Robinhood, the popular brokerage firm, has taken a significant step toward democratizing venture capital investment by filing for SEC approval of its new fund, Robinhood Ventures Fund I (RVI).
Through this initiative, retail investors could gain exposure to private companies traditionally accessible only to institutions and high-net-worth individuals.
Robinhood disclosed that it submitted a Form N-2 registration with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to launch shares of RVI. The fund will be managed by Robinhood’s newly established subsidiary, Robinhood Ventures DE.
If sanctioned, RVI shares would trade on the New York Stock Exchange, allowing investors to buy and sell them seamlessly using brokerage platforms.
The fund intends to invest in companies at the forefront of their industries, with a focus on sectors like emerging technologies, blockchain, and Web3, although Robinhood has yet to specify particular sectors.
This move represents a notable shift by making early-stage private investments accessible to everyday investors, a space historically dominated by specialized venture capital and affluent backers.
Robinhood’s venture plans might also extend into digital assets, an area where the company has been expanding aggressively. Alongside offering cryptocurrency trading, Robinhood recently acquired the major exchange Bitstamp and purchased the Canadian crypto firm WonderFi for $179 million.
Moreover, Robinhood has experimented with tokenized stocks and private stock tokens, products that have attracted regulatory and industry scrutiny.
In the wider market, venture capital funding has seen a resurgence in 2025, especially with a surge in US startups focused on artificial intelligence. According to S&P Global, global VC investment hit $189.3 billion in the year’s first half, a significant increase from $152.4 billion compared to the previous year.
Although crypto venture capital remains a smaller segment, it attracted $10 billion in the second quarter alone — its best quarter since 2022. Key trends driving crypto investments include tokenization, stablecoin infrastructure, and decentralized finance.
Due to US securities laws, many early-stage private offerings are restricted to accredited investors, limiting retail involvement. Robinhood’s fund proposal could provide a valuable avenue for retail investors to indirectly participate in this otherwise exclusive asset class.
