Investing in CoreWeave Stock | How to Buy Pre-IPO Shares (2025)

CoreWeave is a GPU-centric cloud service provider that offers computing solutions geared towards AI-based GPU-accelerated workloads. Over the last two years, the company has seen considerable growth as GPU shortages and AI sector growth created stark demand for its offerings. As such, it has expanded its operations and partnerships to new heights.

Bloomberg reported in Nov 2024 that CoreWeave has plans for an Initial Public Offering in 2025. Notably, the company has already chosen Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan Chase for its IPO. This news comes at a time of intense growth and demand for company shares. Thankfully, you don’t have to wait a year to get your hands on these assets. Select investors can acquire pre-IPO shares. Here’s what you need to know.

What is CoreWeave?

New York-based CoreWeave entered the market in 2017 as a GPU crypto-mining firm. The company quickly pivoted its operations in 2019 during the GPU shortage. This shortage was brought on by numerous factors, including a rush for GPU crypto mining rigs. This shortage left AI developers in search of reliable cloud GPU options.

Source – CoreWeave

It only took a few months before AI developers began touting CoreWeave’s features, capabilities, and access to hard-to-obtain NVIDIA GPU chips. This access was part of a larger arrangement between CoreWeave and NVIDIA, which has since led to the construction of several high-powered data centers and supercomputers.

CoreWeave Data Centers

CoreWeave operates multiple GPU-powered data centers in the US and UK, with more locations being built currently. These locations share a Kubernetes-native architecture and the most advanced GPU chips available. As such, they’re the go-to destination for AI developers and ML data programmers seeking high-powered computing capabilities.

CoreWeave NVIDIA Blackwell

The most advanced ML and LLM AI systems require a lot of cloud computing to operate. The NVIDIA Blackwell feature integrates CoreWeave’s GB200 NVL72-powered cluster. This stack operates on the NVIDIA GB200 Grace Blackwell Superchip. It also incorporates the latest NVIDIA NVLink switch trays and NVIDIA’s Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking, improving connectivity and response times.

Impressively, the Blackwell computer can provide LLMs with up to 30% better performance. Additionally, it can reduce LLM programming by 4x while offering nearly 30x inference with older AI models. As such, NVIDIA Blackwell offers unmatched capabilities.

CoreWeave NVIDIA HGX200

CoreWeave offers the NVIDIA HGX200 to AI developers and ML programmers. This revolutionary device integrates the world’s first HBM3e-powered GPU. This machine was designed specifically to support the development, training, and testing of generative AI systems. As such, it’s packed with unique features like the Transformer Engine. This protocol provides 5x faster training to AI developers, allowing them to create more accurate and in-depth models.

CoreWeave GPU Compute

The GPU Compute option provides businesses with on-demand computational services. The Cloud GPU infrastructure can be configured to meet program demands. This system is ideal for businesses or researchers that require supercomputing capabilities only for precise tasks, as it allows them to reduce costs.

Historical CoreWeave Rounds

Summary of CoreWeave Funding:

• Total Funding: CoreWeave secured $2.32B across 11 funding round
• Largest Round: CoreWeave’s largest funding round was a Conventional Debt round that secured $7.5B  on May 17, 2024.
• Investors: A total of 30 institutional investors and 2 Angel investors back CoreWeave
• Latest Round: The latest funding round raised  $650M and was a Conventional Debt round held on Oct 11, 2024.

Funding Rounds Breakdown:

• 1 Seed
• 6 Early-Stage
• 1 late-stage
• 3 debt

CoreWeave Key Investors:

CoreWeave has strong support from prominent investors including Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Barclays, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Jefferies, MUFG, Wells Fargo, Mizuho Financial Group, Blackstone, Coatue, The Carlyle Group, Magnetar, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, DigitalBridge, Eldridge Industries, Great Elm Capital, NVIDIA, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Altimeter Capital, Fidelity Investments, and Lykos.

Funding data sourced from Traxn

Why Invest in CoreWeave?

There are several reasons that make CoreWeave an attractive investment. For one, the company has already announced plans to go public next year. As such, the demand for pre-IPO shares is high. Additionally, the company is an industry-leading AI infrastructure provider. Consequently, it’s positioned to capture billions in revenue as the AI system expands into nearly every industry.

High GPU Demand Due to AI

Interestingly, the AI revolution has been a catalyst for CoreWeave’s unprecedented growth and support. Since the company pivoted towards the AI market, it has shifted its offering to accommodate these computationally heavy tasks.

Today, it offers developers a cutting-edge, cost-efficient system, enabling them to create more accurate and effective AI models. Already, CoreWeave supports AI operations that span from simple chats to advanced research like drug discovery, protein folding simulations, molecular discovery, and mapping genetics.

CoreWeave has Investor Support

Institutional investors have long considered CoreWeave a smart investment due to its positioning and direct access to powerful NVIDIA GPUs. This support has helped the firm secure $30 million in revenue last year. Already this year, CoreWeave has secured $2B in contracts for the coming months. These contracts revolve around providing infrastructure and expanding data centers globally.

New CoreWeave Data Centers

CoreWeave hasn’t been quiet about its success, and its operations have expanded from being a startup to creating billion-dollar data centers globally. The company’s latest venture in Plano, Texas is a $1.6B operation and will involve creating the world’s fastest supercomputer.

Notably, this supercomputer is one of many planned for the coming months. In total, CoreWeave has agreements to construct 12 new data centers at the moment. Each location will house a massive NVIDIA-powered supercomputer designed to support the latest AI algorithms and functions.

