AQUATY

High-Level Overview

Aquaty is a fintech company offering a fully digital securitization platform—branded as "Securitization as a Service"—that transforms private market assets into tradable securities for asset and wealth managers.[1][4][5] It streamlines fundraising, investments, portfolio management, and co-investment opportunities across asset classes like venture capital, private equity, real estate, infrastructure, private credit, and special cases such as art or collectibles, serving syndicate leaders, VC funds, angel investors, founders, and institutions.[1][2][4][5] By automating legal, regulatory, and transactional processes with AI and blockchain, Aquaty reduces costs by up to 90%, enhances accessibility, and makes private markets as efficient as public ones, targeting stakeholders who face high barriers in traditional setups.[1][3][4]

The platform covers the full investment lifecycle digitally, including direct investments, funds, SPVs, ESOP management, secondary transactions, and API integrations for custom securities with ISINs, all while ensuring EU-compliant standards.[2][4][5][7] Backed by over $2 million in pre-seed funding from investors like Berthold von Freyberg and Mirko Novakovic, Aquaty has launched products post-beta and expanded into broader securitization, with early projects in pipeline.[1][2][7]

Origin Story

Aquaty was founded in 2020 (with some sources noting 2021 activity) in Münster, Germany, by co-founder and managing director Alexander Grimm, inspired by the high entry barriers, costs, and lack of transparency in venture capital and private markets.[1][3][6] Grimm envisioned a "NASDAQ moment" for private capital, mirroring how NASDAQ's 1970s electronic trading democratized public stocks by boosting efficiency and access—prompting Aquaty to digitize unstructured data into actionable insights via AI.[3][4]

The idea emerged from observed pain points in VC: complex legal processes, high transaction costs, and limited liquidity. Early traction included a successful beta phase, over $2 million in pre-seed funding from angels like Mirko Novakovic and Target Partners' Berthold von Freyberg, and a product launch for VCs, syndicates, and angels.[1][7] Pivotal expansions followed, like the securitization platform rollout within a year, targeting asset managers for real estate and infrastructure, with upcoming founder tools for cap tables and ESOPs.[1][7]

Core Differentiators

• End-to-End Digitization and Cost Reduction: Automates securitization, legal documents, brokerage, and compliance using AI, blockchain, and APIs, slashing costs by 90% versus traditional methods involving notaries and intermediaries; enables "bankable" assets across classes with ISINs.[1][3][4][5]
• Versatile Investment Structures: Supports direct investments, funds, SPVs, syndicates, feeders, ESOPs, secondaries, and custom derivatives for diverse assets like VC, real estate, credit, infrastructure, and collectibles—all with a few clicks.[2][4][5][7]
• Regulatory and Tech Edge: EU-engineered for global use, with full legal compliance, data organization from unstructured sources, and seamless investor experiences (e.g., buying shares intuitively).[3][4][5]
• B2B Focus with White-Label Flexibility: Operates in the background for asset managers, providing ready-to-trade securities and integrations, while empowering founders/investors with tools like deal flow sharing and tax-optimized ESOPs.[1][3][5]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Aquaty rides the tokenization and democratization of private markets trend, where blockchain and AI unlock liquidity for illiquid assets amid rising demand for alternatives amid high public market valuations.[1][3][4] Timing aligns with regulatory shifts enabling digital securities in the EU and global push for inclusive investing post-2020 fintech boom, making exclusive assets like startups or infrastructure accessible beyond elites.[1][4][7]

Market forces favoring it include exploding private market volumes (venture, real estate), secondary trading needs, and cost pressures on managers—Aquaty counters with frictionless infrastructure.[2][5] It influences the ecosystem by enabling smaller managers to issue tradable products, fostering broader participation, deal syndication, and innovation in fintech payments/wealthtech, much like NASDAQ scaled public trading.[3][4]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Aquaty is poised to scale its securitization ecosystem, with next steps including deeper API adoptions, founder-focused cap table/ESOP tools, and expansion into more asset classes/special uses amid tokenized asset growth.[1][5][7] Trends like AI-driven insights, regulatory clarity for digital assets, and private market digitization (projected to hit trillions) will propel it, potentially capturing share from legacy providers.[3][4]

Its influence may evolve into a core infrastructure layer for European (and global) private markets, amplifying startup funding and alternative investments—echoing its founding vision of a NASDAQ for privates, where barriers vanish and growth accelerates for all stakeholders.[3][4]