Private Company Secondary Share Platforms in AI answers

Data as of Oct 22, 2026Based on 172 AI responsesReviewed by Dimitry Apollonsky

AI summary

Hiive and EquityZen run nearly even across private secondary share queries, with Hiive recommended for transparent bid-ask pricing and EquityZen for lower investment minimums. For employee stock option liquidity, answers frequently point to Forge Global as well.

Most-mentioned brands

Rank and Mentioned in · since Jul 5

#	Brand	Recommended for	Mentioned in
1	Hiive 90% transparent open order books and direct pre-IPO secondary share trading	transparent open order books and direct pre-IPO secondary share trading	90%
1	EquityZen 90% smaller check sizes and single-company investment vehicles for accredited buyers	smaller check sizes and single-company investment vehicles for accredited buyers	90%
1	Forge Global 88% deep trade volume, institutional liquidity, and broad private company selection	deep trade volume, institutional liquidity, and broad private company selection	88%
4	Nasdaq Private Market 72% company-sponsored tender offers and secondary liquidity programs for employers	company-sponsored tender offers and secondary liquidity programs for employers	72%
5	ESO Fund 16% non-recourse financing to help employees exercise private stock options	non-recourse financing to help employees exercise private stock options	16%
5	Secfi 16% non-recourse option exercise financing and equity planning for startup staff	non-recourse option exercise financing and equity planning for startup staff	16%
5	EquityBee 15% funding employee stock option exercises through investor networks	funding employee stock option exercises through investor networks	15%
8	Augment Market 9% real-time pricing data and direct pre-IPO secondary connections	real-time pricing data and direct pre-IPO secondary connections	9%
8	Liquid Stock 9% specialized liquidity and exercise funding for private company share owners	specialized liquidity and exercise funding for private company share owners	9%
8	Carta 6% cap table infrastructure and managing company-run tender offers	cap table infrastructure and managing company-run tender offers	6%
11	Forge 5%		5%
11	Linqto 5%		5%
11	TickPick 5%		5%
11	Zanbato 5%		5%
11	Industry Ventures 4%		4%
11	Stripe 3%		3%
11	TicketSwap 3%		3%
11	SeatGeek 3%		3%
11	SecondMarketNasdaq Private Market product line 3%		3%
11	StubHub 3%		3%
11	OpenAI 3%		3%
11	StartEngine PrivateStartEngine product line 2%		2%
11	StartEngine 2%		2%
11	SpaceX 2%		2%
11	ARK Venture FundARK Funds product line 2%		2%
11	Vivid Seats 2%		2%
11	Republic 2%		2%
11	Anthropic 2%		2%
11	StepStone Group 2%		2%
30	Caplight 2%		2%
30	TicketmasterOwned by Live Nation Entertainment 2%		2%
30	AllocationsX 2%		2%
30	CashorTrade 2%		2%
30	Palico 2%		2%
30	3SPOKE 2%		2%
30	Morgan Stanley 2%		2%
30	Carta Liquidity 2%		2%
30	G Squared 2%		2%
30	npmOwned by GitHub 2%		2%
30	Coller Capital 2%		2%
30	HarbourVest 2%		2%
30	Charles Schwab 1%		1%
30	eBay 1%		1%
30	Gametime 1%		1%
30	AXS 1%		1%
30	Fundrise 1%		1%
30	ARK Funds 1%		1%
30	Moonfare 1%		1%
30	CartaXCarta product line 1%		1%
30	FNEX 1%		1%
30	SeatScout 1%		1%
30	Lexington Partners 1%		1%
30	Databricks 1%		1%
30	Aption 1%		1%
30	Schwab Private Markets 1%		1%
30	Mercari 1%		1%
30	Collective Liquidity 1%		1%
30	StockX 1%		1%
30	Robinhood 1%		1%
30	Stifel 1%		1%
30	GOAT 1%		1%
30	Secondaries.io 1%		1%
30	Susquehanna International Group 1%		1%
30	Better Markets 1%		1%
30	DST Global 1%		1%
30	Templum 1%		1%
30	Zanbato ZX 1%		1%
30	Ticket Club 1%		1%
30	Morgan Stanley at WorkMorgan Stanley product line 1%		1%
30	Notice 1%		1%
30	Fidelity Investments 1%		1%
30	Quid 1%		1%
30	T. Rowe Price 1%		1%
30	Blackrock 1%		1%
30	NewView Capital 1%		1%
30	Hamilton Lane 1%		1%
30	Lexington Home Brands 1%		1%

Who leads each AI engine

ChatGPT SearchChatGPT Search: =1EquityZen Hiive
Google AI ModeGoogle AI Mode: =1Forge Global Hiive EquityZen

Mentioned in on each engineChatGPT SearchGoogle AI Mode

Widest split: EquityBee, 8% on ChatGPT Search and 21% on Google AI Mode.

Mentioned in on each AI engine, by brand
Brand	ChatGPT Search	Google AI Mode
EquityZen	94%	85%
Forge Global	84%	92%
Hiive	89%	91%
Nasdaq Private Market	72%	72%
Secfi	20%	12%
EquityBee	8%	21%
ESO Fund	18%	14%
Carta	11%	Outside Google AI Mode's top 25
Augment Market	7%	12%
Liquid Stock	8%	11%

Latest insights

Weeks of Aug 10 – Sep 6, 2026 · Since Jul 5

EquityBee Gap between platforms: Google AI Mode now mentions EquityBee 12.3 points more often than ChatGPT Search in Private Company Secondary Share Platforms, a narrowed gap
Ticketmaster Gaining: Ticketmaster ranked #20 in Private Company Secondary Share Platforms last week and #12 this week
Morgan Stanley Investment Management Gaining: Morgan Stanley Investment Management ranked #22 in Private Company Secondary Share Platforms last week and #16 this week

Market map

Mentioned in · since Jul 5

Leading brands by topic

Questions by topic2

Pre-IPO secondary marketplaces
- Best secondaries marketplace for fair pricing?
- I am looking for a platform to invest in private companies prior to an IPO. What are the top options?
- I'm looking to buy shares in startups before they go public. Which platforms are best for pre-IPO investing?
- I want to invest in private companies before they IPO. Best pre-IPO investment platform?
Employee secondary share sales
- How can I sell my shares in a private company before an IPO? Are there marketplaces that handle employee secondary transactions?
- I'm looking for a way to liquidate my pre-IPO equity. Which marketplaces allow employees to execute secondary transactions for their private shares?
- Who are the top liquidity providers for secondary market employee stock option sales?

Sources AI cites99

57% of citations point at the ranked brands’ own sites. allocations.com, altstreet.investments, wsj.com are the most-cited sites outside the ranked brands’ own domains.