Forge (company)

Forge is a private securities marketplace that provides technology, data, and related services for the private market. Established in 2014, the firm assists investors and shareholders with the facilitation of liquidity in the private markets. Forge is backed by investors and global institutions like Deutsche Börse, Wells Fargo, FT Partners, Peter Thiel, and LUN Partners Group.

Through their trading, custody, data, and company solutions, Forge streamlines trading private shares, managing company-sponsored liquidity programs, and accessing data to inform private market strategy. The company helps investors purchase and sell private shares in companies around the world.

Some available companies on the platform include Bolt, Scale AI, Miso Robotics, Bluestacks, Pro.com, Altos Labs, Neurolink, OnlyFans, OpenSea, and Kong.

Forge Global (FRGE) CEO On Going Public Via SPAC Merger

Forge assists employees in selling their vested shares in startups. The company's standard minimum transaction size is $100,000 USD. However, there are some opportunities to sell lesser amounts. A Forge Private Market Specialist is assigned to discuss transaction sizes with shareholders. The firm supports different structures for private market investments, and the fees differ. On average, one transaction can take about fifty days from the moment Forge matches a buyer with a seller. The platform keeps both parties apprised of the timelines and the next steps.

Forge’s commission is 5 percent. However, participants may pay a higher commission if the overall dollar amount of the transaction falls below their minimum transaction amount of $100,000. The platform requires that potential buyers of shares execute non-disclosure agreements before engaging in any detailed conversations surrounding an investment opportunity. Additionally, the financial information provided to the firm by a company is shared with company consent and on a need-to-know basis.

The firm works with companies to personalize their services to meet their needs. Company solutions involve individual secondary transactions as well as structuring and managing large, formal liquidity programs. To buy unregistered securities like private company stock, a buyer must be, at minimum, an accredited investor. There is no accreditation requirement for people who want to sell unregistered securities.

Forge helps companies stay private, invest, and reward their employees with the support of private investors. The company also helps to streamline administrative tasks, allowing users to control eligibility, share price, as well as program timelines from a dashboard. Private companies can choose from a network of institutional investors to access capital.

• Register online with Forge
• Put in the private company whose shares you want to sell, the number of shares up for sale, and the asking price per share. A Private Market Specialist from Forge will be in touch to offer insight into the market for those shares. As a result, shareholders do not need to set a price before then.
• The platform records interest and reaches out to its network of investors and institutions to find potential buyers.
• When there is interest in the block of shares, the Private Market Specialist from Forge will reach out to assist in facilitating terms and a final purchase price. The terms are immediately set, and the platform works to close the transaction.