Venture capitalists love the spotlight. They’re on X, they’re in the White House, and they’re constantly chasing press coverage of Series A deals into B2B SaaS companies that might become the next Salesforce, but could just as likely fold in a few years.
Today’s VCs hold an inordinate amount of cultural capital, and for good reason: They fund many of the companies that undergird not only our economy, but our social fabric, and they are often instrumental in shaping tomorrow’s trends. But still, they represent a small fraction of the broader investment landscape, which is why I’m always astounded by the sheer scale of the private equity industry.
For everyday investors, that limits the type of companies where they can put their money—though some firms like Apollo are starting to offer vehicles like ETFs, as well as tokenized funds, that provide access to private companies. Critics argue that the lack of transparency, however, creates a whole host of potential problems.