As a "non-wealthy' investor, be very careful with private equity investments. Many questions to ask, but perhaps the most important is, "How much of my personal portfolio will be tied up for a few years and what is the opportunity cost of that investment?" Wealthy investors can play with a few hundred grand or a million or two and not lose sleep. Not the same for most. I invested in a venture stage company as an employee (no longer there), and recently was able to sell my shares (company still venture stage, modest return), but this is very rare. Sure, there could a nice return after 10 years (!), but I'd rather deploy in other areas. Happy smart investing.