The investing community is abuzz with the news of SpaceX’s initial public offering (IPO) at the end of this week. The company has departed from the traditional IPO path in several ways, and one of them is offering more access to retail investors to buy shares at the IPO price.

Historically, IPOs were handled entirely by investment banks, giving underwriting institutions access to shares to sell to their clients. Today, many of those barriers are coming down as many retail investors take a more direct role in their own financial management. Several investing platforms now offer routine access to IPOs, including Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ: HOOD) and SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ: SOFI), which are the easiest routes for the average investor to limited SpaceX ownership right at the IPO.

Will AI create the world’s first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an “Indispensable Monopoly” providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »

Retail investing power

Both Robinhood and SoFi have a mission to empower retail investors through their trading platforms. SoFi has offered access to SpaceX since 2024 through its partnerships with several private equity companies, and Robinhood opened its own fund in February, Robinhood Ventures Fund I, which has positions in private companies.

SoFi has an IPO center where investors can submit an indication of interest (IOI) for an IPO, and Robinhood has an IPO Access feature that allows users to request shares through a conditional offer to buy (COB). Neither of these tools guarantees shares, but SpaceX is heavily marketing its $135 offering to meet the $75 billion it’s trying to raise, which will be the largest IPO ever. You must have an investing account with your platform of choice to be eligible.

There are other platforms that offer conditional access. You can invest through Fidelity as long as you have at least $2,000 in retail brokerage assets, and you can invest through Charles Schwab as long as you meet a “minimum liquid net worth threshold.” E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley makes a decision based on an investor profile.

Whether it’s a good idea to buy in at the IPO is a different question, but for those itching to get into SpaceX right away, SoFi and Robinhood offer a relatively simple path.

Should you buy stock in Robinhood Markets right now?

Before you buy stock inRobinhood Markets, consider this:

The Motley FoolStock Advisoranalyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocksfor investors to buy now… andRobinhood Marketswasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut are built for long-term growth and could produce monster returns in the coming years.