Want to Own SpaceX Stock Before Its Blockbuster IPO? Here Are 3 Ways Investors Can Buy Right Now.
Want to Own SpaceX Stock Before Its Blockbuster IPO? Here Are 3 Ways Investors Can Buy Right Now.
Trevor Jennewine, The Motley FoolSat, April 11, 2026 at 8:08 AM UTC
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Key Points -
SpaceX recently filed for an initial public offering (IPO), but investors can get pre-IPO exposure to the rocket and satellite company.
The Ark Venture Fund has 17% of its assets invested in SpaceX, and the Baron Partners Fund has 33% of its assets in the company.
Alphabet owns roughly a 7% stake in SpaceX, and its diversified business makes it the least risky way to get pre-IPO exposure to the company.
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In April, SpaceX confidentially filed initial public offering (IPO) paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company will host its IPO roadshow in June, where executives will pitch the stock to money managers. Shares will likely start trading on the public market by July.
The IPO promises to be a blockbuster event that draws particularly heavy demand from retail investors. SpaceX is reportedly seeking a $1.75 trillion valuation, which would immediately make it one of the 10 most valuable public companies in the world. Additionally, CEO Elon Musk hopes to raise $75 billion, more than double the current record for an IPO.
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For investors who cannot wait until SpaceX goes public, there are ways to get exposure to the rocket maker today. I will discuss three, starting with the most risky and ending with the least risky.
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Image source: Getty Images.
1. Ark Venture Fund
The Ark Venture Fund (NASDAQMUTFUND: ARKVX) is an actively managed interval fund that owns stock in 68 public and private equities. It seeks to "democratize venture capital, offering all investors access to what we believe are the most innovative companies." The top five positions are listed below:
SpaceX: 17%
OpenAI: 11%
Replit: 5%
Figure AI: 4%
Anthropic: 4%
The Ark Ventures Fund returned 147% (28% annually) since its inception in 2022, beating the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) by 80 percentage points. Heavy exposure to SpaceX factored meaningfully into those gains, as did heavy exposure to artificial intelligence (AI) start-up OpenAI.
However, the Ark Ventures Fund is a rather risky way to get pre-IPO exposure to SpaceX for three reasons. First, its high net expense ratio of 2.9% means shareholders will pay $290 per year on every $10,000 invested in the fund. Second, as an interval fund, investors cannot sell at their discretion. Instead, Ark provides liquidity on a quarterly basis by offering to buy shares. Third, the fund is heavily invested in private companies.
2. Baron Partners Fund Retail Shares
The Baron Partners Fund Retail Shares (NASDAQMUTFUND: BPTRX) is an actively managed mutual fund that owns stock in about 25 companies, most of which are publicly traded. It seeks "capital appreciation through investments in growth companies of any size with significant long-term potential." The top five positions are listed below:
SpaceX: 33%
Tesla: 20%
Arch Capital Group: 5%
MSCI: 4%
Hyatt Hotels: 4%
The Baron Partners Fund achieved a total return of 741% (23.7% annually) over the past 10 years, outpacing the S&P 500 by more than 450 percentage points. The driving force behind those astronomical gains was heavy exposure to SpaceX and Tesla.
Importantly, unlike the Ark Ventures Fund, shareholders can sell the Baron Partners Fund at their discretion. However, despite being more liquid, this fund is still fairly risky because it is concentrated in two companies. Also, the Baron Partners Fund has an expense ratio of 2.24%, meaning shareholders will pay $224 per year on every $10,000 invested.
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3. Alphabet
In 2015, Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) invested $900 million in SpaceX. The rocket and satellite company was worth approximately $12 billion at the time, which means Alphabet owned a roughly 7.5% stake.
That investment has already paid off handsomely. In 2026, SpaceX was valued at $1.25 trillion when it merged with xAI, meaning Alphabet's stake is now worth over $100 billion.
Looking ahead, if SpaceX does go public with a $1.75 trillion valuation, Alphabet's stake would climb to more than $120 billion. Alphabet shareholders would benefit because unrealized gains would hit the bottom as generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) earnings but also because SpaceX shares would be more liquid, meaning Alphabet could sell its stake for a substantial amount of cash.
Compared to the funds discussed, owning Alphabet stock is a less risky way to get SpaceX exposure before its IPO because Alphabet has a strong presence in three growing markets: advertising, cloud computing, and autonomous driving. Indeed, Wall Street expects the company's earnings to increase at 15% annually over the next three years, which makes the current valuation of 30 times earnings look reasonable.
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Trevor Jennewine has positions in Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, MSCI, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Hyatt Hotels. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Source: “AOL Money”
