---
title: "Why Cathie Wood And Robinhood Agree That Retail Investors Need Access To Private Markets"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/286304054.md"
description: "Cathie Wood of ARK Invest and Shivaram Rajgopal of Robinhood advocate for greater access to private markets for retail investors, as major tech companies remain private longer, limiting wealth creation opportunities. They discussed ARK's venture-focused fund and Robinhood's private markets fund aimed at democratizing access. Wood highlighted the shift in the investing landscape, citing companies like SpaceX with high valuations before going public. Both executives criticized the outdated accreditation system and emphasized the need for transparency and education as retail investors increasingly act like long-term institutional investors."
datetime: "2026-05-13T18:39:15.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/286304054.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286304054.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/286304054.md)
---

# Why Cathie Wood And Robinhood Agree That Retail Investors Need Access To Private Markets

ARK Invest CEO **Cathie Wood** and **Robinhood Markets Inc**. (NASDAQ:HOOD) CFO **Shivaram Rajgopal** made the case for opening private markets to retail investors, arguing that everyday investors are increasingly locked out of the biggest wealth-creation opportunities in tech.

## **Shifting Landscape**

In an interview session, on Tuesday the discussion centered around ARK's venture-focused interval fund and Robinhood's newly launched closed-end private markets fund.

Both are designed to give retail investors exposure to private companies that traditionally remained accessible only to accredited investors and institutional capital.

Wood said the investing landscape has shifted dramatically as companies stay private far longer than in previous cycles.

She pointed to companies like

-   SpaceX reaching estimated valuations between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion before public listings, leaving non-accredited investors with limited access to early-stage growth.
-   **Tesla Inc.** (NASDAQ:TSLA):  Retail investors recognized long-term potential years before major institutional investors embraced the company after its inclusion in major indexes.

## **Key Takeaways**

Rajgopal called the current accreditation system "antiquated," arguing wealth thresholds no longer reflect investor sophistication in an era where information and research are widely accessible.

Robinhood said its goal is to bring the same accessibility it created in public markets into private investing.

ARK and Robinhood both argued retail investors increasingly behave like long-term institutional investors. The executives criticized layered SPV structures and hidden fee arrangements in private markets

Both firms said transparency and education remain critical as retail participation expands

Looking ahead, both executives framed private-market access as part of a broader "innovation supercycle" spanning AI, robotics, blockchain and next-generation technologies.

Wood said companies are increasingly approaching firms like ARK and Robinhood ahead of IPOs to gain visibility with retail investors earlier in their growth cycle.

_Image: Shutterstock_

### Related Stocks

- [HOOD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/HOOD.US.md)
- [HOOX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/HOOX.US.md)
- [PEX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/PEX.US.md)
- [ROBN.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ROBN.US.md)
- [HOOG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/HOOG.US.md)
- [TSLA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLA.US.md)

## Related News & Research

- [North Dakota State Investment Board Takes Position in Robinhood Markets, Inc. $HOOD](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286885809.md)
- [Why HOOD May Stand To Lose From Congress's Prediction Market Bill Frenzy](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286920204.md)
- [Tiger Global Management says it initiated new positions in Intel, Robinhood during first quarter](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286605346.md)
- [Assessing Robinhood Markets (HOOD) Valuation As Shares Lose Momentum After Strong Profitability Update](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286751604.md)
- [WonderFi Reports First Quarter 2026 Results | WONDF Stock News](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286173053.md)