Injective launches pre-IPO perp futures, providing exposure to OpenAI and more private companies

Injective has made another move designed to give private investors exposure to high-profile private companies like OpenAI, SpaceX, Anthropic, and Perplexity.

The Layer 1 blockchain said Wednesday it is "launching the world's first private equity perpetual futures markets," according to a statement. "This never-before-seen development brings the massive $13+ trillion private equity market directly onchain, enabling anyone to trade exposure to major private companies."

Injective's move follows its announcement in August that it had teamed up with the investment platform Republic in order to enhance the two companies’ ability to democratize retail investing in privately-held companies like Sam Altman's OpenAI and Elon Musk's SpaceX. IN June, Republic said it planned to offer users the chance to purchase "Mirror Tokens," a blockchain-based financial instrument that tracks shares of private firms.

By launching onchain private equity stock derivatives, or perpetual futures, Injective aims to give investors a way to buy futures contracts tied to the estimated value of these highly valuable private companies. "Unlike traditional futures contracts with fixed expiration dates, perpetual futures have no expiry date, allowing traders to hold positions indefinitely," Injective said.

Injective said last week that during a 30-day period, $1 billion worth of real-world asset (RWA) perpetual futures contracts were traded on its blockchain.

Other private tech companies mentioned by Injective when promoting Wednesday's launch included Monzo, xAI, Revolut, Airtable, and Notion.

"These companies represent the most valuable private startups in sectors experiencing explosive growth, particularly in Data & AI, which raised over $100 billion in 2024," Injective said.

Incubated by Binance, Injective counts Jump Crypto, Pantera, and Mark Cuban as backers.