Hiive is a secondary marketplace for private-company stock, connecting buyers and sellers of pre-IPO shares, often with live bid and ask pricing. It focuses on later-stage, in-demand companies. It is one of several such platforms; we are not affiliated with it.

Who can sell shares on Hiive?

In practice, holders of shares in companies with real buyer demand — typically larger, later-stage names — and whose company permits the transfer. Buyers are generally accredited or institutional, and your company's right of first refusal and transfer restrictions still apply.

Does my company have to approve a sale on Hiive?

Usually, yes. Most private shares carry transfer restrictions and a right of first refusal, so the company can block a sale or buy the shares itself first. A marketplace does not override those rights — check your shareholder agreement before counting on a sale.

Secondary marketplaces

Preparing to use Hiive — what to get ready first

Hiive can help you find a buyer for private-company shares — but, like any marketplace, it doesn't remove the two things that really gate a sale. Here's what to understand, and prepare, before you start.

Written & maintained by the PrivateTechShares team · Published November 2026 · Reviewed November 2026

Part of our guide to where to sell private company shares.

Hiive is a secondary marketplace for private-company stock — it connects buyers and sellers of pre-IPO shares, often with live bid and ask pricing, and focuses on later-stage, in-demand names. We're not affiliated with Hiive; this is an independent guide to getting ready.

Who can actually use it

Two things gate most secondary sales, and a marketplace doesn't remove either. First, buyers are generally accredited or institutional and demand concentrates on sought-after companies — a marketplace is a poor fit for a small stake in a little-known one. Second, and more important, your company usually has to allow the transfer. Most private shares carry a right of first refusal and transfer restrictions, so the company can block a sale or buy the shares itself first. No platform overrides that.

What to get ready before you start

Know exactly what you hold — share class, number of shares, whether they're vested, and whether you've exercised your options or still need to.
Check your transfer rights — read your shareholder and option agreements for a right of first refusal, company consent and transfer restrictions.
Expect company involvement — many marketplace deals need the company's cooperation and approval; some companies simply don't permit secondaries.
Set a realistic price — a private, minority sale trades at a discount to the headline valuation.
Understand fees and tax — marketplaces charge fees, and a sale is a taxable event. Model the net, not the headline.

Set realistic expectations

A marketplace can help you find a buyer for shares in a sought-after company, but it won't make an illiquid stake liquid on its own. Expect a discount, expect the company to have a say, and expect the process to take time. If your company is smaller or less known, a marketplace may not be the right route at all — a direct sale to an existing investor, or back to the company itself, is often more realistic. (See who actually buys private startup shares.)

Thinking about selling?

It's worth understanding what you hold, what it might be worth and how a private transfer works before you act. Start with the free equity starter kit, or go deeper with the equity toolkit.

Get the equity toolkit — $39

US edition · instant PDF, no sign-up · EU edition →

Prefer to read up first? The Equity Toolkit (€39) walks through clearing restrictions and running the sale, step by step.

Free: the Equity Starter Kit

The plain-English glossary and the essentials to get started — instant download, no email required.

Download the free kit →