Hill

Hill's stated mission is "Bringing the private markets to every household by 2035". Its about page says: "For decades, private markets have been gated — limited to institutions and investors with connections... By removing the paperwork, delays, and backroom deals, Hill makes it possible to invest in companies you believe in." The founder memo is signed Andrew Benson, Founder and CEO. The team page names five people and describes the company as "a small, focused team of builders": Andrew Benson (Founder and CEO), Hugo Pereira (Head of Engineering), Jeremy Blaze (Head of Product), Mario Habashy (Head of Market Operations) and Victor Takahashi (Engineering). The site publishes no professional designations, licences or credentials for any of them, and no founding year or headcount figure. Regulatory disclosures Hill publishes, quoted from its Form CRS: "Hill Securities LLC ('Hill Securities') is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a broker-dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). We are not an investment adviser." It acts "as placement agent for private offerings of securities that are sponsored, managed, or advised by our affiliates, Hill Capital LLC and Hill Capital GP LLC", states "We do not carry or hold customer accounts, we do not take custody of your cash or securities, and we have no clearing arrangement", "We do not monitor your investment after you purchase it", and "When we provide you with a recommendation, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours, consistent with Regulation Best Interest." On disciplinary history it states: "No. Neither our firm nor our financial professionals have any reportable legal or disciplinary history." Hill Securities' record can be checked on FINRA BrokerCheck under CRD #338653.

Lists San Francisco and Hillsboro as a location. Names New York and United States as a service area. Areas beyond these are not published.

Hill does not publish a price list, a rate card, or a flat fee, and no cost or estimate for any individual offering appears on the website. What it does publish is how it is paid, in its Form CRS. Hill Securities LLC states: "We are compensated through transaction-based fees. When you invest in an offering we place, we receive a placement fee or commission based on the amount of capital you invest. In some cases this fee is paid by the issuer and does not increase the amount you invest. In other cases a fee or sales charge is added to your investment and increases your cost. The specific compensation for any offering is disclosed in that offering's documents, such as a private placement memorandum or subscription agreement, before you invest." It adds that the private funds and issuers charge their own entity-level fees, "such as management fees and performance-based compensation (often called 'carried interest')", paid to Hill's affiliate rather than to Hill Securities, and that "You will pay fees and costs whether you make or lose money on your investments." Hill also names transaction-based pay and affiliated offerings as conflicts of interest, saying "we have a strong financial incentive to recommend these offerings to you. This is a significant conflict of interest." On the how-it-works page Hill states "No hidden fees — All fees are clearly disclosed upfront" and describes fee visibility on Hill as "Disclosed upfront before you commit". The same page gives the typical minimum on Hill as "From $5,000, set per offering", compared with "$250,000 or more per allocation" for traditional private market access. Because prices, rates and minimums are set per offering and disclosed in that offering's own documents, the only reliable way to get a quote or an estimate of what an investment would cost is to ask Hill: email support@hill.com or book a call with a concierge.

Hill sets out three stages

"Explore. Invest. Exit." Explore — "Explore vetted private companies and discover high-quality investment opportunities curated for you", with "Comprehensive profiles for hundreds of private companies" covering valuation, price history and funding timeline, searchable "by market category or investor". Invest — "Set up your account, verify your identity, and invest." The published detail is: "Set up your account in minutes", "Self-serve investing", "Pay by wire or ACH", "12,000+ banks supported", and "Self-serve, no broker call required". Hill notes "Private investing has unique rules such as the minimum six month holding period for assets." Exit — "When an IPO occurs, we'll help you through the process of converting your position to public stock or cash", with "IPO and acquisition support", "Public stock transfer" and "Cash settlement" listed. On acquisitions: "If an investment's underlying company is acquired, the final outcome will depend on the deal terms. Your Hill Concierge will guide you through the whole process." On liquidity Hill contrasts "Wait for an IPO or acquisition" with "IPO, acquisition, or request to sell after six months". Some deals use a best-efforts structure, which Hill explains as committing "a dollar amount with a maximum price per share (including fees)" when the final share price is not yet known: "The share price when the offering closes will never exceed the amount you entered", "You may receive more shares if shares are acquired below the cap", and "You will receive your invested capital back if we are not able to acquire the underlying shares." Hill does not publish timelines for any offering, IPO or exit. To start, use the Get Started link on hill.com, or book a call with a concierge first.

Hill lists its contact routes "fastest first". In-app support chat: "If you have a Hill account, the in-app chat is the quickest way to get help with anything account-related — onboarding, verification, orders, or documents." Email: "Write to us at support@hill.com. We answer every message. Include the email address on your Hill account so we can find your details quickly." Talk to a concierge: "Schedule time with a Hill concierge — a dedicated expert who can walk you through account setup, accreditation verification, and your first investment." Press and media: "email hello@hill.com". Every page carries a "Speak to us" panel reading "Questions about investing on Hill? Our team is here to help" with a "Book a call" link, so booking an appointment with the team is done through the website rather than by phone. A phone number is published in Hill's Form CRS, which says additional information and an up-to-date copy of the relationship summary can be requested "by contacting us at support@hill.com or +1 (888) 971-5999". On location: the website does not publish a street address, a postal address, or business hours anywhere on the pages read, and it does not name the areas it serves geographically beyond the country list for international investors. The clearest published signal of where the company is based is its careers page, which lists open roles as "Head of Marketing — San Francisco, CA — On-site", "Head of Partnerships — San Francisco or New York (SF Preferred) — On-site", and two roles as "US (San Francisco Preferred) — Hybrid". Hill is an online platform, so investors are served through the website rather than at an office. For opening hours, response times, or a visiting address, ask Hill directly.

Hill publishes basic requirements to open an account: "Be at least 18 years old", "Have a United States residential address", "Complete and pass identity verification checks (KYC)", "Complete and pass suitability checks" and "Qualify as an accredited investor". On accredited investor status the site says a person "may qualify" if one or more holds true: "Your net worth is over $1 million excluding your primary residence"; "Your income is at least $200,000 annually ($300,000 jointly with spouse) for the past two years, with the expectation of earning the same or more this year"; or "You hold certain qualifying professional licenses (like Series 7, 65, or 82)". Hill states this standard is set by the Securities and Exchange Commission and "is not determined by Hill". Nobody's status is decided in advance: Hill says a short questionnaire during onboarding determines it, and the outcome is shown as either "Dashboard Access" or "Requirements Not Met". Onboarding is described in three steps: identity verification ("We partner with Plaid to securely verify your identity"), an accreditation check, and a suitability assessment covering "risk tolerance", "investment timeframe", "investment experience" and "how important liquidity is to you". Where a profile goes to manual review the site says "We'll reach out to you within 24 hours." A separate help article lists supported countries and territories for international investors across Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East and Africa, and says international investors "can fund your investments via wire transfer". Note the site is internally inconsistent here: the eligibility page requires a United States residential address while the international page supports investors in many other countries. Anyone unsure of their eligibility should ask Hill directly rather than rely on either page; contact support@hill.com or book a call.