StartEngine

StartEngine is an equity crowdfunding marketplace: over $1.2B raised and 1.8M investor accounts (platform-reported). Treat it as startup investing, not income: there is no meaningful realized-return data, positions can be illiquid, and some will lose all of their value. Most offerings accept investments of $100 to $500, and StartEngine says minimums typically start at $500 for startup investments and $15,000 for pre-IPO offerings. No accreditation is required for Reg CF and Reg A offerings; pre-IPO offerings (Reg D 506(c)) are available to accredited investors only, and StartEngine's affiliated funds (StartEngine Private) charge management fees and carried interest. Investors may pay a convenience fee of up to 3.5% of the investment in certain cases, disclosed per offering (for example, $100 costs $103.50), while many offerings are completely free for investors. Secondary and Bulletin Board trades carry fees of up to 5% for buyer and seller, and a Venture Club membership with a $275 annual fee may be required to sell on Secondary. Founded in 2014. StartEngine Private drove $75.9M of $92.8M in revenue in the first nine months of 2025. FINRA's July 2022 disciplinary report states that StartEngine Capital was fined $350,000 over false or misleading issuer communications between 2016 and 2018, a settlement reached without admitting or denying the findings. StartEngine is listed here as an equity crowdfunding platform; a dedicated private credit product page returned a 404 in July 2026.