Aureate Capital
Aureate Capital is a San Francisco-based private investment advisory firm (founded 2021) that arranges private placements, venture fund placements, and pre-IPO secondary share trading, and operates an outsourced trading desk in OTC pre-IPO and derivatives markets for technology, energy, and healthcare clients globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Aureate Capital does
Aureate Capital is a San Francisco-based, privately held investment advisory and financial consulting firm operating in the alternative investment ecosystem. Founded in 2021, the firm is a registered representative entity (Aureate Capital, San Francisco LLC) that conducts its securities activity through a clearing relationship with Stonehaven, LLC, a FINRA/SIPC member. Its service portfolio is organized around four core offerings: private placements for bootstrapped, venture-backed, and mature private companies; venture fund placements for emerging and established fund managers; secondary share trading in pre-IPO and alternative holdings; and outsourced trading desk services in OTC pre-IPO and derivatives markets. The firm is built around a small team of three credentialed professionals — Founder Austin Milliken (Series 7, 63, 65; GARP FRM) covering startups and VC options, Partner John Davis (Series 7, 65, 66) covering biotech/healthcare and institutional trading, and Director of East Coast Business Development Al Minafo covering hedge fund relationships and derivatives — and serves clients across the technology, energy, and healthcare sectors.
The business model is transaction-fee based across all four service lines, with compensation typically tied to private placement, placement, or trade execution rather than recurring retainer or AUM-based fees. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated deal by deal, consistent with placement-agent and OTC trading-desk norms. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales: the firm relies on direct engagement, professional referrals through the team members' networks, and a top-of-funnel blog and LinkedIn presence to originate mandates. There is no parent company, no institutional or venture backing, and no disclosed funding history; ownership and operation appear fully independent within the founding team.
The firm claims global reach while concentrating operational activity in the United States, and its competitive positioning rests on domain specialization in OTC pre-IPO and derivatives — a relatively opaque segment of capital markets — combined with multi-licensed, sector-segmented talent. Customer logos, deal volume, revenue, and headcount above the three named leaders are not disclosed, leaving the scale of completed transactions unobservable from the available data.
Aureate Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aureate Capital
- Legal name
- Aureate Capital, San Francisco LLC
- Website
- https://aureatesf.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Aureate Capital is a San Francisco-based private investment advisory firm (founded 2021) that arranges private placements, venture fund placements, and pre-IPO secondary share trading, and operates an outsourced trading desk in OTC pre-IPO and derivatives markets for technology, energy, and healthcare clients globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aureate Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Investment Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Miscellaneous Intermediation (52391)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Institutional Capital Introduction (LP/Family Office/Endowment Matching) (FSAEALAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Capital Markets Advisory (IPO Readiness, SPAC, ECM/DCM Advisory) (BPAHAOAL), Equity Capital Markets Advisory (Equity Issuance Strategy & Readiness) (FSACAAAI)
Keywords
Where Aureate Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Aureate Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Private Placements: Tailored services for bootstrapped, venture-backed, and mature private companies to make informed financial decisions. Revenue generated through advisory fees and transaction-based compensation for facilitating private placement offerings.
- Venture Fund Placements: Supporting emerging and experienced venture fund managers with proven track records. Revenue model likely involves placement fees and ongoing advisory compensation.
- Secondary Shares (Pre-IPO): Platform for investors and insiders to trade existing holdings in private equity, hedge funds, and alternative investments. Provides trading desk services in OTC pre-IPO and derivatives markets, enabling liquidity and value optimization.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Aureate Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aureate Capital is a capital investment and financial advisory firm that delivers tailored services for bootstrapped, venture-backed, and mature private companies through three core offerings: Private Placements, Venture Fund Placements, and Secondary Shares (Pre-IPO) trading. The firm also provides Outsourced Trading Desk Services specializing in OTC pre-IPO and derivatives markets, serving clients across technology, energy, and healthcare sectors. Securities transactions are executed through Stonehaven, LLC as clearing partner.
Product overview
Aureate Capital is a capital investment and financial advisory firm offering a suite of alternative investment services. The company provides three core service offerings: Private Placements for companies seeking funding, Venture Fund Placements for fund managers, and Secondary Shares (Pre-IPO) trading services. Additionally, the firm offers outsourced trading desk services specializing in OTC pre-IPO and derivatives markets. These services work together to serve clients across technology, energy, and healthcare sectors, providing guidance throughout the alternative investment ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Private Placements Tailored advisory services that empower bootstrapped, venture-backed, and more mature private companies to make informed, efficient, and real-time financial decisions when raising capital through private placements.
