Aquaty is a fintech company offering a fully digital securitization platform—branded as "Securitization as a Service"—that transforms private market assets into tradable securities for asset and wealth managers.[1][4][5] It streamlines fundraising, investments, portfolio management, and co-investment opportunities across asset classes like venture capital, private equity, real estate, infrastructure, private credit, and special cases such as art or collectibles, serving syndicate leaders, VC funds, angel investors, founders, and institutions.[1][2][4][5] By automating legal, regulatory, and transactional processes with AI and blockchain, Aquaty reduces costs by up to 90%, enhances accessibility, and makes private markets as efficient as public ones, targeting stakeholders who face high barriers in traditional setups.[1][3][4]
The platform covers the full investment lifecycle digitally, including direct investments, funds, SPVs, ESOP management, secondary transactions, and API integrations for custom securities with ISINs, all while ensuring EU-compliant standards.[2][4][5][7] Backed by over $2 million in pre-seed funding from investors like Berthold von Freyberg and Mirko Novakovic, Aquaty has launched products post-beta and expanded into broader securitization, with early projects in pipeline.[1][2][7]
Aquaty was founded in 2020 (with some sources noting 2021 activity) in Münster, Germany, by co-founder and managing director Alexander Grimm, inspired by the high entry barriers, costs, and lack of transparency in venture capital and private markets.[1][3][6] Grimm envisioned a "NASDAQ moment" for private capital, mirroring how NASDAQ's 1970s electronic trading democratized public stocks by boosting efficiency and access—prompting Aquaty to digitize unstructured data into actionable insights via AI.[3][4]
The idea emerged from observed pain points in VC: complex legal processes, high transaction costs, and limited liquidity. Early traction included a successful beta phase, over $2 million in pre-seed funding from angels like Mirko Novakovic and Target Partners' Berthold von Freyberg, and a product launch for VCs, syndicates, and angels.[1][7] Pivotal expansions followed, like the securitization platform rollout within a year, targeting asset managers for real estate and infrastructure, with upcoming founder tools for cap tables and ESOPs.[1][7]
Aquaty rides the tokenization and democratization of private markets trend, where blockchain and AI unlock liquidity for illiquid assets amid rising demand for alternatives amid high public market valuations.[1][3][4] Timing aligns with regulatory shifts enabling digital securities in the EU and global push for inclusive investing post-2020 fintech boom, making exclusive assets like startups or infrastructure accessible beyond elites.[1][4][7]
Market forces favoring it include exploding private market volumes (venture, real estate), secondary trading needs, and cost pressures on managers—Aquaty counters with frictionless infrastructure.[2][5] It influences the ecosystem by enabling smaller managers to issue tradable products, fostering broader participation, deal syndication, and innovation in fintech payments/wealthtech, much like NASDAQ scaled public trading.[3][4]
Aquaty is poised to scale its securitization ecosystem, with next steps including deeper API adoptions, founder-focused cap table/ESOP tools, and expansion into more asset classes/special uses amid tokenized asset growth.[1][5][7] Trends like AI-driven insights, regulatory clarity for digital assets, and private market digitization (projected to hit trillions) will propel it, potentially capturing share from legacy providers.[3][4]
Its influence may evolve into a core infrastructure layer for European (and global) private markets, amplifying startup funding and alternative investments—echoing its founding vision of a NASDAQ for privates, where barriers vanish and growth accelerates for all stakeholders.[3][4]
AQUATY has raised $3.0M in total across 1 funding round.
AQUATY's investors include Dig Ventures, eCapital Entrepreneurial Partners, LocalGlobe, Octopus Ventures, OTB Ventures, Target Partners, Charlie Songhurst, Ian Hogarth, Torsten Reil.
AQUATY has raised $3.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $3.0M Seed in March 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2024 | $3.0M Seed | Dig Ventures, eCapital Entrepreneurial Partners, LocalGlobe, Octopus Ventures, OTB Ventures, Target Partners, Charlie Songhurst, Ian Hogarth, Torsten Reil |
