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ARK partners with Securitize to put a venture fund on Ethereum, but leaves exit doors locked

Reported by CryptoSlate
Sep 26, 2026· 3 min read
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Key Takeaways
  • • ARK Invest and Securitize have tokenized the ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX), a $1.3 billion actively managed closed-end interval fund, making it available on Ethereum with blockchain-based infrastructure for eligible investors.
  • • The tokenized fund provides onchain exposure to private and public technology companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, and Databricks, with daily NAV pricing and 24/7 trading capabilities unavailable in traditional venture fund structures.
  • • Securitize (NYSE: SECZ) supplied the regulated infrastructure and tokenization technology for the issuance, marking the first major tokenization deal for the company following recent SEC regulatory developments in the digital assets space.
  • • The partnership represents ARK Invest's strategic conviction that tokenization will fundamentally reshape capital markets access and democratize participation in private and public financial markets, according to founder Cathie Wood.
  • • Tokenized ARKVX holders can trade onchain without traditional interval fund redemption windows and lockup periods, though specific exit mechanics and liquidity provisions remain operationally defined by the fund structure and Securitize's infrastructure.
Summary
ARK Invest, the innovation-focused investment manager founded by Cathie Wood, and Securitize Corp. (NYSE: SECZ) have announced the tokenization of the ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX), bringing the $1.3 billion fund onchain via Ethereum. This initiative represents a significant milestone in both companies' shared vision to modernize investment product infrastructure through blockchain technology. The tokenized ARKVX is now available to eligible investors through Securitize's regulated tokenization platform, marking the next phase of an expanding partnership between the two firms.

The ARK Venture Fund is an actively managed closed-end interval fund structured to achieve long-term capital growth through investments in private and public companies aligned with disruptive innovation themes. The fund's portfolio encompasses leading technology companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, and Databricks. By tokenizing ARKVX, eligible investors gain onchain exposure to this diversified venture and growth-stage portfolio through blockchain-based ownership and settlement infrastructure, with portfolio holdings subject to change as ARK's investment team executes its strategy.

The tokenization initiative delivers operational advantages inherent to blockchain-based securities. Tokenized ARKVX holders benefit from daily net asset value (NAV) pricing transparency and continuous 24/7 trading capability—features unavailable within traditional interval fund redemption windows. However, the fund maintains its structured investment approach and ongoing fund management by ARK's investment team, ensuring active oversight of the underlying portfolio while modernizing the access and settlement layer.

Cathie Wood emphasized that the tokenization deployment embodies ARK's long-held research conviction: "Tokenization has the potential to reshape fundamentally the way that investors access and participate in both private and public financial markets." She characterized the initiative as a natural extension of ARK's mission to democratize access to technologically enabled disruptive innovation. Securitize's role as the regulated infrastructure provider was highlighted as critical to translating this vision into an operational reality compliant with securities regulations.

This announcement positions Securitize as a leading regulated infrastructure provider in the tokenized assets space following recent SEC regulatory developments affecting digital asset tokenization. The partnership with ARK Invest—a prominent institutional asset manager—signals growing institutional adoption of tokenized investment vehicles and validates the commercial viability of regulated blockchain infrastructure for alternative asset classes beyond traditional equities.

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Sources

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CryptoSlate ARK partners with Securitize to put a venture fund on Ethereum, but leaves exit doors locked