StartEngine
$100+ equity crowdfunding at scale; venture lottery tickets, never income
Rates verified July 23, 2026View platformTracked since2026
0 reviews trackedThe Bottom Line
Minimum
$100
Biggest pro
Biggest menu in equity crowdfunding
Biggest con
Investor-side fees (~3.5%) are unusual for the category
At a glance
Rates verified July 23, 2026- Minimum investment
- $100
- Accreditation
- partial
- Fees
- ~3.5% investor transaction fee on many deals; Venture Club $275/yr; StartEngine Private funds carry fund-style fees and carry
- Target return
- No meaningful realized-return data; startup equity outcomes
- Liquidity
- Illiquid indefinitely; StartEngine Secondary is an experiment
- Founded
- 2014
What is StartEngine?
StartEngine is the largest and loudest Reg CF marketplace: over $1.2B raised, 1.8M investor accounts (platform-reported), with Kevin O'Leary as paid spokesperson. Treat it as venture lottery tickets, never income: there is no meaningful realized-return data, most positions will be illiquid indefinitely, and many will go to zero.
Minimums run as low as $100, commonly $500 per offering, with no accreditation required for Reg CF and Reg A deals; StartEngine Private (Reg D pre-IPO funds) is accredited-only and carries fund-style fees and carry. Unusually for the category, investors pay a transaction fee of about 3.5% on many deals, and the Venture Club membership costs $275 per year for bonus shares and early access.
Founded in 2014. StartEngine Private drove $75.9M of $92.8M in revenue in the first nine months of 2025, and the company itself raises repeatedly from its own crowd, a promotional culture that draws recurring criticism. A dedicated private credit product page returns a 404 as of July 2026: StartEngine has no credit product.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Biggest menu in equity crowdfunding
- Genuine pre-IPO brand names on the Private side
- Minimums as low as $100, no accreditation needed on Reg CF and Reg A deals
Cons
- Investor-side fees (~3.5%) are unusual for the category
- Heavy self-promotion; the company raises repeatedly from its own crowd
- Expect zeros, not yield: no meaningful realized-return data
- Most positions illiquid indefinitely
Key details
Largest Reg CF deal flowPre-IPO access via StartEngine Private (accredited, Reg D)Secondary trading experiment (StartEngine Secondary)Venture Club membership with bonus shares and early access
Explore more
StartEngine FAQ
What is the minimum investment on StartEngine?
As low as $100, commonly $500 per offering.
Is accreditation required on StartEngine?
No for Reg CF and Reg A offerings. StartEngine Private (Reg D pre-IPO funds) is accredited-only.
What are the risks of investing on StartEngine?
Startup equity risk in full: there is no meaningful realized-return data, most positions will be illiquid indefinitely, and many will go to zero. Investors also pay a transaction fee of about 3.5% on many deals, which is unusual for the category, and the platform's promotional culture (including raising repeatedly from its own investor crowd) draws recurring criticism.
Source: startengine.com