Opportunities don't just live in the public markets
Some of the best companies are built for years before they ever list.
Private markets let you invest in companies, often years before they reach a stock exchange.
If private markets are not suitable for you, we'll be the first to tell you.
Companies grow for years before they list
Strong companies now stay private for long; a decade or more. Their high growth phase plays out while they are unlisted. Private markets are how you reach it. It doesn't replace investing in publicly listed companies; it adds a chapter that used to be open only to institutions. A genuine opportunity, and a selective one.
How the two markets actually differ
Same idea, owning a piece of a company. The rules around it are different. The five that matter:
What an AIF actually is
Private-market funds in India are Alternative Investment Funds, regulated by SEBI in three categories. Category II is what we advice on.
We do not list specific funds here. An AIF is a private placement, so it is not marketed publicly, and the right fund for one person is the wrong one for the next. We shortlist and diligence the funds that fit you privately, show you the full cost stack for each, and advise. That judgement is what you are paying us for.
The risks, stated plainly
Investing in Private Equity comes with risks inherent to investing in equity and 3 additional risks. Post careful selection, greater patience and acceptance that information will be available only infrequently is key. Here is what you are taking on, put simply.
It's illiquid
Your money is committed for years with no daily exit. Plan on a five to eight year hold.
It isn't priced daily
You won't see a live market price. A fund is marked periodically, not every day.
It all hinges on the exit
Your gain is only real when the fund sells its holdings or a company lists. That exit is years away, and never guaranteed.
The direct route carries a little more
Buying shares directly, outside a fund, adds risks a regulated structure removes. There is no exchange or clearing house standing behind the trade, no reliable price, and a corner of the market where unregistered operators have run frauds; SEBI has cautioned about unauthorised platforms more than once. Without a regulated structure around it, the usual protections simply are not there. It is one more reason we lean toward funds.
How much you actually get to see
Private companies disclose far less than listed ones, and far less often. Here is the real picture, in three layers, from public filings to what lands in your account.
What the company files
Every Indian company files audited annual accounts and its shareholding with the MCA. It is public and anyone can buy it, but it is yearly and often months out of date.
What the fund sees
Before investing, a full diligence review. After, usually a board seat, regular management numbers and inspection rights. Far more than any public filing shows.
What reaches you
As a fund investor you receive the manager's periodic reports, the NAV, an independent valuation at least twice a year, and the fund's own audited accounts.
In public markets you read the company. In private markets, you read the manager who reads the company. That is why a fund's track record and honesty matter more than any single number.
How we help
We are a SEBI-registered investment adviser, so on private markets we sell one thing: advice. In practice it works a little like a fund-of-funds run for you: instead of a manager choosing the underlying funds, we find and validate the right fund, and you invest in it directly, in your own name. Whatever the route, we are paid only by you. Here is what that includes.
It starts with a suitability assessment. If private markets don't fit you, we'll say so.
Suitability first
We check it actually fits you, and say so honestly if it does not.
Selection & diligence
We research and recommend the specific assets right for you.
Clean structuring
You invest in the fund's no-commission plan. You subscribe in your own name.
Monitoring
We track your holding for its whole life, not just to the sale.
Exit & tax
We plan the exit when it's right for you.
Be sure that this is for you?
Do not invest in private markets out of FOMO. It requires committing a crore to a single fund and leaving it untouched for several years.
What it costs, in full
Two layers, and you see both before you commit. Our advisory fee is a percentage of the assets we advise on. Separately, the fund charges its own fees: a management fee, commonly in the range of 1.5% to 2% a year, plus a share of profits, often around 10% to 20% above a set threshold. Those are the fund's market-standard charges, not ours, and they vary by fund; we show you the full stack for the specific fund before you commit.
Your total costs remain broadly similar to investing through a distributor, where a comparable cost is generally paid as commission built into the product.
Questions worth asking
Access is everywhere. Unconflicted judgment is rare.
That is the whole of what we sell
Private markets can be a real opportunity, and one that rewards doing carefully. Our strong preference, by a wide margin, is a regulated fund, advised fee-only, by someone who takes nothing from the other side. Where the direct route ever genuinely fits, we approach it with the same care and the same fee-only stance.
Request a suitability assessment
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Private Markets is an advisory service of The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd. (MoneyWorks4Me Investment Advisers), a SEBI Registered Investment Adviser, registration number INA000013323. This page is educational and is not a recommendation to buy any security or fund. Investments are subject to market risks. Read all related documents carefully. Private-market investments are illiquid, are not readily valued, may be locked up for many years and can lose their entire value. Tax treatment is general in nature and is confirmed for your circumstances with a qualified tax adviser before you act.
