Polymarket Opens Private Company Bets With Nasdaq Data

TLDR

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Polymarket partnered with Nasdaq Private Market to launch event contracts tied to private company milestones.
Markets may cover startup valuations, IPO timing, and secondary trading activity using Nasdaq-sourced data feeds.
The partnership aims to give retail users exposure to outcomes linked to private market events.
Nasdaq Private Market will serve as Polymarket’s data source for resolving eligible private company markets.
The launch arrives as unicorns stay private longer and attract wider investor attention globally today.

Polymarket is bringing private company events into prediction markets through a new partnership with Nasdaq Private Market. Users can now trade on outcomes tied to startup valuations, IPO timing, and secondary market activity. The launch gives retail traders a new way to follow private firms, while Nasdaq Private Market provides the data used to settle markets.

Polymarket Adds Private Company Markets

Polymarket said the new markets will focus on private company events and business milestones. These events may include valuation targets, IPO timing, and secondary market activity. Traders can use the markets to price views on future company outcomes.

The company said Nasdaq Private Market will provide the data used to settle these markets. That role is important because private company data is often harder to track. It also gives traders a shared source for market outcomes.

Polymarket Partners Nasdaq Private Market to Launch Prediction Markets on Private Companies
Reuters reported that Polymarket, the largest onchain prediction market, is partnering with Nasdaq Private Market to roll out markets tied to private-company events—marking the sector’s… pic.twitter.com/wEVLuK7sIF
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) May 19, 2026

Polymarket described the launch as the first prediction market offering tied to private company performance. The platform already hosts markets on politics, crypto, sports, and economic events. This launch moves its product further into private market themes.

Nasdaq Private Market Provides Data

Nasdaq Private Market will act as the resolution data provider for eligible private company markets. Its data covers activity in private company share programs and secondary transactions. Polymarket said this data will help decide market results.

“Prediction markets are one of the most powerful tools we have for democratizing access to financial information and opportunity,” said Shayne Coplan, Polymarket founder and CEO. He said the launch brings retail users closer to private company events. These events were usually followed by large investors and wealthy clients.

We're excited to announce our exclusive partnership with Nasdaq Private Market.
Retail traders can now get exposure to private companies, one of the historically most profitable asset classes, exclusively through Polymarket. pic.twitter.com/ThotQNwlzW
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) May 19, 2026

Tom Callahan, CEO of Nasdaq Private Market, said accurate data matters when more users enter markets. “We are proud to provide the data that ensures every market resolves accurately,” he said. The company has supported private market liquidity programs for employees and investors.

Private Markets Draw Wider Attention

The launch comes as many companies stay private for longer periods. Reuters reported that nearly 1,600 unicorns now hold more than $5 trillion in combined value. These firms include startups valued at more than $1 billion.

Retail traders have often had limited access to private company growth. Public markets usually become available only after a company lists shares. Polymarket’s new markets do not offer company shares, but they let users trade on related outcomes.

Rodolfo Sanchez, VP of Data at Nasdaq Private Market, said the product may also help institutions. “The data flows in both directions,” he said. He said market activity can become a real-time signal for private company performance.