Robinhood is planning to launch a new fund that would let everyday investors take part in venture capital opportunities, a space usually reserved for wealthy individuals and institutions.
On Monday, the brokerage revealed it had filed a Form N-2 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to register shares of the Robinhood Ventures Fund I (RVI). The fund will be managed by Robinhood’s new subsidiary, Robinhood Ventures DE.
If approved, shares of RVI will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange and available through participating brokerage platforms.
A Shift in Access to Early-Stage Investments
Robinhood said the fund will support companies “at the frontiers of their respective industries,” but it did not name specific sectors. Venture funds often focus on high-growth areas such as emerging technologies, blockchain and Web3.
Traditionally, only venture capital firms and high-net-worth investors have been able to back early-stage, private companies. Robinhood’s move could give retail investors indirect exposure to this asset class for the first time.
Growing Push Into Digital Assets
The fund could also extend Robinhood’s growing strategy in digital assets. The company already allows cryptocurrency trading, recently acquired major exchange Bitstamp, and bought Canadian crypto firm WonderFi for $179 million.
Robinhood has also entered tokenisation, offering tokenised stocks and testing “private stock tokens,” a product that has sparked debate within the industry.
VC Market Shows Signs of Recovery
The launch comes at a time when venture capital investment is picking up again. According to S&P Global, global VC funding reached $189.3 billion in the first half of 2025, compared with $152.4 billion in the same period last year. Much of this growth has been driven by US startups working in artificial intelligence.
Crypto-focused venture funding has also strengthened. Data from CryptoRank shows the sector brought in $10 billion in the second quarter of 2025, its best performance since 2022. More than half of that total came in June alone.
Key areas attracting investment include tokenisation, stablecoin infrastructure and decentralised finance. But under US law, most early-stage private offerings remain limited to accredited investors.
What It Means for Retail Investors
If approved, Robinhood’s RVI fund could give small investors a way to gain exposure to high-growth private companies, including those in digital assets, without needing to be accredited. This would mark a major change in how retail investors access venture capital opportunities.
