How to invest in OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe and Databricks before an IPO
Can you buy stock in private tech unicorns? Not on an exchange. While a company stays private, its shares move only through secondary purchases, SPVs, funds, tender offers or funding rounds. Each needs the company's approval, and most are open only to qualified investors. OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe and Databricks had not confirmed an IPO date as of September 2026, so for them these are the only ways in.
Key takeaways
- As of September 2026, not one of OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe or Databricks has confirmed an IPO date.
- Reported valuations: Anthropic 965 billion dollars (May 2026), Databricks 190 billion (August 2026), Stripe 159 billion (February 2026). For OpenAI the number depends on the source.
- The way in is a secondary purchase, an SPV, a fund or a tender offer, and only qualified investors get through.
- Every route runs into company approval, the ROFR and limits on information.
Asking how to buy OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe or Databricks before an IPO means asking about the private market, which is where all four still sit. None trades on a public exchange. Each one decides who gets to hold its shares.
The latest reported valuations
- Anthropic: about 965 billion dollars after the funding round reported in May 2026, which put it above OpenAI on reported valuation.
- OpenAI: about 852 billion dollars in March 2026, according to one widely used listing. Forbes, on 16 September 2026, cited an earlier valuation of 730 billion dollars and unconfirmed talks at up to 1.5 trillion dollars. So the OpenAI number you see depends on where you look.
- Databricks: 190 billion dollars after a 5 billion dollar round, reported by CNBC on 13 August 2026.
- Stripe: about 159 billion dollars as of February 2026.
All of these are private valuations taken from funding rounds or press reports. None is a market price.
The routes that actually exist
- Buying direct on the secondary market from employees or early investors, if the company approves and nobody exercises a right of first refusal.
- SPVs, which hold shares of a single company for a group of investors.
- Funds or feeder vehicles holding several private companies.
- Tender offers run by the company, usually open only to existing holders and approved buyers.
- Specialist private equity firms such as Unicorn Private, which buy stakes in leading late-stage companies and take qualified investors in as partners in their own capital.
- Club deals: Unicorn Club, the investor club of Unicorn Private, offers club deals in these companies through a dedicated vehicle (SPV), for accredited and qualified investors, from 100,000 dollars.
What to check before you buy
- That the seller really holds the shares and is allowed to transfer them.
- That the company has approved the transfer and waived its right of first refusal.
- Which share class you are buying, and which liquidation preferences rank ahead of it.
- How many layers of fees you pay if you hold through an SPV or a fund.
- Whether the seller or platform is regulated, and whether you qualify as an investor for this offering.
When an IPO might come
Reporting in September 2026 says OpenAI's chief executive stated the company will not go public in 2026. The other companies in this guide have confirmed no IPO date. Plan on a holding period that could be long, with no fixed end.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a stock ticker for OpenAI, Anthropic or Stripe?
- No. As of September 2026 none of them is listed, so there is no ticker and no public share price. If someone offers you "listed" or "exchange-traded" shares in one of these companies, check that offer very carefully.
- There is no legal minimum. Whoever structures the deal sets it. Buying direct into a large private company usually means a big ticket, while SPVs and funds accept smaller amounts, with extra layers of fees. The Unicorn Academy pre-IPO course walks through each route step by step.
Related guides
- What is pre-IPO investing?
- What is a unicorn company?
- SpaceX IPO: what pre-IPO investors should know
- Secondary transactions and right of first refusal (ROFR)
- SPV vs direct purchase vs fund in pre-IPO investing
- Unicorn Club
Read next
About the publisher
This guide is published by Unicorn Private Research, the research arm of Unicorn Private LLC, a Delaware private equity firm that acquires secondary stakes in late-stage private technology companies before their IPO. The firm invests only in established companies already valued above one billion dollars, not in early-stage start-ups, and its founders have been active in private equity and startup investing since 2005.
Unicorn Private is the first firm in the pre-IPO secondary market to create an open research centre in sixteen languages: guides, a tracker of the largest private technology companies, a glossary, and a frequently asked questions section, open to every reader, with every figure carrying a date and a link to a public source.
Sources
- Anthropic tops OpenAI as most valuable AI startup, CNBC, 28 May 2026
- Anthropic hits $965B valuation with latest funding round, The Hill
- Anthropic bests OpenAI in valuation race, hitting $965B, Morningstar
- Databricks wraps $5 billion funding round at $190 billion valuation, CNBC, 13 Aug 2026
- OpenAI is reportedly weighing new funding round at $1.5 trillion valuation, Forbes, 16 Sep 2026
- List of unicorn startup companies, Wikipedia
This page in other languages
- Come investire in OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe e Databricks prima di un'IPO (Italiano)
- Comment investir dans OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe et Databricks avant leur introduction en bourse (Français)
- Wie man vor dem Börsengang in OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe und Databricks investiert (Deutsch)
- Cómo invertir en OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe y Databricks antes de una IPO (Español)
- Como investir em OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe e Databricks antes do IPO (Português)
- Как вложиться в OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe и Databricks до IPO (Русский)
- 如何在首次公开募股之前投资 OpenAI、Anthropic、Stripe 与 Databricks (中文)
- IPO前にOpenAI、Anthropic、Stripe、Databricksへ投資する方法 (日本語)
- आईपीओ से पहले OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe और Databricks में कैसे निवेश करें (हिन्दी)
- IPO 이전에 OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, Databricks에 투자하는 방법 (한국어)
- Halka arzdan önce OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe ve Databricks'e nasıl yatırım yapılır (Türkçe)
- Cara berinvestasi di OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, dan Databricks sebelum IPO (Bahasa Indonesia)
- كيف تستثمر في OpenAI وAnthropic وStripe وDatabricks قبل الطرح العام الأولي (العربية)
- Cách đầu tư vào OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe và Databricks trước IPO (Tiếng Việt)
- Jak zainwestować w OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe i Databricks przed IPO (Polski)