StartEngineReviews of startengine.com

Their customer service is the worse I’ve ever experienced;is total exhaustion when filling out the boxes and trying to match your needs to the ridiculous AI generated help tabs. Then you get an email you can’t respond to. Maybe it was a sign, since December 17, that I shouldn’t bother with startups in th first place.

You pay when you buy, you pay when you sell, you have to pay for the ability to sell, and you will lose your behind if and when the Pre-IPO goes public. In Start Engine's defense the do tell you they do not guarantee any gains. Wish I had listened. when i compare my Stock market investments to Start Engine, i realize that my My 25k would be almost 75k if i had just stuck it out in the market. In the real stock market (not StartEngine) my 10K is almost 50K - with no additional investments, just letting them ride, while my almost 30k Start Engine in the same time, is a little over 25k - yes a negative gain from investments that went public, at which point I lost 99% to 100% if my investment. or company just folded - (RXNOW sold all their valuable assets, then closed its doors). The only growth benefit is for Start Engine, who charges a fee to buy, a fee to sell, and requires a yearly membership at almost $300 to have the ability to sell (this used to be free, but now they charge, i assume a strategy to keep people from leaving). That said , no real gains for the investor - this has been my experience. If I could sell all and get my money back I would, but at this point I have the choice to Either pay StartEngine for the ability to list with no guarantee of a sale, then pay them a seller fee if i sell- even if you sell at a loss,(in essence keep sinking money into it) or just stop investing, and hope that at some point I will make some money (which in my many years with Start Engine has not happened.) StartEngine, if you make selling free, I will liquidate and never look back and also i would have no reason to leave reviews like this. But I almost guarantee that most of your investors would also leave so I understand why you make it so difficult to sell shares, and why all the fee's. for the investor, it is like being "Bruster's Millions" protagonist. It is an almost guaranteed way to lose your money.

Don't do it!!! Stock market- $2,000 in the Stock market via stockpile ( no added funds- just let them sit) has turned to almost 20,000 in 4 yrs (yes probably just luck but you can be assured none of that luck ever in private shares via StartEngin /Private stock platform) StartEngine- While almost 30k in the same time frame with StartEngine has rendered no dividend. And when companies fail or go public, you lose your behind - as I have many times now And if you want to sell your StartEngine stocks you need to pay them almost $300 a year to be a member of their “The StartEngine Venture Club” before you can try to sell with no guarantee that you will. and on top of it keep in mind “There is a 3.5% fee for buyers and a 5% fee for sellers.” to - even if you sell at a loss. The only one who wins in startengine is startengine. Wish someone had told me when I started.

I invested in The Cumin Club through Start engine in July 2025. They took $1230 out of my checking account but the money has disappeared. I've emailed their support man times and filled out their Contact Us form many times. Posted on their Facebook page, reported them to the BBB. They never answer. I have contacted The Cumin Club several times and they seem at a loss as to what to do. want out AND my money back. After FIVE months of unanswered email, contact us, and being ignore, filing with the BBB, on now Trustpilot, I checked today and they, somehow, found my money. At last! Where was my $$$ in the meantime?

StartEngine has LOTS of BBB complaints. StartEngine is something of a scam. I invested $1,512.00 in 12/13/21. I've tried repeatedly to get my money out of this account. It is not earning interested and I've contacted them several times. I get the same message: If you wish to sell your shares of StartEngine, you can do so by listing them for sale on StartEngine Secondary in the StartEngine Marketplace during a period when trading is available. Please note that trading is not currently available. Alternatively, you may find a private buyer yourself and contact us to facilitate the transfer.” They do not allow you to trade this stock. They NEVER open a trading window, but hold your money hostage.

StartEngine's reply to my inquiry is void of an answer. Their claim that I have only written once since 2023 is incorrect. I have written [in 2025 alone] on 1/11, 2/19/, 3/15, and 11/18. If this is in fact a 'Fantastic' scam, fess up already!

I got charged 530usd for shares I never wanted to sign up, I don't even know the company. I mainly opened an account to check out potential investments. No idea how I got to buy those shares. After signing up newsletter I got 3-4 mails per day with promos, unsubscribed 3 times, wrote a mail to stop spamming me, no reaction. Then I just blocked them into spam. Also the shares seem to be worth 2USD and I paid 530USD for 150 shares, which means I got charged 230USD in charges for a 300USD investment. Support doesn't want to enter discussions, refund not possible.

I invested in two companies and now the transactions are nowhere to be found.