Robinhood Ventures Fund I debuted on the New York Stock Exchange at around $22 per share, almost 12% below its $25 listing price.
- In an exclusive interview with Stocktwits, Robinhood Ventures President Sarah Pinto Peyronel said the firm is in discussions with “highly valued” pre-IPO companies, such as OpenAI, about adding them to its portfolio.
- When Robinhood launched tokenized shares of OpenAI in Europe last year, the Sam Altman-led enterprise said it did not “endorse” the move.
- Peyronel said Robinhood Ventures is looking at private companies across AI, space, defense, and consumer sectors.
Robinhood Ventures Fund I (RVI), the company’s inaugural fund aimed at giving retail investors exposure to pre-IPO companies, made a tepid debut on Friday, though its president said the fund is in talks with “highly valued” private firms such as OpenAI about joining its portfolio.
“So we can't name any specific names, but you should think of all of the best, most highly valued private companies,” said Sarah Pinto Peyronel, President of Robinhood Ventures, in an exclusive interview with Stocktwits’ Michele Steele, when asked about OpenAI. “The AI labs, the space companies, the defense companies, the consumer companies that retail investors love – we're talking to them all, we love them all, and we'd be honored to have them as part of RVI.”
However, when Robinhood began offering tokenized shares of OpenAI to users in Europe last year, the Sam Altman-led enterprise was not too happy about it. “These ‘OpenAI tokens’ are not OpenAI equity,” OpenAI wrote on X. “We did not partner with Robinhood, were not involved in this, and do not endorse it.”
U.S. users cannot invest in these tokens due to regulatory restrictions, but they can invest in a fund that holds stakes in the underlying companies and trades based on their valuations.
Robinhood Ventures Fund I Debuts Below Listing Price
The Robinhood Ventures Fund I listed on NYSE at around $22, almost 12% below its issue price of $25, amid weakness in the broader stock market after President Donald Trump said there would be no deal with Iran except “unconditional surrender” as the U.S.-Israel-Iran war entered its seventh day.
At the time of writing, RVI’s stock was trading at around $22.65, with retail sentiment on Stocktwits around the fund trending in ‘extremely bullish’ territory amid ‘extremely high’ chatter.
What Is Retail Saying?
Many users on the platform were disgruntled over the RIV’s price dropping on its NYSE debut.
Others were more hopeful, with one user supporting the idea of Robinhood Ventures buying a stake in SpaceX and OpenAI with its cash holdings.
Robinhood Ventures I Fund currently holds stakes in Airwallex, Boom, Databricks, Mercor, Oura, Ramp, and Revolut. Peyronel said that the company is “days” away from closing its $14.6 million investment in Stripe.
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