Clear Street to Launch Private Equity Trading Platform, First Target Databricks at $188 Billion
Fintech brokerage Clear Street will launch a platform allowing qualified investors to buy equity stakes in late-stage private companies, starting with AI software giant Databricks, valued at $188 billion this month. The platform will handle asset services and risk management internally and offer margin loans on pre-IPO holdings. Clear Street plans to expand to 30 startups by year-end, mostly valued between $5 billion and $20 billion, with IPOs expected in six months to two years. It also set up a research unit for private-company stocks. Clear Street paused its own IPO in February 2026 due to market volatility, after a private funding round valuing it at nearly $12 billion.
Fintech brokerage Clear Street is set to announce a new platform that will allow qualified investors to purchase equity interests in late-stage private companies, with the first offering to include AI software giant Databricks, which was valued at $188 billion this month. The platform will handle asset services and risk management internally, and can provide margin loans against pre-IPO holdings, a rarity in the private market.
As more startups choose to remain private for longer, a growing share of value creation occurs before an IPO. Last week, Goldman Sachs launched a platform to expand services for wealthy clients and family offices, meeting demand for direct stakes in fast-growing private companies. Clear Street plans to expand the number of startups on its platform to 30 by year-end, most with valuations between $5 billion and $20 billion and expected to go public in six months to two years.
Clear Street has also launched a dedicated research team for private-company stocks, led by analyst Owen Lau. Clear Street itself had planned to go public, but paused in February 2026 as market volatility affected valuations of brokerage and fintech companies. The company raised nearly $12 billion in a private funding round in early 2026, is cash-flow positive, and has enhanced liquidity by issuing $400 million in investment-grade bonds.