SpaceX is a private company and its shares do not trade on any public exchange. That’s a challenge for investors who are wondering how to buy stock in the most valuable venture-backed private company in the US.
There are ways for investors to buy shares in privately held companies. Early investors and employees who have received shares as part of their compensation often wish to sell their holdings. These sales must be approved by the company and may face restrictions, and there is no assurance that shares will be available.
If you’re wondering how to buy SpaceX stock, here are some options that may open up an opportunity to participate in the company’s future.
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How Can I Buy SpaceX Stock?
SpaceX is still privately held, meaning its shares are not available on the stock market yet. But are there other ways to purchase SpaceX stock?
Do you ever second-guess yourself for not investing in a certain stock? It’s time to find out what you could’ve made.
Invest Through a Pre-IPO Secondary Market
There is a secondary market for pre-IPO shares, and it is sometimes possible to purchase them. Online pre-IPO marketplaces may acquire shares from early investors or employees who have received shares through stock options.
You may be able to buy SpaceX shares through these marketplaces.
- Forge Global/Sharespost is the product of a merger between two major pre-IPO marketplaces. The minimum investment is $100,000. Some shares may have higher minimums. Potential buyers may need to pass a qualification process.
- EquityZen acquires pre-IPO shares from early investors and employees and makes them available to qualified investors. There will be a qualification process and the minimum investment is $10,000, potentially higher for some shares.
- SecFi specializes in linking outside investors with employees who need to liquidate their stock options.
- Nasdaq Private Market provides access to private company shares for investors who meet SEC accredited investor criteria.
- EquityBee is a private marketplace that allows investors to fund an employee’s stock options in exchange for a share in the proceeds from their eventual sale.
To use these platforms, you will have to register and open an account. You may need to meet a minimum level of income and investment experience to qualify, and there may be other criteria. There’s no guarantee that any marketplace will have SpaceX shares available.
⚠️ Investing in pre-IPO shares is risky. An IPO may be postponed if market conditions are not appropriate. If there is no IPO you may not be able to sell your shares.
📚 See ALL the ways you can get in on pre-IPO investing: How to Buy Pre-IPO Stocks?
Invest in the IPO
If you can’t find pre-IPO shares for sale, you might consider investing in the IPO itself. Your entry price will be higher, but you’ll have a reasonable assurance that you’ll be able to sell your shares if you want to.
Several major brokers allow account holders to participate in IPOs. All of them have requirements that investors have to meet. You will have to answer questions to confirm that you comply with the rules on IPO investment.
- TD Ameritrade allows participation in IPOs if TD Ameritrade is part of the selling group. Participating account holders need a minimum balance of $250,000 or 30 trades in the last calendar year.
- Fidelity allows participation for customers who are in the Premium or Private client groups or those who meet minimum household asset requirements.
- Charles Schwab requires an account balance of $100,000 or a history with at least 36 trades.
- E*Trade does not restrict IPO participation by account balance or trading history. You will have to fill out a questionnaire from the underwriter of the IPO to determine your eligibility.
☝️ Most IPOs allocate only a small number of shares for retail investors. Even if you qualify you may not be able to buy the number of shares you want. You may not be able to buy shares at all.
⚠️ Many IPO purchases come with a lock-up period, usually 90 or 180 days. You will not be able to sell your shares until this period expires.
Invest After the IPO
The most conservative way to buy SpaceX stock would be to wait for the IPO and buy the shares on the public post-IPO market. You can do this through any brokerage account.
You won’t get in at the low price offered by pre-IPO or IPO purchases, but it’s the simplest way to invest, and there’s still a substantial upside if the company succeeds.
👉 For a point of comparison, Tesla shares at the IPO were priced at $17. The shares closed at $23.89 on their first day of public trading. At the time of this writing, they are worth over $580. That may not happen again, but you don’t need to buy at the IPO to earn a profit.
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When Will SpaceX Hold Its IPO
Most observers expect that SpaceX will eventually go public, though no registration statement has been filed and there is no indication of when an IPO might occur.
Unlike many private companies, SpaceX does not need to hold an IPO. The Company has shown a very high ability to attract private capital and seems able to finance its programs indefinitely without going public. Some investors report that Musk has told them not to expect a return for 15 years. A company that can attract financing on those terms is under no pressure to stage an IPO.
If market conditions remain strong, SpaceX could choose to hold an IPO within the next year or two. They could also spin off Starlink in an independent IPO, or they could simply carry on as a private company. CEO Musk has stated that Starlink will hold an IPO once the Company can predict its cash flow.
There’s no clear indication of imminent intent to stage an IPO. Anyone planning to buy SpaceX stock needs to be prepared to hold onto their investment for an extended period.
