When OpenAI’s ChatGPT sparked a global wave of AI innovation, and SpaceX’s Starlink expanded to over 150 countries with a valuation nearing $1.25 trillion, countless ordinary investors found themselves asking the same question: These companies aren’t publicly listed yet—how can I invest in them?
The answer is that investment channels are becoming more diverse than ever. As crypto finance converges with traditional capital markets, a gateway to top-tier unicorn investments is gradually opening for everyday investors.
Why Can’t You "Buy" OpenAI and SpaceX Stock?
Before tackling "how to invest," it’s important to understand "why it’s so difficult."
OpenAI and SpaceX are both private companies, meaning their shares aren’t traded on public exchanges. Traditionally, only venture capital firms, accredited investors, and company employees can acquire shares through private placements or employee stock incentive plans. Both companies strictly limit unauthorized secondary market transfers—OpenAI’s spokesperson has publicly stated, "People should be extremely cautious about any company claiming to offer OpenAI shares, including those using SPVs."
But this doesn’t mean ordinary investors have no opportunities.
As crypto financial infrastructure matures and regulatory frameworks evolve, new channels are breaking down these barriers, allowing retail investors to participate in the valuation growth of top private companies with much lower entry requirements.
How Can You Invest in Private Companies?
Here are the four most mainstream investment avenues currently available, ranging from traditional secondary markets to on-chain derivatives. Investors can choose based on their risk tolerance and available capital.
Traditional Private Secondary Market Platforms (EquityZen, Forge Global)
For investors seeking the closest experience to "actual shareholding," traditional private secondary market platforms remain the go-to option. Platforms like EquityZen and Forge Global connect early employees or investors looking to cash out with individual buyers, enabling users to invest in hot private companies like OpenAI and SpaceX for as little as $5,000.
Both platforms have partnered with Yahoo Finance to lower investment thresholds and plan to launch single-company funds to make small-scale investments possible. Forge has also developed a daily price estimation system based on platform trading activity to address outdated valuations in private markets. However, it’s important to note: these transactions are still limited to "accredited investors," require company approval for share transfers, and offer only limited trading windows.
Pre-IPO Perpetual Contracts (Gate)
Crypto platforms are emerging as the most dynamic innovators in this space. On April 9, 2026, Gate officially launched a digital pre-IPO participation system, allowing users to track private company valuations before they go public. The first product, SPACEXUSDT perpetual contracts, lets users trade SpaceX long or short positions 24/7, just like crypto assets, completely removing the high barriers and geographic restrictions of traditional pre-IPO trading.
Prediction Markets (Polymarket)
Prediction markets may seem "different," but they’re an important complement. In May 2026, Polymarket partnered exclusively with Nasdaq Private Market to launch prediction contracts tied to key milestones for private companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. These contracts cover events such as valuation changes, IPO timelines, and secondary market trading activity. Nasdaq Private Market will provide settlement data, making this information freely available to the public for the first time.
Users in prediction markets aren’t betting on actual equity, but rather on the outcomes of events related to private companies. This model offers investors a unique perspective on market expectations for the valuations of unlisted companies.
Major Regulatory Variable: SEC "Innovation Exemption" Could Reshape the Landscape
In May 2026, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed an "innovation exemption" policy for tokenized stocks. This would allow digital tokens linked to publicly traded company shares to be traded on decentralized platforms and crypto-native venues, without requiring prior approval from the issuing company.
The policy has sparked widespread debate over market fragmentation and investor protection, leading to a delay from its original early May rollout. Regardless of its final form, the advancement of the "innovation exemption" signals a significant increase in regulatory tolerance for on-chain securities trading. This is a long-term positive for crypto pre-IPO products involving companies like OpenAI and SpaceX.
Risk Warning: Three Key Alerts You Must Understand Before Entering
The rise of new channels doesn’t mean risks have disappeared—in fact, the more channels and the more complex the structures, the more vigilant investors need to be.
First, no shareholder rights. Whether it’s Gate’s SPACEXUSDT perpetual contract or Binance’s OPENAIUSDT contract, these are synthetic derivatives. They do not provide ownership, voting rights, or dividends. Investors gain price exposure, not actual shares in OpenAI or SpaceX.
Second, liquidity challenges. Unlike public markets, private company shares are subject to "non-continuous pricing"—multi-billion-dollar valuations may be based on a tiny fraction of shares traded in the latest funding round. This "marginal pricing" can drive overall valuations sky-high, but actual liquidity at exit is extremely limited. Some private shares may need to be held for years before a buyer is found.
Third, information opacity and structural risk. Investors lack access to public financial reports and corporate governance data, with valuations almost entirely dependent on funding rounds rather than audited financials. Some SPV structures may even lack legal validity due to design flaws, exposing investors to significant counterparty risk.
How to Take Your First Step on Gate?
For investors interested in pre-IPO derivative trading, Gate offers an easy entry point.
Users can find SPACEXUSDT perpetual contracts and other pre-IPO products in the "Derivatives" section of the Gate platform. These products settle entirely in USDT, have no minimum deposit requirement, and support 24/7 trading. Gate also provides a dedicated xStocks tokenized stock section, allowing users to trade stock tokens for Apple, NVIDIA, Tesla, and other listed companies directly with crypto assets.
But always remember: Pre-IPO perpetual contracts are high-risk leveraged trading tools—they are fundamentally "trading," not "investing." High volatility means that incorrect directional bets can lead to losses far beyond expectations. Beginners are strongly advised to start with small amounts, set strict stop-losses, and thoroughly research the underlying mechanisms of each contract.
Conclusion
In 2026, investing in private companies like OpenAI and SpaceX is no longer reserved for high-net-worth individuals. From traditional private secondary markets like EquityZen and Forge Global, to pre-IPO perpetual contracts on crypto platforms such as Gate and Binance, to tokenized SPV structures on Bitget IPO Prime and prediction markets on Polymarket—four major pathways are opening up to ordinary investors with unprecedentedly low barriers. Meanwhile, the SEC’s ongoing push for a tokenized securities regulatory framework may fundamentally transform how private company shares are traded.
But lower barriers do not mean risk has disappeared. The underlying assets, legal structures, and rights attributes of these products vary dramatically—synthetic derivatives offer price exposure without shareholder rights, SPV tokens attempt to simulate equity but may face legal validity issues, and prediction markets are fundamentally event-based wagers, not equity investments. Investors must carefully evaluate the true mechanisms behind each pathway and make rational choices based on a thorough understanding of the risks involved.
