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What Are Private Markets

Most people are familiar with public markets — where shares of listed companies and bonds are traded daily by millions of investors. But beyond these traditional investments lies a much larger, and often more rewarding, world: the private markets.

What Are Private Markets?

Private markets include investments that are not traded on public venues. These markets span several major asset classes:

  • Private equity: Direct ownership in private companies.
    Example: Investing in companies like SpaceX, Stripe, or ByteDance (TikTok’s parent) before they go public. 
  • Private real estate: Commercial or residential properties that generate income.
    Example: Co-investing in office towers, data centers, or multifamily housing in major global cities. 
  • Private credit: Lending directly to businesses and projects outside the traditional banking system.
    Example: Providing loans to mid-sized manufacturing companies or global logistics firms. 
  • Infrastructure: Long-term investments in physical assets that power economies.
    Example: Airports like London Heathrow, toll roads, or renewable energy facilities.

Unlike public markets — where prices change daily based on news and sentiment — private markets are driven by fundamentals: cash flow, asset value, and long-term growth. This provides more stable pricing and a deeper alignment with real-world value.

Why Private Markets Matter

Private markets aren’t just different — they’re bigger. While public markets (stocks and bonds) represent around $100 trillion globally, private markets now exceed $300 trillion. 

They also outperform. The graph below shows that over the past 15 years, top-tier private market investments have delivered around 5-7% higher annual returns than their public market counterparts — with less day-to-day volatility.

Tanami Is Opening the Door 

Until now, individual investors were mostly shut out — facing large minimums, capital calls, and long lock-ups. 

Tanami is changing that. We give you access to high-quality private market investments with: 

  • No capital calls 
  • No minimum investment 
  • Quarterly liquidity 

This gives you the opportunity to build a smarter, more diversified portfolio — in a simple, digital, and Shariah-compliant way.

Why the Best Investors Choose Funds, Not Single Companies

Investing in private companies can be exciting. The idea of backing the next big success story — the next Stripe or SpaceX — is appealing. But for most individual investors, the smarter and safer approach is to invest through private equity funds instead of directly into individual companies. 

Here’s why.

  1. Diversification Reduces Risk

When you invest in a single private company, your entire investment depends on that one business succeeding. If it fails, you could lose everything. 

A private equity fund, on the other hand, spreads your capital across a portfolio of companies — often across different sectors, stages, and geographies. This diversification lowers the risk that any one company will drag down your overall returns. 

Think of it like this: Would you rather bet on one horse — or back a team of winners?

  1. Access to Better Opportunities

Top-performing private companies are selective about who they let invest. Unless you have deep networks and large capital to deploy, you likely won’t get access to the most promising deals. 

Private equity funds — especially those managed by experienced, top-tier managers — have strong sourcing networks and long-standing relationships. They often gain access to exclusive deals that individual investors cannot reach.

  1. Active Management Drives Value

A fund doesn’t just write a check and walk away. The manager plays an active role in each company — helping with strategy, operations, governance, and exits. 

This value creation is one of the biggest reasons private equity has consistently outperformed public markets over the long run. Individual investors usually don’t have the time, expertise, or influence to drive this kind of change on their own.

  1. Lower Complexity, Higher Oversight

Investing directly in private companies comes with challenges: legal structuring, due diligence, monitoring performance, negotiating exit terms — and more. 

When you invest through a fund, all of this is handled by professionals. They manage the portfolio, monitor progress, and report to you in a transparent and structured way. 

With a fund, you get institutional-grade oversight — without the operational burden.

How Tanami Makes It Even Better 

Tanami gives you access to carefully selected private equity funds — managed by world-class firms — with terms built for individual investors: 

  1. No capital calls: You invest once, and your capital is deployed automatically 
  2. No minimum investment: Start building your private market portfolio with any amount 
  3. Quarterly liquidity: You’re not locked in for 10 years like traditional funds 
  4. Digitally accessible: Everything from onboarding to tracking performance is seamless

A Guide to Private Market Asset Classes

Private markets offer access to a wide range of investment opportunities beyond traditional stocks and bonds. As more individual investors enter this space, it’s important to understand the key asset classes within private markets — and how they can each play a different role in your portfolio.

Here’s a simple breakdown:

Private Equity

Private equity involves investing in private companies — businesses that are not listed on public stock exchanges. These companies may be early-stage startups, fast-growing mid-sized firms, or even mature businesses going through a transformation.

How it works:

Capital is used to help companies grow, restructure, or expand into new markets. When the company is eventually sold or goes public, investors aim to realize strong returns.

Investor goal:

Long-term capital appreciation.

Private Credit

Private credit refers to lending money directly to companies or projects, bypassing traditional lenders. In return, investors earn income through regular distributions.

How it works:

These loans are typically short- to medium-term, and may be secured by assets. The borrowers range from mid-sized businesses to large infrastructure projects.

Investor goal:

Stable, recurring income with lower volatility than equities.

Real Assets

Real assets is a broad term that covers both private real estate and infrastructure.

Private real estate investments focus on acquiring, developing, or managing physical properties such as residential buildings, commercial offices, logistics centers, and more.

How it works:

Investors earn returns through a combination of rental income and property appreciation. These assets are typically held for several years to realize value.

Investor goal:

A mix of income and capital growth, backed by tangible assets.

Infrastructure assets include essential services and facilities that economies depend on — such as toll roads, airports, power grids, or data centers.

How it works:

Investments are made in long-term projects with stable cash flows. These assets are often inflation-linked and less sensitive to economic cycles.

Investor goal:

Reliable, long-duration income with defensive characteristics.

Why These Asset Classes Matter

Each private market asset class offers unique risk-return characteristics, and together, they can create a well-diversified portfolio that is:

  • Less volatile than public markets
  • More resilient during market downturns
  • Built for long-term performance

By combining private equity, credit, and real assets, investors can balance growth, income, and stability — all within a single private market portfolio.

How Tanami Helps You Access Them

Tanami offers curated access to these core private market asset classes through a digital platform designed for individual investors. With:

  • No minimum investment
  • No capital calls
  • Quarterly liquidity
  • Shariah-compliant options

You can now build your own institutional-grade portfolio — across asset classes that were once out of reach.