Our Conversation With the Former SEC Commissioner

February 18, 2026 • 2 Min Read

Our Conversation With the Former SEC Commissioner

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What if “60/40” isn’t the whole story anymore?

StartEngine CEO Howard Marks sat down with former SEC Commissioner Dr. Michael Piwowar to talk about something we think every modern investor should understand:

Private markets are becoming essential to a smart, diversified portfolio strategy.

The conversation covered everything from diversification to IPO slowdowns to why more growth is happening before companies ever hit the public markets.¹

👉 Watch the full recording to hear the discussion firsthand. Watch Webinar »

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to invest in any securities. Private investments are speculative, illiquid, and involve a high degree of risk, including the potential loss of your entire investment. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Webinar Highlights

  • The traditional 60/40 portfolio may be shifting to 50/30/20, with 20% in private equity
  • Diversification is still one of the only “free lunches” in investing
  • Companies are staying private longer, meaning more value creation happens pre-IPO
  • Secondary markets are making private investing more accessible and liquid than ever

As Howard put it simply: if you don’t have private companies in your portfolio, you may not be fully diversified.

And as Dr. Piwowar noted, the goal is bigger than just returns: it’s about democratizing access to opportunities that used to be reserved for insiders.

That’s exactly what we’re building at StartEngine.

👉 Explore open Private offerings and see what’s available. View Opportunities »

Investments are in Series offered on StartEngine Private, which may hold shares for the companies listed directly or through an SPV. You are not buying the companies’ stock. Revenue, funding, or valuation may not increase, and profitability is not assured. These securities are illiquid and may trade at lower prices. Valuations are based on private placements rather than public markets. See below for details.


Important Disclosures

This article may contain forward‑looking statements and projections. These are not guarantees; actual outcomes may differ materially.

Investing in private, pre‑IPO companies is highly speculative and illiquid. Such investments are intended only for accredited investors who can bear the risk of total loss. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Consult a financial advisor before investing.

Securities offered through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. This is a general investment recommendation for accredited investors under Regulation Best Interest; it is not personalized investment advice.

Review our Form CRS and Reg BI disclosure to understand our services and conflicts.

***

*. The companies listed on StartEngine Private are not involved in or endorsing these investments, and have not approved StartEngine Private LLC or its affiliates.

Rather, when you invest through StartEngine Private, you are buying an interest in a separate Series of StartEngine Private LLC, not stock directly in the companies listed. The Series may hold shares directly or through a special-purpose vehicle (SPV). Your interests may differ from the companies’ stock in both rights and value, and there may not be a one-to-one economic parity between the value of Series interests and the underlying shares. The Series also bears its own costs (such as transaction and administrative expenses), which may reduce investor returns.

These offerings are made under Regulation D, Rule 506(c), through StartEngine Primary LLC (member FINRA/SIPC), and are available only to accredited investors. These investments are speculative, illiquid, and high risk, and you should be prepared to hold them indefinitely and to bear the risk of losing your entire investment.

StartEngine and its affiliates do not provide financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. This update may include information from third party or public sources that has not been independently verified and may be incomplete or inaccurate. Before investing, review the full offering documents on the offering pages and consult your advisors.

1. Dr. Michael S. Piwowar was paid by StartEngine to appear in this webinar. Dr. Piwowar is not endorsing StartEngine as an investment in this webinar; he is merely expressing his private opinion. His views are not investment advice and should be used purely for educational purposes.

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Important Message

IN MAKING AN INVESTMENT DECISION, INVESTORS MUST RELY ON THEIR OWN EXAMINATION OF THE ISSUER AND THE TERMS OF THE OFFERING, INCLUDING THE MERITS AND RISKS INVOLVED. INVESTMENTS ON STARTENGINE ARE SPECULATIVE, ILLIQUID, AND INVOLVE A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK, INCLUDING THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF YOUR ENTIRE INVESTMENT.

www.StartEngine.com is a website owned and operated by StartEngine Crowdfunding, Inc. (“StartEngine”), which is neither a registered broker-dealer, investment advisor nor funding portal.

Unless indicated otherwise with respect to a particular issuer, all securities-related activity is conducted by regulated affiliates of StartEngine: StartEngine Capital LLC, a funding portal registered here with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and here as a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), or StartEngine Primary LLC (“SE Primary”), a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and FINRA / SIPC. You can review the background of our broker-dealer and our investment professionals on FINRA’s BrokerCheck here. StartEngine Secondary is an alternative trading system (ATS) regulated by the SEC and operated by SE Primary. SE Primary is a member of SIPC and explanatory brochures are available upon request by contacting SIPC at (202) 371-8300.

