Private markets have become home to some of the world’s most valuable and transformative companies, from AI and robotics to space technology and fintech. But access to these markets remains restricted, fragmented, illiquid, and difficult for most investors to reach.

As more companies stay private for longer, the ability to participate in the upside of innovation is increasingly limited to a small group of institutions, funds, and high-net-worth investors.

In this episode of Untangling Web3, Ultan Miller, CEO of Hecto, explores how private markets can be unlocked through standardized, compliant access to pre-IPO investments.

This conversation covers what is broken in today’s private market structures, how tokenization and blockchain can create new forms of access and liquidity, and why the future of investing may involve private market index products built around the most exciting sectors in technology.

Key Points Discussed:

Why Private Markets Are Locked Away: Many of the most important technology companies now stay private for longer, meaning everyday investors miss out on much of the growth before IPO. Access is restricted by regulation, wealth thresholds, deal scarcity, complex SPV structures, and layers of fees that make private market investing difficult even for eligible investors.
Tokenization as a New Access Layer: Tokenized private market products can give investors financial exposure to high-growth companies without requiring direct equity ownership. By using blockchain infrastructure, standardized frameworks, and compliant structures, private assets can become easier to access, hold, transfer, and integrate into broader digital markets.
Building Private Market Indexes for the Future: Hecto is creating index-style products for private markets, starting with exposure to the largest pre-IPO companies and expanding into themes such as robotics, AI, quantum, longevity, and other high-growth technology sectors. The goal is passive, long-term access to innovation — not short-term speculation or day trading.

As blockchain, private markets, and compliant financial technology converge, the opportunity is to build a more open system where access to innovation is no longer limited to insiders. The future of private market investing may look less like exclusive deal-by-deal access and more like transparent, standardized, tokenized products that allow broader participation in the companies shaping the next generation of technology.

Learn more about Hecto here:

https://www.hecto.finance/

Learn more about Web3 at:

https://untanglingweb3.com/

Untangling Web3 is brought to you by hosts Jack Davies and Alec Burns, with music by Daniel Paigge. Got a question or topic suggestion? Send us an email at theuntanglingweb3podcast@gmail.com.

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The views we express here are our own, and do not represent the views of our employers. Nothing discussed or stated in the show should be considered advice.