Pluto Financial Technologies has launched what it describes as the first AI-powered lending platform purpose-built for private markets, aiming to help investors access liquidity without selling private fund positions. The New York-based company said it is backed by Motive Ventures, Portage, Apollo Global Management, Hamilton Lane, Tectonic Ventures, and Broadhaven Ventures, and has raised $8.6 million in equity alongside securing “hundreds of millions” in lending capacity.
Pluto is positioning its platform as an alternative to traditional ways of raising cash from private market holdings, which can involve long timelines, intermediaries, limited secondary options, and discounted sales. The company says its technology connects directly to investors’ portfolios to enable on-demand credit decisions and faster access to borrowing against alternative assets.
The company’s flagship product is a Wealth Equity Line of Credit (WELOC), which it says allows investors to borrow against private market assets with repayment expected from future fund distributions and no monthly interest payments. Pluto also said it is distributing through partners Allocate and Moonfare, providing access to thousands of investors managing more than $6 billion in alternative assets, and that it has assembled a team with backgrounds spanning Fidelity, Canoe, Unqork, Paul Weiss, and Citi.
KEY QUOTES:
“Pluto is the bridge between alternative asset ownership and everyday financial freedom. Our mission is simple: make liquidity accessible to all investors, without forcing early exits.”
Neel Ganu, CFA, CEO and Co-Founder, Pluto
“Liquidity constraints have limited wealth advisor participation in private markets. Our partnership with Pluto allows us to offer flexible liquidity solutions in real-time through our platform, removing a critical barrier for advisors and their clients.”
Samir Kaji, CEO, Allocate
“As a leader in private markets, we’re focused on enabling better, more seamless, technology-enabled access for all investors. We are excited to be partnering with Pluto, whose modern, scalable platform aims to unlock liquidity where it’s traditionally been out of reach and seeks to empower investors with speed, security and control.”
Griff Norville, Head of Technology Solutions, Hamilton Lane
