hold them for an uncertain period.
Private Markets
US pre-IPO secondaries
Curated access to late-stage, high-growth US private companies for qualified investors.
Pre-IPO secondaries let investors buy shares in late-stage private companies before they list, by acquiring stakes from existing shareholders such as employees and early investors. Matchpoint structures and places this access for family offices, funds and qualified investors.
Access is typically arranged through special-purpose vehicles (SPVs) or forward contracts, with names that have included SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe and xAI. Matchpoint undertakes tickets from USD 5m upwards per name; availability and pricing vary with each opportunity.
Related
Questions, answered
US Pre-IPO Secondaries — frequently asked questions
The purchase of shares in a late-stage private company from existing shareholders, ahead of an IPO or liquidity event — giving investors exposure before the company lists.
Qualified investors — family offices, funds and HNW individuals — typically via an SPV or forward contract that Matchpoint structures and places. Eligibility and minimums depend on the specific opportunity.
Availability changes with the market; past access has included SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe and xAI. Speak to a partner for current names and pricing.
Matchpoint undertakes tickets from USD 5m upwards per name, depending on the opportunity. Minimums vary with each transaction’s structure — direct secondary, SPV or forward contract — and access is limited to qualified investors meeting eligibility and suitability requirements.
The main risks are illiquidity, valuation uncertainty and transfer restrictions: shares may not be saleable until a listing or liquidity event, which is never guaranteed, and entry pricing relies on private-market reference points. Matchpoint’s diligence on pricing, structure and counterparty addresses these, but cannot remove them.
A special-purpose vehicle pools investors to hold a position in one private company, ring-fencing that exposure; investors own units in the SPV rather than the shares directly. It is the standard route where direct transfers are restricted. Availability varies; past access has included well-known late-stage names.
Engagements ordinarily combine a retainer with a success fee. Terms are agreed in writing before work begins and calibrated to the mandate’s size, scope and complexity.
Most mandates reach a first term sheet within 30 days (M&A typically 4–9 months to close), depending on diligence readiness and structure.
A short, confidential scoping call and NDA; we structure the requirement, prepare materials, run a competitive process across our 5,000+ investor and lender relationships, and negotiate to close — with a partner leading throughout.
Talk to a Matchpoint partner
Tell us what you're trying to finance. A partner will respond personally — typically within one business day.
US private-company secondary decision
How can a qualified investor access US pre-IPO secondaries from the UAE?
Access depends on investor eligibility, issuer and seller transfer restrictions, the legal form of the interest and the availability of a permitted transaction. Investors should verify the chain of title, issuer or platform restrictions, SPV or forward terms, all fee layers, information rights, valuation basis, tax treatment, liquidity risk and counterparty risk before committing.
Decisions before outreach
Direct, SPV or forward exposure; eligibility; transfer approval; title; pricing; fee layers; information rights; liquidity; and tax.
What to prepare
Investor classification and KYC information, target companies, ticket range, holding-period tolerance and legal, tax and investment review.
Qualification. Eligibility, suitability and transaction-specific minimums apply; availability and any future liquidity event are uncertain.
