coindesk.com
Robinhood’s (HOOD) newly launched venture fund has added stakes in Stripe and ElevenLabs, marking its first disclosed investments since beginning trading earlier this month.
Robinhood Ventures Fund I (RVI), a closed-end fund designed to give retail investors exposure to private companies, said it purchased roughly $14.6 million in Stripe shares and $20 million in ElevenLabs preferred stock in transactions completed in March.
The fund began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on March 6, part of Robinhood’s broader push to open private markets to everyday investors. Shares of the fund can be bought and sold like a traditional stock, offering access to companies that are typically limited to institutional investors and the wealthy.
Stripe, founded in 2010, provides payments and financial software used by businesses ranging from startups to large enterprises. The investment was made through a secondary transaction, meaning Robinhood bought shares from existing holders rather than directly from the company.
ElevenLabs, a London-based artificial intelligence firm founded in 2022, focuses on voice and audio technology. Its tools allow businesses and developers to generate speech, build conversational agents and create media content across dozens of languages. Robinhood’s investment was part of a primary funding round, meaning the capital goes directly to the company.
The additions expand a portfolio that already includes private companies such as Databricks, Revolut, Ramp and Oura, with more investments expected over time.
Robinhood has positioned the fund as a response to a shift in capital markets. The number of publicly listed companies in the U.S. has declined over the past two decades, while private markets have grown to an estimated $10 trillion, limiting access for retail investors.
“For decades, wealthy people and institutions have invested in private companies while retail investors have been locked out,” CEO Vlad Tenev said previously.
Unlike traditional venture funds, Robinhood’s vehicle does not require investors to be accredited and does not charge performance fees, lowering the barrier to entry.
The strategy follows earlier efforts by the company to offer private market exposure, including tokenized shares in high-profile firms for users in Europe, an initiative that drew scrutiny over how those products were structured.
With the latest investments, Robinhood is signaling that it plans to keep building a portfolio of private companies across fintech and artificial intelligence, two sectors that continue to attract strong investor interest ahead of potential public listings.
Shares of HOOD were up 2% Tuesday trading at $76.78. RVI was lower by 0.4%.