Crypto Platforms Offer Retail Investors a Way to Bet on Private AI Companies

Recent trends in the financialization of private markets have led to a surge in demand for exposure to transformative technologies like AI and space exploration. Crypto platforms are now offering traders a way to bet on the most valuable private AI companies, such as Anthropic and OpenAI, through various instruments.

The market has seen significant growth, with trading activity on crypto venues Ventuals and PreStocks surging more than threefold since the start of the year. Major crypto exchanges have also begun listing pre-IPO assets, broadening their reach to tens of millions of users. Trade.xyz, a crypto derivatives platform on the Hyperliquid blockchain, is also joining in.

Traders are pushing the implied valuation of Anthropic alone to US$1.6 trillion across Ventuals and PreStocks, double what investors assigned the company in its most recent funding round. This reflects speculative positioning rather than actual transactions in equity. However, some experts suggest that these derivatives markets may be tracking real institutional demand, not just speculative noise.