Key Highlights
- ARK Invest has tokenized its ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX) via Securitize, marking the first time one of Cathie Wood’s flagship actively managed strategies is available onchain.
- Tokenized fund interests launch on Ethereum, giving eligible investors blockchain-based exposure to private tech holdings including OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, and Databricks.
- The move follows the SEC’s innovation exemption for tokenized securities and expands Securitize’s regulated digital-asset infrastructure across the U.S. and EU, with partners such as BlackRock, Apollo, and KKR.
ARK Invest Brings Flagship Venture Fund Onchain Through Securitize Partnership
ARK Invest, the disruptive-innovation investment manager founded by Cathie Wood, announced on 24 September that it has tokenized the ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX) through Securitize Corp. (NYSE: SECZ). The transaction brings an actively managed, closed-end interval fund onto a public blockchain for the first time, with tokenized interests initially issued on Ethereum. Securitize handles the onchain issuance and the end-to-end investor experience, reflecting a shared conviction between the two firms that tokenization can modernize how investment products are accessed, owned, and managed.
What the Tokenized Fund Holds
ARKVX invests across private and public companies aligned with disruptive innovation. Its portfolio includes stakes in OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, and Databricks, among others, so eligible investors who access the fund through Securitize gain exposure to leading private technology companies through blockchain-based infrastructure. Fund holdings are subject to change. ARK, which Wood founded in 2014 and is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, focuses solely on disruptive innovation, targeting large-scale opportunities across artificial intelligence, robotics, energy storage, and blockchain technology. As an interval fund, ARKVX offers limited liquidity through periodic repurchase offers, and its shares are not listed on an exchange; the tokenized interests represent a stake in the fund itself rather than direct ownership of the underlying companies.
Leadership Frames the Move as a Capital-Markets Evolution
“Tokenizing the $ARK Venture Fund puts our conviction in the evolution, if not revolution, of capital markets into practice,” said Cathie Wood, $ARK’s founder, CEO and chief investment officer. “Making the $ARK Venture Fund available onchain is a natural extension of our mission to democratize access to technologically enabled disruptive innovation.”
Securitize co-founder and CEO Carlos Domingo framed the launch as proof that established managers can move existing products onto modern rails. “Bringing ARKVX onchain demonstrates how leading asset managers can use tokenization to move established investment products onto modern capital markets infrastructure,” he said.
Why This Matters: Institutional Tokenization Gains Momentum
The tokenization follows the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s innovation exemption for tokenized stock trading and extends Securitize’s regulatory footprint, including a memorandum of understanding with Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) signed in September. Securitize, which reports roughly $5 billion in assets under management as of August, says it is the only company operating regulated digital-securities infrastructure in both the U.S. and the EU. Its partner roster includes Apollo, BlackRock, BNY, Hamilton Lane, KKR, and VanEck, signaling broad institutional adoption of blockchain-based fund distribution. For investors, the development lowers barriers to accessing private-market innovation strategies that were previously limited to large institutions or high-net-worth individuals, while also introducing 24/7 settlement and programmable compliance features native to blockchain rails.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly does an investor own when purchasing tokenized ARKVX interests?
The tokenized interests represent a stake in the ARK Venture Fund itself, not direct ownership of the underlying portfolio companies such as OpenAI or Stripe. The fund remains an actively managed, closed-end interval vehicle with periodic repurchase offers and no exchange listing.
On which blockchain are the tokenized interests initially available?
The tokenized ARKVX interests are available initially on Ethereum, with Securitize managing the onchain issuance and investor onboarding experience.
How does this launch fit into the broader regulatory landscape?
The offering leverages the SEC’s innovation exemption for tokenized securities and builds on Securitize’s dual U.S.–EU regulated infrastructure, reinforced by a recent MOU with Dubai’s VARA. This positions the ARKVX tokenization as a compliant, institutionally viable model for bringing traditional fund products onto blockchain rails.