We started Zest because private-market transactions were too fragmented, manual, and expensive, particularly outside the largest institutional deals. Both founders came from banking and M&A, where established processes and specialist teams supported the mechanics of buying, selling, and financing assets. Outside the small ecosystem of mega-deals, that knowledge was scattered across lawyers, administrators, KYC providers, spreadsheets, signature tools and bank transfers.

We started in the startup ecosystem, building a single workflow for running a private transaction end to end, SPVs became the first repeatable product inside it. A cleaner cap table was one benefit, but the bigger value was moving the transaction from idea to close in a more ordered way.

That first use case proved the need. It also showed us that the same transaction infrastructure could support a much broader private-market journey.

Building transaction infrastructure for the startup ecosystem

We entered the market during the region's venture boom. A new generation of founders, angels, syndicate leads, and emerging managers were doing more private deals, but still relied on a fragmented service stack to execute them.

Activity was growing faster than the infrastructure supporting it.

The problem wasn't just the number of names on a cap table. It was the work required to bring a transaction together: setting up the vehicle, coordinating legal documents, onboarding participants, collecting signatures, reconciling funds, and keeping everyone aligned. One missing step could delay an entire close.

SPV-led execution gave us a repeatable way to address that friction. A single vehicle could group participants and simplify governance, and the platform connected those steps in one place. What had previously required several providers and a long chain of manual handoffs became a digital process.

That was an important step, but it was still only one part of the transaction.

From vehicle infrastructure to transaction infrastructure

As Zest's clients moved beyond early startup rounds into more sophisticated transactions, vehicle formation was no longer enough. Larger deals brought more parties, more complex approval chains, and higher expectations around money movement, auditability, and control. 

Three shifts made that clear:

• Deals crossed more borders, bringing more participants, entities and controls into the same transaction.
• Institutional participants expected a clearer process, real visibility and a safer way to move money.
• The transaction mix widened beyond startup equity into private credit, private equity, pre-IPO, real estate and structured deals.

The underlying problem had not changed. Private-market transactions still depended on fragmented manual processes, but the stakes were higher. The platform needed to support not just the structure of a deal, but how funds were received, held, and released.

This led Zest to add regulated money services through ZE Transaction Solutions Ltd, an ADGM entity authorised by the ADGM Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). The service receives, holds and releases transaction funds against agreed conditions and authorised instructions, giving deal makers more control over a point in the transaction that had often depended on manual coordination and trust. 

For deal makers, that means clearer visibility over funding and a documented release process. 

Escrow can be used on its own or alongside an SPV when the transaction requires it.

Supporting more sophisticated transactions

As the platform covered more of the deal journey, some deal leads also needed a regulated framework to bring their own networks through an opportunity.

The deal lead still owns the opportunity, the commercial terms and the investor relationship. Zest provides the infrastructure and workflow, without sourcing investors or operating a public marketplace.

That need led to Zest Arrange, delivered through ZE Transaction Solutions Ltd under its FSRA permission to arrange deals in investments. It allows Zest to service deal leads that require arranging services for private opportunities with their own networks, onboard participants, track commitments and execute within the same platform used for vehicle and funding workflows.

SPVs, Escrow, and Arrange are modular. Some clients need one capability; others combine them. Together, they let Zest support more of the transaction lifecycle on one platform. The model remains private and invite-only: deal leads bring their own networks, and Zest does not source investors or provide investment advice.

The lesson: infrastructure follows the market

Zest's platform did not evolve because one market trend replaced another. It evolved by following the same private-market transaction wherever friction remained. The startup ecosystem was the first proving ground; more sophisticated institutional deals expanded the requirements.

For a long time, the market saw Zest primarily as a venture platform for deal leads. Today, the same infrastructure supports fund managers, family offices, private equity firms and other sophisticated participants across a wider range of private-market transactions.

Private markets are becoming more sophisticated, but too many deals are still run through disconnected communication channels, PDFs and manual handoffs. Zest gives deal makers a more streamlined way to execute: one platform that combines digital workflow, vehicle infrastructure and regulated services where required.

Ready to run your next transaction on one platform?

Tell us about your deal through our contact page, and we will get back to you within 24 hours.

Frequently asked questions 

Why was Zest started? 

Zest was started to remove friction from private-market transactions, initially for startups and emerging deal makers. SPV-led execution became its first repeatable product, combining vehicle infrastructure with digital onboarding, documents, signing, and funding.

Why did Zest add regulated escrow? 

As Zest began supporting larger and more complex transactions, clients needed controlled money movement alongside digital execution. Through ZE Transaction Solutions Ltd, an ADGM firm authorised by the FSRA, Zest added a client-money service that receives, holds and releases funds against agreed conditions and authorised instructions.

What is Zest Arrange? 

Zest Arrange is a regulated arranging service delivered through ZE Transaction Solutions Ltd. It allows deal makers to share private opportunities with their own networks, onboard participants, and execute within the same platform. Zest does not source investors or operate a public marketplace.

Who uses the Zest platform today? 

Zest is used by private equity and private credit firms, fund managers, family offices, venture capital firms, corporate service providers, private companies, syndicate leads and other deal leads. The platform supports co-investments, private credit, pre-IPO, real estate, startup and growth rounds, and other structured or cross-border transactions, subject to legal, compliance and regulatory review.