Robinhood Markets Inc. (HOOD) plans to launch "Robinhood Ventures Fund I," a publicly traded fund offering US retail investors access to private companies. CEO Vlad Tenev stated that for decades, wealthy individuals and institutions have been able to invest in private companies, while retail investors have been excluded. The new fund will allow ordinary people to access investment opportunities once reserved for the elite. Robinhood previously allowed users in the European Union to purchase tokenized shares tracking prominent private companies such as OpenAI. This new fund, focused on the US market, will make long-term investments through IPOs and subsequent stages, targeting multiple industries. Robinhood noted that investment opportunities have shrunk in recent years, with the number of US public companies falling from approximately 7,000 in 2000 to approximately 4,000 in 2024, while the number and value of private companies have increased, exceeding $10 trillion in total. Robinhood has filed a registration statement with the US SEC for the fund's public offering and hopes to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RVI. (The Block)