Robinhood plans to launch a publicly traded fund to provide U.S. retail investors with the opportunity to invest in private companies

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Robinhood Markets Inc. (HOOD) plans to launch the "Robinhood Ventures Fund I" public fund to provide retail investors in the U.S. with the opportunity to invest in private companies.

Its CEO Vlad Tenev stated that for decades, the wealthy and institutions have been able to invest in private companies, while retail investors have been shut out, and the new fund will allow ordinary people to access investment opportunities that were once exclusive to the elite. Previously, Robinhood allowed EU users to purchase tokenized stocks tracking well-known private companies like OpenAI. This new fund focuses on the U.S. market and will make long-term investments through IPOs and subsequent stages, spanning multiple industries.

Robinhood pointed out that in recent years, investment opportunities have diminished, with the number of publicly listed companies in the U.S. dropping from about 7,000 in 2000 to about 4,000 in 2024, while the number and value of private companies have increased, with a total value exceeding $10 trillion. Currently, Robinhood has submitted a registration statement to the SEC, applying for the public offering of the fund, and hopes to list it on the NYSE under the ticker symbol RVI.