The New Center of
Global Capital.
Establishing a modern financial pillar in the world's fourth largest economy. Built for the founders, innovators, and industries that define the future.
The California Stock Exchange independently supports Steve Hilton for Governor of California in 2026. We share aligned values on economic growth, reduced bureaucracy, and pro-business reform — and we cannot foresee this exchange moving forward without his leadership in the Governor's office.
Read the full premiseRestoring California's Financial Sovereignty
The California Stock Exchange is built by and for California's startup and venture capital community. While risk-tolerant capital pours into the state and new companies emerge constantly, these ventures are forced onto legacy exchanges that misunderstand the startup mindset—burdened by outdated listing rules that delay public offerings and push exceptional companies toward dilution, acquisition, or failure.
We bring the innovative speed of Silicon Valley to the public markets, lowering regulatory friction for mid-tier listings while preserving institutional rigor. The result is a vital alternative to traditional East Coast exchanges.
By creating new exit opportunities and redirecting capital toward higher-quality ventures, we shorten payback periods, maximize return on investment, and improve survival rates for startups. That success drives broader prosperity and robust job growth.
Our focus extends beyond pure tech; we are the engine for California's manufacturing, agriculture, and infrastructure sectors to access the public markets with unprecedented speed.
The Texas Stock Exchange proves a regionally anchored exchange can be built in today's environment. Yet the risk capital that powers Silicon Valley is fundamentally different from the capital aggregated in New York and Texas — earlier, more volatile, and inseparable from venture creation. That difference is why a California Stock Exchange remains essential.
Grace Livingston
Grace Livingston is an alumna of Stanford University and Duke University, where she studied Political Science, and also studied Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She pursued legal studies (though did not complete her J.D.) and has deep expertise rooted in Silicon Valley’s venture capital and startup ecosystem, spanning entrepreneurship, VC, and LP operations. She collaborates closely with the policy sector—including federal and California state governments—to drive innovation in deep tech and economic development for California.
With a background in investment banking, macro investing, and FINRA Series 7, 79, 63, and 65 licenses, along with the capability to pass the Series 24 once sponsored, she possesses a comprehensive understanding of the operational models of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Nasdaq, Texas Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), and China’s National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ). She has closely studied each of these exchanges and can compare their strengths, weaknesses, and structural assumptions to understand how to create a better one for California.
Leveraging this cross-disciplinary mastery, she is uniquely equipped to synthesize these frameworks and establish a bespoke stock exchange tailored specifically to the needs of California’s innovative industries.
Independent Support for a Hilton Governorship
The California Stock Exchange is being advanced on the expectation that Steve Hilton becomes the next Governor of California. We do not believe this project is viable under the alternative administration. Only a practical, pro-business governorship can cut the bureaucratic red tape and create the conditions for California businesses to boom.
California Stock Exchange independently supports Steve Hilton for Governor of California because of aligned values: a smaller, more efficient state government, lower regulatory friction for businesses, and a commitment to keeping capital and talent right here on the West Coast. CAX is envisioned as the centerpiece of a new economic platform — a state-level marketplace that redirects capital away from stagnant bureaucracy and toward the founders, manufacturers, and innovators who built the world's fourth largest economy.
A Future Built on Liquid Integrity
Our mission is defined by three pillars of institutional excellence.
Democratizing Capital
Opening the gates for growth-stage enterprises that are overlooked by the conglomerate-focused NYSE and Nasdaq.
Rigorous Oversight
Implementing next-generation compliance protocols that protect investors while fostering entrepreneurial speed.
Technological Edge
A completely cloud-native trading floor designed for millisecond execution and 24/7 ecosystem transparency.
Economic Impact & Multiplier Effect
The California Stock Exchange is far more than just a trading venue—it is the "master gate" of California's new economic engine.
By using Silicon Valley speed to rewrite the underlying code of capital, the California Stock Exchange permanently solidifies California's absolute dominance in the global innovation chain.
Behind every $1 of direct financial and listing service output or direct capital flow generated by the California Stock Exchange, an estimated $3.8 in total economic increment is unlocked across the broader California economy through capital reinvestment, high-wage employment chains, local tax base expansion, and increased startup survival rates.
Core Drivers of the 3.8X Multiplier
High-Speed Capital Velocity
Directly shatters the institutional friction of traditional East Coast exchanges, shortening the payback period for Silicon Valley's early-stage venture capital and keeping capital circulating within California.
Knowledge-Intensive Employment
Drives robust local consumption and tax base expansion through high-paying roles in finance, compliance, capital operations, executive leadership, and downstream professional services.
Saving High-Potential Assets
Transforms capital incentives by providing new exit opportunities, rescuing exceptional ventures from systemic delays and premature dilution, and converting them into trillion-dollar public market capitalizations.
Your Bridge to the Public Markets.
For California-based businesses, CAX offers a tailored listing experience that reflects the unique dynamics of West Coast markets.
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Lower Listing Fees: Competitive structures that allow more capital to remain in the business.
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Direct Market Access: Proprietary tools for managing secondary offerings and employee equity.
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Regional Investor Base: Connection to a network of high-net-worth individuals focused on local growth.
Register Interest
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