ARK Invest, the investment firm led by Cathie Wood, has announced the tokenization of its ARK Venture Fund, bringing one of its flagship products onto the Ethereum blockchain. Securitize, a provider of digital asset infrastructure, will manage the onchain issuance and investor services for the fund. This move aims to merge traditional investment funds with blockchain technology, opening up new avenues for investor participation and asset management.
Fund structure and tokenization details
At launch, the tokenized version of the ARK Venture Fund will be available on Ethereum, provided by Securitize. Investors who access the fund through Securitize receive a blockchain-based representation of their interest in the overall fund, rather than direct tokenized shares of companies in its portfolio, such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, or Databricks.
The ARK Venture Fund operates as an actively managed closed-end interval fund, targeting a portfolio blend of around 80% private companies and 20% public companies. Unlike exchange-traded funds, this structure means shares cannot be traded freely, but the fund offers quarterly repurchase windows covering about 5% of shares outstanding. If repurchase requests exceed available shares, allocations may be reduced proportionally.
As of late June, the fund managed approximately $1.3 billion in assets. Since its launch, it has emphasized exposure to high-growth tech firms and disruptive innovation. The net asset value (NAV) per share has increased from about $20 at its September 2022 start to roughly $60.50 as of September 23, 2026.
Tokenizing the ARK Venture Fund puts ARK Invest’s conviction in the transformation of capital markets into practice. Cathie Wood has linked this effort to the firm’s broader mission to foster wider access to disruptive innovation and highlighted Securitize’s role in delivering regulated digital asset infrastructure.
Carlos Domingo, CEO and co-founder of Securitize, referenced ARK Invest’s previous investment in Securitize and described the new launch as a milestone in integrating traditional asset management with blockchain-based markets.
Performance history and investor access
Since its launch on September 23, 2022, the ARK Venture Fund has delivered variable returns. Its NAV rose from near $20 at inception to about $60.50 in four years. Annual performance included a 61% gain in 2023, 7% in 2024, and 56% in 2025. In the second quarter of 2026, the fund returned 20.21%, driven largely by its positions in SpaceX and Anthropic. Overall, the fund gained approximately 32% through late September 2026.
The fund’s net expense ratio stands at around 2.90%. As is typical with funds focused on private companies, valuations can fluctuate significantly during new fundraising rounds. Liquidity remains limited, with share sales only permitted during scheduled quarterly windows.
The rise of tokenized assets and meme tokens
This tokenization initiative marks a broader trend across the investment landscape as asset managers explore blockchain technology to enhance access and efficiency. Alongside these developments in traditional finance, the role of investor behavior and real-time tracking has become increasingly important, especially in the rapidly evolving meme token market. For example, an internet trend recently turned a $99 investment in the “Niu Lai” token into roughly $370,000 within days, according to data from Fomo App. Monitoring not only price fluctuations but also investors’ timing and choices is proving vital in this environment. Fomo App offers a comprehensive platform that combines token discovery, trading, social feeds, investor rankings, and trade notifications, allowing users to stay connected to the dynamic world of meme tokens and investor trends.
Securitize itself manages about $5 billion in assets as of August 2026 and works with industry players such as Apollo, BlackRock, BNY, Hamilton Lane, KKR, and VanEck. The company claims to operate the only regulated digital securities infrastructure covering both the US and EU.
The launch of a tokenized fund by one of the industry’s most recognized firms signals a new phase in the adoption of blockchain technologies in asset management, blending regulated investment structures with the efficiencies and transparency of onchain systems.
Details and eligibility criteria for the tokenized ARK Venture Fund are available to investors via the Securitize platform.