- Venture Fund Placements Advisory and placement services supporting emerging and experienced venture fund managers with proven track records to raise capital from limited partners.
- Secondary Shares (Pre-IPO) Secondary trading services providing a platform for investors and insiders to trade existing holdings in private equity, hedge funds, and other alternative investments, fostering liquidity and optimizing value in pre-IPO secondary markets.
- Outsourced Trading Desk Services Outsourced trading desk services delivered in OTC pre-IPO and derivatives markets, enabling clients to thrive in evolving financial landscapes through specialized execution.
Companies that use Aureate Capital
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Aureate Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Aureate Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Aureate Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Forge Global: Forge Global operates one of the largest pre-IPO secondary trading platforms, directly competing with Aureate's Secondary Shares (Pre-IPO) and Outsourced Trading Desk Services. Both serve investors and insiders seeking liquidity in private company shares.
- EquityZen: EquityZen is a pre-IPO secondary market platform that connects shareholders of private companies with investors, directly overlapping with Aureate's secondary shares and outsourced trading desk offerings.
- SharesPost: SharesPost provides a private company secondary trading platform and investment research, competing directly with Aureate's secondary share trading and advisory services for private market participants.
- Nasdaq Private Market: Nasdaq Private Market operates a regulated platform for secondary trading in private company shares and tender offers, directly comparable to Aureate's pre-IPO secondary and liquidity services.
- Eaton Partners: Eaton Partners is a dedicated fund placement agent that raises capital from institutional investors for alternative investment managers, directly comparable to Aureate's Venture Fund Placements service line.
Broad incumbents
- Maxim Group: Maxim Group is a full-service investment bank that conducts private placements, IPOs, and institutional trading — a broader incumbent offering that overlaps with Aureate's Private Placements and secondary trading services.
- A.G.P. / Alliance Global Partners: A.G.P. is an investment bank that provides private placements, capital markets advisory, and institutional trading, overlapping with Aureate's placement and trading desk offerings but at a much larger scale.
- ThinkEquity: ThinkEquity is a boutique investment bank focused on private placements and capital raising for growth-stage companies, directly comparable to Aureate's Private Placements service line.
- Roth Capital Partners: Roth Capital Partners is an investment bank specializing in private placements, capital markets advisory, and institutional trading for small- and mid-cap companies — overlapping with Aureate's placement and trading services.
- Park Hill (Blackstone): Park Hill is Blackstone's private capital advisory and fund placement group, providing capital introduction and fund-raising advisory that overlaps with Aureate's Venture Fund Placements and institutional capital introduction services at much larger scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Aureate Capital social profiles
Digital presenceAureate Capital compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Aureate Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aureate Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Aureate Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aureate Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aureate Capital
What does Aureate Capital do?
Aureate Capital is a capital investment and financial advisory firm that delivers tailored services for bootstrapped, venture-backed, and mature private companies through three core offerings: Private Placements, Venture Fund Placements, and Secondary Shares (Pre-IPO) trading. The firm also provides Outsourced Trading Desk Services specializing in OTC pre-IPO and derivatives markets, serving clients across technology, energy, and healthcare sectors. Securities transactions are executed through Stonehaven, LLC as clearing partner.
Is Aureate Capital a public or private company?
Aureate Capital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Aureate Capital founded?
Aureate Capital was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Aureate Capital based?
Aureate Capital is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Aureate Capital make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Private Placements are the primary driver. The others are venture Fund Placements and secondary Shares (Pre-IPO).
Who are Aureate Capital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Forge Global, EquityZen, SharesPost, Nasdaq Private Market and Eaton Partners. Broad incumbents are Maxim Group, A.G.P. / Alliance Global Partners, ThinkEquity, Roth Capital Partners and Park Hill (Blackstone).
Does Aureate Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aureate Capital.
What industry is Aureate Capital in?
Aureate Capital's product category is Investment Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEALAI, Institutional Capital Introduction (LP/Family Office/Endowment Matching), with a secondary code of BPAHAOAL, Capital Markets Advisory (IPO Readiness, SPAC, ECM/DCM Advisory). Its NAICS code is 5231 and its SIC code is 6211.