Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest is teaming up with Securitize to bring its ARK Venture Fund onto the Ethereum blockchain through tokenization. This fund includes holdings in companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX.
Because OpenAI and Anthropic are not publicly traded on any stock exchange, the announcement—made by ARK and Securitize on Sept. 24—provides a novel pathway to these assets. Bloomberg reported that the fund holds approximately $1.3 billion in assets.
What the ARK Venture Fund Onchain Offers Investors
Tokenization involves representing ownership via digital tokens on a public blockchain ledger that is verifiable by anyone. According to the release, eligible investors who purchase through Securitize gain exposure to the fund’s holdings in this manner.
The fund’s portfolio consists predominantly of private companies. Data from ARK’s August 31 holdings file indicates that roughly 78% of the fund was invested in businesses lacking a public stock ticker. SpaceX represented the largest holding at 7.54%, followed by OpenAI at 5.26% and Anthropic at 3.86%.
When ARK initially opened access in September 2022, it launched the fund with a minimum investment of $500. At the time, the announcement noted that venture capital has traditionally been a market restricted to wealthy investors.
However, liquidity presents a limitation. Operating as an interval fund, it repurchases shares only during scheduled periodic windows. The prospectus outlines quarterly buyback intervals, and the release cautions that these offers may become oversubscribed, with ARK anticipating no secondary market will emerge.
Additionally, investors face higher fees. Annual expenses for the fund are listed at 2.9% following fee waivers, according to ARK’s fund page.
Why ARK Is Betting on Tokenized Funds
Following an SEC order issued on September 21, the fund is permitted to introduce a tokenized share class. These shares have the potential to be traded on alternative trading systems, which function as private electronic trading platforms separate from traditional stock exchanges.
“Based on our research, tokenization has the potential to reshape fundamentally the way that investors access and participate in both private and public financial markets,” said Cathie Wood, founder, CEO and CIO of Ark Invest.
Securitize has previous experience with similar projects, having tokenized BlackRock’s BUIDL fund on Ethereum back in March 2024. ARK subsequently made a strategic investment in Securitize in October 2025, and Securitize shares have experienced an upward rally since the SEC cleared the way for tokenized stock trading on Sept. 17.
The fund has experienced rapid expansion. SEC filings reveal that its net assets climbed from $208 million in July 2025 to reach $558 million by January 2026.