Key Takeaways
- • Ark Invest and Securitize are putting the roughly $1.3 billion ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX) onchain, with the tokenized fund launching on Ethereum for eligible investors.
- • The tokenization represents investors' interests in ARKVX, not the underlying private company shares such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe and Databricks, which remain held by the fund.
- • ARKVX's NAV rose from near $20 at its September 2022 launch to about $60.50 on Sept. 23, 2026, roughly tripling before share-class and distribution adjustments.
- • The fund is an actively managed closed-end interval fund targeting roughly 80% private and 20% public holdings, with quarterly repurchase windows for about 5% of outstanding shares and proration risk.
- • Ark Invest had strategically invested in Securitize in October 2025, and the announcement converts that relationship into an operating product.
Summary
Ark Invest, led by founder, CEO and CIO Cathie Wood, and Securitize announced on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, that eligible investors will be able to access a tokenized version of the ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX) through Securitize, with the tokenized fund launching on Ethereum. According to the primary report from Bitcoin News, the fund had grown to roughly $1.3 billion in assets by late June and holds stakes in companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe and Databricks.
The blockchain layer changes how eligible investors hold and interact with their fund interest, not the composition of the portfolio. Securitize will handle ARKVX's onchain issuance and investor infrastructure. The distinction matters because ARKVX is not an ETF. It was launched on Sept. 23, 2022, as an actively managed closed-end interval fund designed to hold both private and public companies. Its target mix is roughly 80% private and 20% public. Investors cannot freely redeem: the fund offers quarterly repurchase windows for about 5% of outstanding shares, and requests are subject to proration if redemption demand exceeds that cap.
Wood framed the move as putting conviction in the evolution of capital markets into practice, arguing that tokenization could reshape how investors access both private and public markets. She described the step as a natural extension of the fund's mission to democratize access to technologically enabled disruptive innovation. Ark Invest had made a strategic investment in Securitize in October 2025, so the announcement turns that existing relationship into an operating product.
Performance has been volatile. According to the report, approximate NAV returns were 61% in 2023, 7% in 2024, 56% in 2025, and about 32% year to date through late September 2026. The fund carries a roughly 2.90% net expense ratio and limited liquidity, and private valuations can move sharply when portfolio companies raise new capital. ARKVX posted a 20.21% return in the second quarter of 2026, with Ark Invest identifying SpaceX and Anthropic as its biggest contributors.
The blockchain layer changes how eligible investors hold and interact with their fund interest, not the composition of the portfolio. Securitize will handle ARKVX's onchain issuance and investor infrastructure. The distinction matters because ARKVX is not an ETF. It was launched on Sept. 23, 2022, as an actively managed closed-end interval fund designed to hold both private and public companies. Its target mix is roughly 80% private and 20% public. Investors cannot freely redeem: the fund offers quarterly repurchase windows for about 5% of outstanding shares, and requests are subject to proration if redemption demand exceeds that cap.
Wood framed the move as putting conviction in the evolution of capital markets into practice, arguing that tokenization could reshape how investors access both private and public markets. She described the step as a natural extension of the fund's mission to democratize access to technologically enabled disruptive innovation. Ark Invest had made a strategic investment in Securitize in October 2025, so the announcement turns that existing relationship into an operating product.
Performance has been volatile. According to the report, approximate NAV returns were 61% in 2023, 7% in 2024, 56% in 2025, and about 32% year to date through late September 2026. The fund carries a roughly 2.90% net expense ratio and limited liquidity, and private valuations can move sharply when portfolio companies raise new capital. ARKVX posted a 20.21% return in the second quarter of 2026, with Ark Invest identifying SpaceX and Anthropic as its biggest contributors.
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