privately held company
Non-public ownership enterprise
A privately held company is a business whose shares are not traded on public stock exchanges.
Ownership typically rests with founders, families, or private investors rather than the general public.
Most businesses are privately held; only a small fraction go public.
The family kept the business as a privately held company for three generations.
- small businessModest independent commercial venture
- family businessEnterprise owned by relatives
- shareholderEquity owner in corporation
- family-ownedOperated by relatives
- corporate governanceCompany direction and control
founder · skin in the game · limited liability · startup ecosystem · unlisted · non-disclosure agreement · trade secrets · sole proprietorship · investor · angel investor · succession planning · organizational structure · majority owner · tax planning · partnership · silent partner · venture capital · business strategy
privately held companypublic company
Stock-traded business entity
privately held companygovernment agency
State administrative body
cooperative · nonprofit organization · public utility · social enterprise
privately held companygovernment corporation
State-owned business organization
government agency · public utility · nonprofit organization · public institution
private, privately, privacy, privation, privy, hold, held, holds, holder