Press Release

StartEngine, Equity Trust Unlock Pre-IPO Investment Opportunities for IRA Investors

BURBANK, CA, May 2, 2025

StartEngine, a renowned alternative investment platform, is pleased to announce its integration with Equity Trust Company, an industry-leading self-directed IRA custodian. This collaboration will empower investors to seamlessly use their retirement accounts to gain exposure to pre-IPO private companies, with minimums starting as low as $15,000.¹

“While similar VC-backed offerings can carry seven-figure minimums, we’ve significantly lowered the barrier to entry to this asset class with investments as low as $15,000,“ said Howard Marks, Co-Founder and CEO of StartEngine. “Now, by collaborating with Equity Trust, we’re further democratizing private market investing by opening up these opportunities to IRA investors.”

Marks added that while most investors own an IRA, they’re not aware that they can use it to invest in pre-IPO private companies. Through this integration, Equity Trust clients can now connect their IRA accounts directly to StartEngine’s platform via the WealthBridge portal, eliminating manual transfers and streamlining the investment process.

This integration offers instant access to offerings for exposure to leading pre-IPO companies, including names like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Databricks.¹

“What StartEngine and Equity Trust have created here is a game-changer for retail investors,” said Kevin O’Leary (aka “Mr. Wonderful”), Strategic Advisor for StartEngine.² “Equity Trust’s clients can now invest in disruptive, private companies — all within the tax-advantaged structure of their IRA.”

StartEngine has a proven track record, helping over 1.8 million users invest more than $1.3 billion across a wide array of private investment opportunities since its founding in 2014.³ Equity Trust, with over $66 billion in assets under custody and administration, continues to lead in self-directed retirement investing, providing innovative solutions to help clients achieve financial success.

“By integrating with StartEngine, we’re creating an easy, direct route to access private companies and high-growth startups,” said George Sullivan, CEO of Equity Trust Company. “This arrangement underscores our commitment to empowering investors with more flexibility and control over their financial futures.”

About StartEngine
StartEngine is one of the largest alternative investing platforms in the U.S. led by Activision Co-Founder Howard Marks and advised by Kevin O’Leary,² StartEngine launched in 2015 with the mission to help entrepreneurs achieve their dreams, while providing everyday investors with access to private investment opportunities. To date, over $1.3 billion has been invested on StartEngine’s platform from a community of more than 1.8 million users.³ In November 2023, the company launched StartEngine Private, an offering for accredited investors to gain exposure to prominent pre-IPO companies like Perplexity, Discord, and Epic Games.¹

StartEngine Crowdfunding Inc. is not a broker-dealer, funding portal or investment adviser. StartEngine Capital, LLC is a funding portal registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). StartEngine Primary LLC is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and FINRA/SIPC. StartEngine Secondary is an alternative trading system regulated by the SEC and operated by StartEngine Primary. To raise funds, invest or trade on the StartEngine platform, visit www.startengine.com.

About Equity Trust
Equity Trust Company is a leading self-directed IRA custodian with a 50-year legacy of offering innovative retirement solutions. It evolved from a predecessor brokerage firm founded in 1974 to a directed custodian with $66 billion in assets under custody and administration, as of March 31, 2025. Equity Trust empowers investors to take control of their retirement accounts with unparalleled flexibility and experience.

StartEngine is not an affiliate of Equity Trust Company (“Equity Trust”). As Equity Trust is a directed custodian, like any investment, it is your responsibility to conduct your own due diligence before investing and before choosing a provider that is right for you. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.

Equity Trust makes no recommendation or representations as to any provider or the needs generally of any IRA owner or any IRA. Any information communicated by Equity Trust is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as tax, legal, or investment advice. Clients are in no way obligated to invest with StartEngine and are free to select any provider or investment as they deem appropriate. No customer may rely on any statement made by Equity Trust or any of its officers, directors, employees, or agents for any decisions regarding StartEngine. Whenever making a decision related to your account, please consult with your tax, financial, or legal professional.

1. The underlying companies held by StartEngine Private Funds LLC, and StartEngine Private LLC (together, “StartEngine Private”) are not participating or involved in the offering. The availability of company information does not indicate that the company has endorsed, supports or otherwise participates with StartEngine Private or any of its affiliates. StartEngine Crowdfunding LLC purchases shares from current and former employees, early investors, and advisors of the companies and sells the shares to StartEngine Private for each offering. When you make an investment in a company on StartEngine Private, you are purchasing an interest in a series of StartEngine Private Funds LLC or StartEngine Private LLC, each a Delaware limited liability company (together the “Series LLCs”), which were created to hold shares of privately held companies. An investor will not directly own or hold shares of the private company but instead will own member interests in a series of the Series LLCs, which either directly or indirectly, will hold shares in the company. There may not be a one-to-one economic parity on the value of the Series LLCs interests and the underlying shares. This is offered only to accredited investors per regulation D rules.

2. Kevin O’Leary is a paid spokesperson for StartEngine. See his 17(b) disclosure, here.

3. Count determined as number of unique email addresses in StartEngine’s database as of 08-27-2024. One individual may have more than one email address. In May 2023, StartEngine acquired assets of SeedInvest, including email lists for SeedInvest’s users, investors and founders. Click here for more details.

This Reg A+ offering was made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. For more information about this offering, please view Atombeam’s Offering Circular and Related Risks.