Investing in Uphold Stock | How to Buy Pre-IPO Shares (2026)

Uphold operates as a cloud-based financial and asset exchange provider via a proprietary mobile app. The company is a popular alternative to traditional banking that enables users to send value across asset classes and borders with minimal fees and effort. As such, there is a lot of demand for Uphold shares. However, the company has not listed any official IPO date yet, resulting in increased demand for pre-IPO shares.

Since its launch, Uphold has secured a reputation for quality and transparency. The company’s unique business model enables users to convert and transact in various assets. Additionally, their iOS and Android apps are free to download, enabling anyone to trade traditional cryptocurrencies, fiat currencies, gold, and certain equities.

Today, millions of people rely on Uphold to send money internationally, covert assets, and manage their financials. The company’s strong positioning, innovative approach, and regulatory compliance are all factors driving demand for Uphold shares. Here’s how you can get your hands on Uphold pre-IPO shares.

What is Uphold?

Uphold launched in 2014 as Bitreserve. The London-based financial app was founded by  JP Thieriot, Anthony Watson, and Halsey Minor to reduce the high fees and delays commonly associated with international currency and asset exchanges. To their credit, Uphold accomplishes this task exceptionally well.

Uphold Mobile App

The Uphold mobile app is free to download. It includes a variety of options and features that empower users to convert, hold, and transact assets globally. The friendly interface provides direct access to key functions like the ability to convert and trade multiple assets from one screen. Uniquely, Uphold users can convert 27 fiat currencies, gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and +350 cryptocurrencies seamlessly.

This flexibility has helped Uphold’s user base diversify their portfolios and save on fees when making international payments. Notably, Uphold’s founders refer to the application as “the world’s first and only real-time transparent and fully verifiable reserve.”

Altcoin Heaven

The Uphold application incorporates some cool features that help users locate hard-to-find and rare digital assets. The altcoin heaven feature provides early access to these tokens, opening the door for additional ROIs in many instances.

USD Interest Accounts

Uphold was among the first crypto-friendly multi-asset exchange mobile apps to meet regulatory standards. As part of this approach, the company can provide FDIC-insured USD interest accounts to users, enabling them to secure up to 5% APY on their holdings.

Historical Funding Rounds

Summary of Uphold Funding:

• Total Funding: Uphold secured $73.4M across 4 funding rounds
• Largest Round: Uphold’s largest funding round secured $57.5M  on Jan 25, 2018
• Investors: A total of 7 institutional investors and 1 Angle investor back Uphold
• Latest Round: The latest funding round  was an Angel round held on Jan 25, 2018, that secured $57.5M

Funding Rounds Breakdown:

• 7 institutional investors
• 1 angel

Key Investors:

Uphold has support from a variety of well-known institutional investors and the angel investor Greg Kidd.

Funding sourced from Traxn

Why Invest in Uphold?

There are plenty of reasons why someone would seek to invest in Uphold. For one, the app has secured a position at the top of a competitive market. The platform ranks 2nd among 1868 active competitors. Additionally, the developers have shown a commitment to innovation, frequently introducing new products and services.

Growing Demand

There’s an increased demand for crypto-integrated financial services. Uphold provides a streamlined integration that connects multiple asset classes and empowers users to convert between these assets to reduce fees and improve their holdings. Demand for these services will only increase as more traditional-minded investors seek to join the blockchain revolution. As such, Uphold has excellent positioning to capture these new users.

Easy Set Up

Anyone can join Uphold. The setup is similar to traditional banking applications and can be completed in minutes. Additionally, there are no complicated procedures or interfaces to confuse new users. Simply download the app for free and sign up. Once approved, you can fund your account using credit cards, bank transfers, crypto, and a variety of other popular options.

Uphold Offers Flexible Options

Uphold is one of the most flexible regulatory-compliant exchange applications available. The platform provides users with the ability to convert equities, fiat currencies,  precious metals, and cryptocurrencies securely from a single interface. As such, the app is ideally suited to both experienced and new users.

Uphold has Developer Support

Uphold provides a lot of support for developers seeking to integrate its options and features into their creations. This open approach to the market helps to grow and empower the community. Developers can create helpful new platforms and add-ons that improve the user experience and onboarding processes.

Smart Acquisitions

Another reason Uphold is a smart “add” to your portfolio is its growing number of strategic partnerships and acquisitions. The firm recently announced a partnership with hardware wallet developer Ledger. The agreement enables its +10M users to send and receive assets using Uphold directly from their cold storage devices, improving security and expanding the platform’s user confidence.

White Label Options

Uphold provides businesses with white-label options, enabling them to offer their clients advanced payment and exchange features. Additionally, these systems help users create and manage digital assets like NFTs, which can improve customer engagement.

Regulatory Compliant

All Uphold app users must complete full KYC/AML regulatory requirements. You need to provide the company with your name, phone number, date of birth, valid government photo identification, and a live selfie before you can leverage the exchange, withdrawal, or send-and-receive features.

How to Buy Uphold Pre-IPO Shares

Uphold hasn’t stated that it intends to go public yet. However, the company’s finances and momentum could make it a possibility in the coming months. For now, Uphold 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 Uphold. 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 Uphold 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 Uphold and Future IPO

Uphold was valued at $200M per its last filing. The company is ranked as “Soonicorn” status due to its fast-growing nature and past success. It remains a top contender in the market and its valuation reflects this positioning.

Uphold has shown a strong commitment to transparency and security. Its transparent fee structure and low rates continue to entice new users to its offerings. If Uphold announces plans to go public soon, there will be strong demand for their shares.

Many analysts believe that an Uphold IPO could secure millions for the company. The platform already has a +10M strong user base and continues to see growth. All of these factors increase demand for pre-IPO shares of this popular asset exchange and management platform.

Uphold Pre-IPO Shares Conclusion

Getting your hands on pre-IPO shares of Uphold isn’t an easy task, but it could turn out to be a lucrative one. The value of Uphold shares could see a boost if the company announces IPO plans shortly. For now, its positioning in the market, unique offerings, and low fees have cemented it as a major contender.

Anyone considering purchasing Uphold shares should take additional time to research the project. Investing in pre-IPO shares can increase risk and reward. As such, it’s recommended that you consult a financial analyst to ensure that you remain within your risk appetite. If you conduct your studies and find that Uphold fits your strategy, there’s a good chance that your pre-IPO shares will see gains.

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.