There's a competitive battle going on among platforms that are designed to widen and speed up private investor access to markets such as venture capital, private capital and other "alternative" areas.

Moonfare, the Germany-based private markets platform, is making its debut in the US as competition heats up in the space. Moonfare recently completed a $125 million Series C fund-raising round.

Following the move, Moonfare now covers the US alongside its business in Europe and Asia. 

The private equity investment platform is also launching in Singapore in the “coming weeks,” it said in a statement yesterday.

Growth of interest in private market investing, stimulated by weak yields in conventional listed equities and government bonds has, in turn, prompted demand for wider, more tech-driven access to asset classes which were previously the preserve of large institutions and ultra-wealthy individuals. Firms such as iCapital Network, CAIS and Moonfare are competing in the space, albeit with slight differences of focus. 

Moonfare says it is “breaking the mold through its strong partnerships with category-leading private equity and venture capital funds,” citing names such as KKR, The Carlyle Group, Blackstone, IVP and Khosla Ventures. Moonfare enables its members to invest directly in a selection of curated funds, with entry minimums of $125.000. 

“Entering the US market provides a tremendous opportunity, allowing us to use our proprietary technology platform to create a unique experience for like-minded investors who are bullish on pursuing investments into private markets unavailable to them in the past,” Steffen Pauls, Moonfare’s founder, said. “As customer behavior continues to transform toward direct digital solutions, we see a lot of growth potential for the platform with its easy and direct access to private markets.”

To date, Moonfare has offered 45 private market funds. Based in Berlin, Moonfare operates in 18 countries across Europe, Asia, and America with offices in New York, Hong Kong, London, and Luxembourg.