What Is SpaceX?
| SPACEX: FAST FACTS | |
|---|---|
| 🏭 Industry | Aerospace, Communications |
| 🚀 Key Products | Launch vehicles, rocket engines, Dragon capsules, Starlink |
| 📡 Key Services | Orbital rocket launch, satellite internet |
| 🤼 Key Competitors | Blue Origin, Virgin Orbit, United Launch Alliance (ULA) |
| 🏢 HQ | Hawthorne, California, United States |
| 📅 Founded | 2002 |
| 👨💼 Key People | Elon Musk (Founder and CEO), Gwynne Shotwell (President and COO) |
| 👥 Employees | 10,000+ |
| 🌐 Website | www.spacex.com |
| 💵 Current Valuation | $127 billion |
| 🔒 IPO Status | Private |
SpaceX designs and manufactures advanced spacecraft, and launches them into… yes you guessed it… space. 🚀
The Company is considered the most advanced player in the civilian space industry.
SpaceX is well known for its grand plans to fly to the moon and to Mars and its fully reusable spaceship project, but it also has two working businesses.
- SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets provide affordable launch services for satellites weighing up to 200 kilos (440 pounds).
- The Starlink project aims to provide global broadband service through a network of low-orbit satellites. Starlink may be spun off in its own IPO.
SpaceX has also won contracts to work with NASA on the Artemis human lunar lander project, which aims to put humans back on the moon. The contract award has been challenged in court by rival Blue Origin.
Satellite launches compose the bulk of SpaceX revenue and are expected to bring in $1.6 billion in sales in 2021. Starlink entered beta testing in mid-2021 and could produce significant revenue in 2022. SpaceX has launched 1,740 Starlink satellites and the system will eventually deploy as many as 40,000 satellites.
While satellite launches are currently the main revenue generator, that’s a limited market and does not have large growth potential. Elon Musk himself has stated that satellite revenue will probably not exceed $3 billion a year. Starlink, on the other hand, has a much larger potential market.
SpaceX is developing a deep space transport system called Starship, which it will use to serve the Artemis contract. A Starship prototype is currently awaiting FAA approval for an orbital test.
SpaceX competes with Blue Origin (founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos), United Launch Alliance (formed by aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin), Virgin Orbit, and other mostly government-operated agencies like CNSA and NASA.
Are There Any Concerns About SpaceX?
SpaceX is in a risky and highly speculative business that requires enormous amounts of capital. An accident could have a serious impact on the Company’s viability, especially on a manned mission.
The Starlink project comes with its own set of concerns. The network could include up to 42,000 satellites, which raises possibilities of a collision, simple failure, or other problems.
The extremely high capital cost and operational costs of SpaceX could put the Company at risk in a less liberal funding environment. If markets sink or the economy becomes less vigorous financing could be harder to obtain.
Read our guide on pre-IPO investing for more information on how pre-IPO stocks work and the potential risks and rewards that they present.
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Conclusion
There are some ways to invest in private companies pre-IPO. Some ways are more difficult than others. But if you’re willing to do some digging, you might be able to purchase SpaceX stock before the company’s IPO.
SpaceX is a highly speculative investment with substantial risks. There’s no way to anticipate when an IPO will be held, so your funds could be tied up for some time. If the gamble pays off, the gains could be substantial.
If you want to stay up-to-date on when SpaceX goes public, sign up for our newsletter, and we will let you know!
Updates
On May 18, 2022, Reuters reported a secondary market share sale at $72/share, which would raise the current valuation of SpaceX to over $125 billion. No new shares are being issued for this offering and it was not clear which existing shareholders sold their shares.
At least some shares are being offered by employees of SpaceX, suggesting that shares may be coming onto the secondary market. Other sources report that with the IPO market flat, the secondary private-share market favors buyers, which means it may be a good time for interested investors with a long time horizon to buy SpaceX stock.
On June 7, 2022, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that a much-discussed IPO of the Company’s Starlink business would not occur until 2025 or later, citing the need to develop the business further before taking it public.
On Jan 2, 2023, CNBC reported that SpaceX is set to raise $750 million in a new funding round that is expected to value the company at $137 billion. Andreessen Horowitz is expected to be a lead investor. The new financing may allow SpaceX to delay an IPO further until market conditions are more positive.
FAQs
SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology. The company makes money by launching satellites and through its Starlink satellite internet program.
SpaceX is still privately held, meaning its shares are not available on the stock market yet. There are ways to purchase pre-IPO stock, but success is not guaranteed and there may be qualifying requirements.
SpaceX is exposed to accident risk. It is also in a business that has very high operating costs and requires huge amounts of capital.
