Monark Markets has raised $8.1 million in strategic financing to accelerate its mission of building standardized infrastructure connecting brokerage firms and wealth platforms to private markets. The round was led by F-Prime, with participation from The Treasury, Commerce Ventures, Grit Capital Partners, and BBAE Holdings.
Monark’s API-first infrastructure powers major fintech platforms, including Apex Fintech Solutions, Altruist Financial, and BBAE. Through these integrations, Monark embeds private market investments directly into existing brokerage and wealth management accounts, providing access to more than 30 million retail investors representing approximately $450 billion in captive assets.
The company offers exposure to pre-IPO companies as well as ’40 Act registered evergreen funds from alternative asset managers. Its infrastructure addresses a persistent operational gap among brokerages and wealth platforms, many of which lack the capabilities to manage the full alternative investment lifecycle within their native user experiences. Monark’s embedded APIs support deal sourcing, subscription processing, custody, reporting and secondary liquidity, alongside compliance and marketing support.
By integrating private market access directly into partner platforms, Monark aims to deliver scalable, lower-cost distribution for issuers while improving the investor experience. The company estimates that mass-affluent and affluent U.S. investors hold $27 trillion in private wealth, representing a significant opportunity for expanded retail access to alternatives.
Monark also works closely with distribution partners to curate a marketplace of private investment opportunities, including issuer sourcing, due diligence and negotiated distribution economics. As retail demand grows, the firm is positioning itself to support investment themes such as U.S. reindustrialization, next-generation defense, artificial intelligence, blockchain and space exploration.
Proceeds from the financing will be used to expand Monark’s distribution network through additional brokerage and wealth platform integrations, as well as broaden its product and asset-class coverage. Planned expansions include evergreen funds, fractional real estate offerings and secondary trading of private securities.
KEY QUOTES
“We believe that retail portfolio allocation to private markets should and will grow to 15-20% over the next decade, mirroring the portfolio allocation of institutional investors and family offices. This structural shift in capital allocation from retail investors will drive trillions of dollars of investment into private markets, fueling demand for innovative investment products, new investment rails, and increased liquidity.”
Ben Haber, CEO, Monark Markets
“Alternative assets have experienced remarkable growth, growing from $5 trillion in 2011 to nearly $16 trillion today. Asset managers are seeking new retail investors to grow AUM, and financial advisors and a changing regulatory environment are guiding to higher allocations to alternatives. Ben, Paul, and the team at Monark are building the digital rails that will make this expansion possible at scale.”
David Jegen, Managing Partner, Technology Fund, F-Prime
