ARK Invest tokenizes $1.3B venture fund on Ethereum

ARK Invest and Securitize have announced the tokenization of the ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX) on the Ethereum blockchain. The fund, which manages approximately $1.3 billion in net assets, provides exposure to both public and private technology companies, including high-profile firms such as OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX, Stripe, and Databricks.

Under the new structure, eligible U.S. investors can access tokenized interests in the fund using USDC. The minimum initial investment is set at $500, with subsequent additions allowed from $5. Securitize will manage the on-chain issuance and investor infrastructure, while BNY Mellon will serve as the custodian. Each token is backed one-to-one by fund shares.

Despite the blockchain integration, the fund remains a closed-end interval fund. This means investors do not have immediate liquidity; they are subject to the fund’s existing quarterly repurchase offers, which are limited to 5% of outstanding shares. The move follows regulatory developments that permitted the establishment of a tokenized share class for the fund. Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Invest, stated that tokenization could fundamentally reshape how investors participate in private and public financial markets.