Nasdaq Private Markets recently lured two EquityZen executives to join their burgeoning private securities trading marketplace. EquityZen is a top marketplace for providing trading in private shares.
According to a statement issued by Nasdaq, Mike Buono previously led the institutional investment sales desk at EquityZen. He also worked with family offices, secondary funds, hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital funds, as well as RIAs and high-net-worth individuals. Buono also served as an investment committee member for EquityZen’s flagship growth fund.
Phil Germann spent six years at EquityZen, where he was head of the institutional markets/broker-dealer sales desk and led the sales strategy on the supply side for the company’s secondary trading platform. He was also an investment committee member for a number of the company’s managed fund vehicles.
The two executives will now be Co-Heads of Execution within its Capital Solutions division, effective immediately. Both individuals joined Nasdaq Private Markets in 2024 as Directors within the Capital Markets division.
Nasdaq Private Markets provides access to pre-IPO securities. The company reports executing more than $60 billion in transactional volume for over 775 company-sponsored liquidity programs.
Private securities trading has grown in recent years as publicly listed companies have declined. Nasdaq has the opportunity to serve both sides of the marketplace while establishing a relationship with firms if and when they decide to become a public company.