Partnerships

It only takes a few seconds to realize that Coreweave has some high-level clientele. The company has inked deals with tech giants like Microsoft. Notably, Microsoft has already agreed to spend billions with CoreWeave as part of an agreement to use the company’s cloud computing systems.

How to Buy CoreWeave Pre-IPO Shares

CoreWeave will host an IPO in 2025. However, at this time, it remains a privately held company, meaning that you will need to utilize a specialized approach to get access to shares. Here is what you need to consider.

1. Pre-IPO Secondary Marketplace

Investors sometimes gain exposure to private companies through secondary marketplaces, which connect accredited investors with early shareholders—such as employees, venture firms, or insiders—looking to sell shares before a company’s IPO.

Pre-IPO investments offer the chance to invest during a company’s high-growth phase, often at lower valuations than in the public markets. However, these opportunities come with important considerations:

• Eligibility: Secondary markets typically require you to be an accredited investor, meaning you must meet certain income or net worth thresholds.

• Liquidity Risk: Private shares are usually illiquid until the company goes public or is acquired, meaning you may need to hold them for several years—or potentially indefinitely.

If you meet the requirements and are comfortable with the risks, several platforms offer access to pre-IPO opportunities:

• Forge Global: One of the largest private stock marketplaces, offering shares in late-stage startups like SpaceX, Stripe, and Databricks. Minimums typically start around $100,000.

• EquityZen: A popular platform allowing accredited investors to buy into private companies with minimums as low as $5,000. Past offerings include companies like Discord and UiPath.

• Rainmaker Securities: A full-service broker that helps source and negotiate private share sales, including opportunities in companies like OpenAI, Stripe, and Palantir.

• Hiive: A newer platform with live bid/ask pricing for hundreds of private companies. Transparent and low-fee, with minimums starting around $25,000.

• MicroVentures: Offers pooled access to late-stage companies through special purpose vehicles (SPVs), including past investments in SpaceX and Instacart.

• EquityBee: Allows investors to fund employee stock option exercises at startups, often at discounted valuations, with minimums around $10,000.

• Augment: A digital-first marketplace showing real-time pricing for pre-IPO shares, targeting tech-savvy investors and offering lower transaction fees.

• StartEngine Private: Launched in late 2023, this platform offers accredited investors access to Regulation D offerings in later-stage, venture-backed companies. In its first nine months, it generated $16.5 million in revenue, with average investments around $32,000

Important: Always perform thorough due diligence and consult a financial advisor before investing in private company shares.

2. Private Equity Firms

Private equity firms gain access to pre-IPO shares during investment rounds. They then offer these shares to high-net-worth accredited investors with a commission. Notably, private equity firms are known to have extra stipulations, including blocking the sale of shares for years in some cases.

3. Employee Equity Sales

Many consider employee equity sales as the best way to acquire pre-IPO shares in CoreWeave. This method of acquiring pre-IPO shares requires you to connect with former employees. It’s common for companies to issue shares as part of an incentive package. Notably, this profit-sharing method has become more popular, leading to more pre-IPO share opportunities for investors.

Private Transactions: there are a lot of hoops you will need to jump through to complete a private pre-IPO transaction, including creating specific legal agreements, conducting valuations, and setting in place any limitations on the transfer of the asset.

Brokerage: Brokers will take a lot of the confusion out of the pre-IPO process. These professionals can guide you through each step, ensuring full compliance and avoiding common errors untrained professionals make.

There are several risks that you should consider before jumping into the pre-IPO shares investment arena. Here are the top concerns:

Liquidity Risk

If you are looking for an asset that you can sell right away, pre-IPO shares are not the best option. These investments can include sales and transfer clauses that prevent the transfer of the asset until certain criteria, such as the IPO’s completion. It’s even common for pre-IPO shares to require you to wait years before gaining the ability to sell your assets.

Regulatory Risk

The blockchain market has seen considerable scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers. While the technology is far better understood than in its early days, there are still many lawmakers who see it as a threat to the traditional financial system. As such, you need to always consider how new regulations could affect the value of your pre-IPO shares.

Market Risk

Purchasing pre-IPO shares in CoreWeave means that you stand behind the project and its team.  The company has secured a reputation for excellence and has previously expressed a desire to go public. However, no concrete data has been provided yet. As such, it’s vital to understand that the blockchain market is an active space that experiences strong fluctuations that could result in a different share value between now and any future IPO launch.

Valuation of CoreWeave and Future IPO

CoreWeave’s valuation is $23B as of Nov 13, 2024. The company qualifies for Unicorn status and is one of the fastest-growing cloud computing firms in the world. CoreWeave’s rise to fame has been meteoric and driven by a variety of outside factors alongside strong management. Today, it’s recognized as an industry leader with a lot of upside potential.

These factors have helped CoreWeave become an attractive option for investors seeking future ROI opportunities. Those who can get their hands on pre-IPO shares of CoreWeave could end up positioned for major upside movement as a combination of institutional and private investors are sure to flock to this IPO.

Conclusion

CoreWeave pre-IPO shareholders are positioned for success. Few companies have a trajectory as clear as CoreWeave in an industry with so much growth potential. Despite all of these positives, it’s also worth mentioning that investing in pre-IPO shares has additional risks. These risks can include lock-up and no-sale stipulations. Also, there’s no guarantee that a company will operate at the same level of success from now to its IPO date.

To avoid unnecessary losses, it’s recommended that you speak with a financial professional who can help you further review the risks involved with pre-IPO investing to ensure you are within your investment strategy. For those who are and can qualify for pre-IPO CoreWeave shares, next year could prove to be a profitable one.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Pre-IPO shares are typically available only to accredited investors and carry significant risk. Always perform thorough due diligence and consult a financial advisor or legal expert before making investment decisions.