2011 was a big year for IPOs and that has been reflected in the growth of secondary marketplace, SecondMarket. 

Yesterday, Forbes published statistics on the startup’s performance over its three years of operation:

• In 2011, private company transactions totaled $558 million
• From 2011 to 2010, private company transactions increased 55%
• Since it began in 2008, the startup has exceeded $1 billion in deals
• In 2011, over 61% of transactions were in the social media and consumer web space

2011 Sellers:

• 79% were ex-employees
• 11% were employees
• 4% were investors
• Less than 1% were founders

2011 Buyers (by dollar value):

• 73% were institutions
• 27% were individuals

The top 10 most watched companies on SecondMarket (as of 4Q 2011):

1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. Foursquare
4. Dropbox
5. Yelp
6. Gilt Groupe
7. Hulu
8. Square
9. Living Social
10. Spotify

To learn more about SecondMarket, watch its FinovateStartup09 demo.