A secondary market for investing in European private companies
In the past couple of years secondary markets for private company shares have garnered a deal of attention in the United States, not least for the regulatory challenges they both pose and have to overcome, with companies such as SecondMarket and Sharespost facilitating a market in the (still private) shares of fast-growth companies such as Facebook and Twitter.
Now this phenomenon of organised secondary markets for shares in private companies appears to be coming to Europe, with the launch in Switzerland of FirstPEX, which describes itself as “Europe’s first…secondary market where Business Owners, Brokers, Financial Advisors and Investors can connect and negotiate the terms of an investment. FirstPEX allows sellers of equity to interact with qualified Investors”.
FirstPEX operates as a form of eBay for private company shares:
“FirstPEX is a membership-based platform. Business information listed on the site is only accessible by registered members. Members can only become active on the site once they are approved by our team of moderators. As a Business Owner you can list your equity for sale to the highest bidder and as an Investor you can filter investments according to your requirements, access all vital information and engage in live chats with Business Owners.”
FirstPEX’s website adds that “we are currently working on launching FirstPEX in the UK, Germany, France and Italy”.
See also: SecondMarket Brags About 2011 Results, But What Happens After Facebook Goes Public? – Wall Street Journal
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