Pre-IPO investing has needed $100K. Blockchain could lower that to $1
Chan Ahn, founder of Tessera, explains why private markets have been closed to most people and how putting private company exposure on the blockchain could open them from $1.
Hosted by Armando J. Perez-Carreno
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Show Notes
Getting into companies like SpaceX or OpenAI before they go public has usually taken at least $100,000, accredited investor status and months of paperwork. Chan Ahn spent almost 20 years in investment banking before founding Tessera, which puts exposure to those private companies on the blockchain so anyone with a crypto wallet can trade it from $1.
Chan explains why private markets have been closed to most people, with slow settlement and thin disclosure. He also shows how blockchain settles a trade in a split second without a broker in the middle. He lived through the Lehman Brothers collapse, and he ties it back to the same problem: a financial system that runs on trust between middlemen.
This episode is for education only and is not financial advice. Talk to your own financial advisor.
Topics Covered
- Why buying a private company takes 2-3 months and up to 10% in fees
- Blockchain explained for people who have never used a wallet
- Bitcoin vs Ethereum vs Solana, and why the difference will matter less over time
- Why Chan, coming from crypto, argues for more regulation
- How Tessera uses Cayman SPVs and Chainlink so buyers can verify the assets exist
- His advice to newcomers: explore, but be cautious
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