There are a few ways to get involved in private rounds like this... 1/ Someone is allocated a certain amount and they farm it out to their "fund" of friends an

There are a few ways to get involved in private rounds like this... 1/ Someone is allocated a certain amount and they farm it out to their "fund" of friends and family who invest through an LLC or some other method (I have a modest investment in a few bigger companies this way) 2/ You become an accredited investor yourself, which doesn't require a ton of work but does require some proof that you have capital and then network your way into the raise. (https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/092815/how-become-accredited-investor.asp https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/092815/how-b...) I think generally speaking there has to be SOME protections in place or investors who want to get a small piece don't get swindled. This is why public companies have so much compliance, disclosure requirements, etc. associated with them so that the government can step in if they are breaking the law or deceiving investors. Likewise with the increased scrutiny on the company, anyone can open a brokerage account and own stock. I assume you know some of these things and I also share the pain of "how do I just get in with a small stake on some of these big or small private companies"