StartEngine facilitates three types of primary offerings:

1) Regulation A offerings (JOBS Act Title IV; known as Regulation A+), which are offered to non-accredited and accredited investors alike. These offerings are made through StartEngine Primary, LLC (unless otherwise indicated). 2) Regulation D offerings (Rule 506(c)), which are offered only to accredited investors. These offerings are made through StartEngine Primary, LLC. 3) Regulation Crowdfunding offerings (JOBS Act Title III), which are offered to non-accredited and accredited investors alike. These offerings are made through StartEngine Capital, LLC. Some of these offerings are open to the general public, however there are important differences and risks.

Any securities offered on this website have not been recommended or approved by any federal or state securities commission or regulatory authority. StartEngine and its affiliates do not provide any investment advice or recommendation and do not provide any legal or tax advice concerning any securities. All securities listed on this site are being offered by, and all information included on this site is the responsibility of, the applicable issuer of such securities. StartEngine does not verify the adequacy, accuracy, or completeness of any information. Neither StartEngine nor any of its officers, directors, agents, and employees makes any warranty, express or implied, of any kind whatsoever related to the adequacy, accuracy, or completeness of any information on this site or the use of information on this site.

Investing in private company securities is not suitable for all investors. An investment in private company securities is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. It should only be considered a long-term investment. You must be prepared to withstand a total loss of your investment. Private company securities are also highly illiquid, and there is no guarantee that a market will develop for such securities. Each investment also carries its own specific risks, and you should complete your own independent due diligence regarding the investment. This includes obtaining additional information about the company, opinions, financial projections, and legal or other investment advice. Accordingly, investing in private company securities is appropriate only for those investors who can tolerate a high degree of risk and do not require a liquid investment. See additional general disclosures here.

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Canadian Investors

Investment opportunities posted and accessible through the site will not be offered to Canadian resident investors. Potential investors are strongly advised to consult their legal, tax and financial advisors before investing. The securities offered on this site are not offered in jurisdictions where public solicitation for offerings is not permitted; it is solely your responsibility to comply with the laws and regulations of your country of residence.

California Investors Only – Do Not Sell My Personal Information (800-317-2200). StartEngine does not sell personal information. For all customer inquiries, please write to contact@startengine.com.

StartEngine Marketplace (“SE Marketplace”) is a website operated by StartEngine Primary, LLC (“SE Primary”), a broker-dealer that is registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA and the SIPC.

StartEngine Secondary (“SE Secondary”) is our investor trading platform. SE Secondary is an SEC-registered Alternative Trading System (“ATS”) operated by SE Primary that matches orders for buyers and sellers of securities. It allows investors to trade shares purchased through Regulation A+, Regulation Crowdfunding, or Regulation D for companies who have engaged StartEngine Secure LLC as their transfer agent. The term “Rapid,” when used in relation to transactions on SE Marketplace, specifically refers to transactions that are facilitated on SE Secondary, This is because, unlike with trades on the StartEngine Bulletin Board (“SE BB”), trades on SE Secondary are executed the moment that they are matched.

StartEngine Bulletin Board (“SE BB”) is a bulletin board platform on which users can indicate to each other their interest to buy or sell shares of private companies that previously executed Reg CF or Reg A offerings not necessarily through SE Primary. As a bulletin board platform, SE BB provides a venue for investors to access information about such private company offerings and connect with potential sellers. All investment opportunities on SE BB are based on indicated interest from sellers and will need to be confirmed. Even if parties express mutual interest to enter into a trade on SE BB, a trade will not immediately result because execution is subject to additional contingencies, including among others, effecting of the transfer of the shares from the potential seller to the potential buyer by the issuer and/or transfer agent. SE BB is distinct and separate from SE Secondary. SE Secondary facilitates the trading of securities by matching orders between buyers and sellers and facilitating executions of trades on the platform. By contrast, under SE BB, SE Primary assists with the facilitation of a potential resulting trade off platform including, by among other things, approaching the issuer and other necessary parties in relation to the potential transaction. The term “Extended”, when used in relation to transactions on SE Marketplace denotes that these transactions are conducted via SE BB, and that these transactions may involve longer processing times compared to SE Secondary for the above-stated reasons.

Even if a security is qualified to be displayed on SE Marketplace, there is no guarantee an active trading market for the securities will ever develop, or if developed, be maintained. You should assume that you may not be able to liquidate your investment for some time or be able to pledge these shares as collateral.

The availability of company information does not indicate that the company has endorsed, supports, or otherwise participates with StartEngine. It also does not constitute an endorsement, solicitation or recommendation by StartEngine. StartEngine does not (1) make any recommendations or otherwise advise on the merits or advisability of a particular investment or transaction, (2) assist in the determination of the fair value of any security or investment, or (3) provide legal, tax, or transactional advisory services.