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Republic runs an online investing platform where everyday people and accredited investors can put money into startups and private companies.
Republic is an investing platform that lets ordinary people put money into startups and private companies, not just the wealthy or the big venture capital funds. You browse a list of young companies raising money online — a new app, a food brand, a climate startup — and you can invest small amounts, sometimes as little as a hundred dollars. It also serves accredited investors, the richer people regulators allow to take bigger bets, who get access to more deals on the same site.
The company makes money off the money that flows through its platform. When a startup raises cash from investors on Republic, Republic takes a cut, and it also charges investors fees on some deals. It works across several areas — startup equity, real estate, video games, and crypto — all under the same idea: open up private investing to a much wider crowd. What makes Republic interesting is the shift it rode. For decades, backing a private company before it went public was mostly reserved for venture funds and rich insiders. Rules like Regulation Crowdfunding changed that, letting regular people invest small amounts in private businesses. Republic built one of the bigger marketplaces on top of those rules, turning fundraising into something closer to shopping online — companies pitch, investors browse, money changes hands.
The business is not without risk. Private startup bets are speculative and often illiquid, meaning your money can be stuck for years and may vanish entirely, and regulators keep a close eye on how these platforms market deals to small investors. Republic's fortune depends on a steady stream of startups wanting to raise and investors willing to take a flier — and when the market for riskier bets cools, both sides can pull back at once.
Saved answer · last researched 15 Nov 2026