Pump.fun, the Solana-based memecoin launchpad, has added tokens from PreStocks that track the value of private companies before they go public. The list includes OpenAI, Anthropic, Anduril, Neuralink, Kalshi and Polymarket. Users can buy and sell the tokens on @Pumpfun and launch new coins that trade directly against them.
Pump.fun added eight PreStocks pre-IPO tokens for trading and as pairing assets for new coin launches, with the platform announcing the move on Oct. 19. The tokens also cover Figure AI and Oura, and creators can issue new coins paired with them. The PreStocks token becomes the quote asset, the asset used to price and trade the new coin.
What the tokens do and do not give holders
@PreStocks says each token is backed 1:1 through a separate company holding exposure to the shares. The platform describes its tokens as 1:1 backed by special purpose vehicle (SPV) exposure to the underlying company shares. Holders get the price moves but no ownership or voting rights. According to the provider, holding a PreStocks token provides economic exposure, not company ownership or voting and dividend rights.
The terms are also loose on what sits behind the tokens. PreStocks' terms say collateral can include SPV interests, funds, derivatives, cash or stablecoins, may change without notice, and do not give holders a legal claim on the backing assets. The tokens are not issued or endorsed by the companies they reference, and PreStocks says they are unavailable to U.S. persons.
The rollout extends Pump.fun's Custom Pairs feature. That feature broadened launch pairings beyond SOL and $USDC to assets including tokenized public stocks, bitcoin and ether.
OpenAI and Anthropic have rejected SPV structures
In May, Anthropic and OpenAI said they do not recognize share transfers to such setups. Anthropic said it does not permit SPVs to acquire its stock and that any transfer of shares to an SPV is void under its transfer restrictions. OpenAI added that such transactions could carry no economic value to buyers.
The warnings hit prices. Anthropic PreStocks fell 38% and OpenAI PreStocks declined 46% following the warnings, according to CoinGecko data. Neither the platform nor any third-party auditor had published the attestation reports PreStocks promised at launch, according to a report at the time.
The demand behind the product is real. Traditional markets restrict private equity access through accredited investor rules, transfer restrictions and costly intermediaries. Tokenized exposure is one attempt to open that door to retail traders, but the legal standing of the underlying structure remains contested.
Sources:
Pump.fun Adds Pre-IPO Tokens to Its Launch Pairings, Cryptonews
Anthropic, OpenAI tokenized PreStocks on Solana plunge after unauthorized equity transfer warnings, The Block
Anthropic warns against unauthorized stock exposure, CoinDesk
