Many of today's market leaders are still private.
EQUIAM is an investment firm managing funds focused on growth and late-stage technology companies. We systematically screen thousands of private companies, rigorously underwrite, then make high-conviction investments (often) through direct secondary transactions.
Stranded value · institutional vacuum
The $1.5 Trillion Opportunity
Today's private companies stay private for a median of 14 years before IPO. Employees, founders, and early investors hold over $1.5T in illiquid positions, and increasingly need liquidity before traditional exits. We've built the infrastructure to systematically identify and purchase these positions at the right price.
Natural liquidity needs in extended holdings
Locked value in top VC-backed companies
$4 Trillion+ VC-Backed Market Cap
From $500B in 2005 per PitchBook
Tech IPOs Take 14 Years
Was just 4 years in 1999 boom
Employees & Founders Waiting
Life events can't wait for liquidity
Secondary sales now standard practice, not distressed events
Nascent market with institutional vacuum
Infrastructure built, but few institutional buyers using it
Bulge Bracket Secondary Desks
Goldman, Morgan Stanley, UBS all in
Tech-Enabled Platforms Scale Access
Forge, Caplight bringing price transparency
Company-Sanctioned Tenders
Often led by Nasdaq Private Market
Few Dedicated Funds
Most participate opportunistically
Data-driven screening · individual position rigor
Our Investment Process
EQUIAM's systematic approach differentiates us from both traditional growth funds and opportunistic secondaries players. We combine the scale of data-driven screening with the precision of individual position analysis.
Screen 2,600+ Companies
- ·Ingest and map 15+ private market data sources
- ·Track 2,600+ Series B+ VC-backed companies
- ·Deploy 20+ proprietary signals to identify opportunities
- ·Focus on companies with clear liquidity paths
Source Deals
- ·Partner with Forge, Caplight, Setter, Hiive, and other premier brokerage platforms
- ·Source via bulge bracket secondary desks (MS, GS, UBS, Macquarie, etc.)
- ·Partner with other GPs to find proprietary deal flow
- ·Access direct employee and HR networks
Model Outcomes
- ·Require 100% access to company financials
- ·Model 4-6 probability-weighted scenarios
- ·Deploy proprietary tooling and automation
- ·Leverage 20+ years of team expertise
Investment Committee Decision
- ·Stress-test all investment assumptions
- ·Confirm maximum bid price
- ·Determine optimal position size
- ·Focus on risk-adjusted returns
Speed & Scale Advantage
We write $1-10M checks in 2-3 weeks while larger funds need months for $50M+ deals
Cap Table Pricing Accuracy
Once a company reaches the scale where IPO is the only viable exit, preferred and common converge at liquidity. We routinely buy common at meaningful discounts in that window
Orphaned Equity Monopoly
Leading institutional buyer for early employee and investor positions in our check size range
Non-Competitive Positioning
We solve sellers' liquidity needs rather than competing for primary growth equity allocations
Lean team · elite credentials
Small Team. Big Impact.
Our lean team moves faster than firms 10x our size. Every team member brings elite credentials and deep expertise to every deal.
Nimble by Design
Our lean team moves fast, closing deals in weeks while others take months
Elite Backgrounds
Alumni of JP Morgan, Bridgewater, Lehman Bros, and top universities
Proven Track Record
90 Companies Invested Since 2018, 30+ successful exits
Built & sold Algebra Capital ($1.5B AUM)
MBA NYU Stern • Former JP Morgan
Ziad Makkawi
Founder & CEO
Architect of EQUIAM's systematic model
Early Forge team • Notre Dame
John Zic
Founding Partner
$1B+ deployed across private markets
Ex-Lehman Bros • USC Marshall
Arin Nazarian
Partner
Former Bridgewater & Tribe Capital
PhD Physics • MFE Cornell
Joe Day
Partner
Former Guggenheim & BNY Mellon
MBA NYU Stern • CFA Charterholder
Eric Borrow
Director, Operations
10-year institutional sales veteran
B. Riley Financial • UC Boulder
Kirk Oliver
Director, Placement & Distribution
Former Allianz Global Investors Director
JD UC Berkeley • California Bar
Yusef Alexandrine
Chief Operating Officer