Key Takeaways
- • Ark Invest has tokenized its $1.3 billion ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX) on the Ethereum blockchain through Securitize, enabling eligible U.S. investors to purchase onchain fund interests for the first time.
- • The fund's net asset value has tripled since its September 2022 launch, rising from approximately $20 per share to $60.50 by September 23, 2026, reflecting strong appreciation in its private company holdings.
- • ARKVX's portfolio includes stakes in high-profile private technology companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, and Databricks; the tokenization provides an onchain ownership wrapper rather than placing underlying company shares directly on blockchain.
- • Securitize manages the technical infrastructure and investor onboarding for the tokenized fund structure, positioning the arrangement as a first for Ark Invest's venture strategy and a notable institutional adoption of blockchain-based fund administration.
Summary
Ark Invest, the investment firm led by Chief Executive and CIO Cathie Wood, has brought its $1.3 billion ARK Venture Fund into the Ethereum ecosystem by partnering with blockchain infrastructure provider Securitize. The announcement, made on September 26, 2026, marks a significant institutional adoption of onchain fund infrastructure and broadens access to a high-profile venture portfolio for cryptocurrency-native investors.
The ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX) has achieved substantial appreciation since its inception in September 2022. The fund's net asset value has roughly tripled from approximately $20 per share at launch to $60.50 by late September 2026, reflecting strong performance in its underlying private company holdings. The fund now manages approximately $1.3 billion in assets as of late June 2026.
The tokenized structure launched by Securitize does not place ARKVX's underlying portfolio companies—OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, and Databricks—directly onto the blockchain. Rather, Securitize tokenizes investor interests in the fund itself, creating an Ethereum-based representation of ownership that eligible U.S. investors can purchase and manage onchain. This distinction is material: the blockchain layer changes how investors can hold and transact their fund shares, but the underlying venture capital investments remain in their original private equity structure. Securitize assumes responsibility for issuance, custody, and investor administration on the onchain platform.
The move reflects broader institutional recognition of blockchain infrastructure's capacity to streamline fund administration and settlement, while positioning Ark Invest to capture cryptocurrency-aligned capital seeking exposure to a curated portfolio of leading private technology companies. The arrangement represents the firm's first venture fund offering on a public blockchain.
The ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX) has achieved substantial appreciation since its inception in September 2022. The fund's net asset value has roughly tripled from approximately $20 per share at launch to $60.50 by late September 2026, reflecting strong performance in its underlying private company holdings. The fund now manages approximately $1.3 billion in assets as of late June 2026.
The tokenized structure launched by Securitize does not place ARKVX's underlying portfolio companies—OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, and Databricks—directly onto the blockchain. Rather, Securitize tokenizes investor interests in the fund itself, creating an Ethereum-based representation of ownership that eligible U.S. investors can purchase and manage onchain. This distinction is material: the blockchain layer changes how investors can hold and transact their fund shares, but the underlying venture capital investments remain in their original private equity structure. Securitize assumes responsibility for issuance, custody, and investor administration on the onchain platform.
The move reflects broader institutional recognition of blockchain infrastructure's capacity to streamline fund administration and settlement, while positioning Ark Invest to capture cryptocurrency-aligned capital seeking exposure to a curated portfolio of leading private technology companies. The arrangement represents the firm's first venture fund offering on a public blockchain.
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