Top ones like to turn people away just for the headline that they turned someone valuable away, so they somewhat also rely on relationships and schmoozing to get in.

In reality though, so many people are all talk about their ability to actually move any money, that $1mm will get you in everywhere. You know the saying: money talks, bullshit walks.

Note: there are other regulatory gatekeeping tiers above accredited investor, but they are all self-certifications too which means you can just say you have $5mm or $10mm in net worth, etc.