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Arch Raises $52M to Make Private Market Investing Simple and Accessible

Prime Highlights:

  • Arch, a private markets investment platform, has raised $52 million in Series B funding, led by Oak HC/FT.
  • The company aims to simplify access to alternative assets, branding itself as the “Charles Schwab for private markets.”

Key Facts:

  • The funding round included participation from key investors such as Bain Capital Ventures and XYZ Venture Partners.
  • Arch plans to use the fresh capital to expand its technology platform and enhance investor accessto private market opportunities.

Key Background:

Arch, a New York-based fintech startup, has raised $52 million in a Series B funding round led by Oak HC/FT, with backing from Menlo Ventures, Craft Ventures, and Quiet Capital. The company is building a platform that CEO Ryan Eisenman calls the “Charles Schwab for private markets,” designed to make private investing easier and more organized.

In public markets, investors have tools like Robinhood or Fidelity to track their portfolios. But in private markets, the process is much harder. Family offices, limited partners, and private equity or venture capital investors often have to use several different portals, making it hard to view all their investments together in one place. Eisenman describes this problem as “death by a thousand paper cuts,” since tracking thousands of investments outside of spreadsheets can be overwhelming.

Arch seeks to bridge this gap. The platform sits between the various software programs used by investment firms and their backers, such as Carta, Juniper Square, Addepar, and Black Diamond. By offering a centralized, customer-friendly dashboard, Arch allows investors to track capital allocation, performance, and activity in one place. Eisenman describes Arch as a neutral platform, like a “Switzerland,” that connects the different parts of modern investing.

Matt Streisfeld, lead investor from Oak HC/FT, said Arch stands out because of its easy-to-use design and ability to simplify private market operations. The platform is also adding new features, such as helping with capital calls, handling payouts from successful investments, and, in the future, supporting secondary market deals where investors can trade their private holdings.

Arch has grown rapidly, now employing 160 people and managing approximately $260 billion in assets across its customer base. As private markets expand, Arch will have to decide its next steps, which could mean going public or being acquired. Streisfeld explained that most financial services firms are eventually bought by larger companies, but Arch is big enough to consider an IPO if it wants.

With growing demand from investors and a clear focus on simplifying private market investing, Arch is establishing itself as a strong fintech company with room for further growth.