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Nearly three score years ago, a great American, in whose footsteps we follow today, proclaimed his dream for America, to the world.

Dr. King’s dream came as a symbol of hope for a better future and, after sixty years, the “promissory note to which every American was to fall heir” still comes back marked “insufficient funds,” for some people.

When Dr. King, the architect of the civil rights movement, said those powerful words, “I have a dream,” he refused to agree that the promise of the American dream would not be available to all people. He refused to believe there was not a future in which the “great vaults of opportunity of this nation” would be open to people of every creed and color. His dream was that we all could live in a place where we are free to pursue our dreams, to flourish, and to prosper.

Our dream is to make his dream a reality.

We value:

Access

We believe that small and medium sized businesses are the soul of this country and they deserve the same attention that large companies do. Because they’re not “small” and “medium” to the people who run them.

Opportunity

Having an abundance of opportunity to reward ideas and production is the solution to inequality in our communities. When opportunity is shared by all, we can cause prosperity to be shared by all.

Transparency

Access is meaningless without transparency. Regulated markets are successful because everyone has access to the same information.

Simplicity

We believe companies and investors, large or small, should be able to understand and use the powerful tool that is a stock exchange.

Action

By creating an exchange system to reward ideas from all communities, market participants can take action to invest in making our world better.

Ownership

Providing an opportunity to earn an ownership stake in the businesses that drive our economy and form our country will bring about justice for all people.

Our story
1996
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2009
2017
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2020
2022
Archipelago is among the first three Electronic Communication Networks (ECNs) as a pioneer in electronic stock trading. Joe Cecala, Founder and CEO of Dream Exchange, was legal counsel for the founders of Archipelago. Electronic trading revolutionizes the stock exchange industry, and data from stock exchanges across the country are consolidated and presented in nano-seconds, allowing for near instantaneous trade execution.
Archipelago merges with the New York Stock Exchange and becomes the NYSE-Arca exchange. Together, they become one of the largest stock exchanges in the world. The small IPO market, however, continues to decline.
In 2009, Joe Cecala participates in SEC capital formation round tables. Within two years, a US Treasury Department Task Force on Initial Public Offerings publishes findings. Mr. Cecala begins researching the small IPO market for the purpose of potentially informing new capital market legislation.

Through 2017, Mr. Cecala works alongside Dwain Kyles with Black entrepreneurs on problems unique to underserved capital markets.

This research was eventually compiled into a white paper co-authored by Mr. Cecala and Dr. Ioannis Floros PhD and published in Oxford University’s Handbook on IPOs. This research informed the creation of the Main Street Growth Act which is new legislation that will allow for the creation of venture stock exchanges. Dream Exchange is founded with the intention to become the first venture stock exchange in the US.

Joe Cecala partners with long time friend and ally, Dwain J. Kyles to expand the Dream Exchange’s vision to become not only the first venture stock exchange, but also the first Minority-owned company to operate a stock exchange in US history.

Dream Exchange signs agreement with Members Exchange to host certain aspects of our exchange utilizing their proven trading technology infrastructure. This collaboration promises to streamline and support secure, fast, and efficient trading for all our future market participants.

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Increasing access.

Our mission is to increase access to public capital markets for people with innovative ideas from every corner of our society. Get in touch with our team below to find out how you can participate in this movement.

Get connected.

Start to network with founders and strategic business partners in our free networking software, DreamEx Connect.

Get in touch.

We want to talk to you.