ARK Invest Europe marks a breakthrough in access to private market investments with the launch of the ARK Private Innovation ELTIF, a fund debuting with two heavyweight names: SpaceX and Databricks.
This initiative represents a decisive step in offering European investors, and beyond, the opportunity to participate in the growth of the most innovative companies before they go public.
Top Picks: SpaceX and Databricks
SpaceX: Revolutionizing the Space Economy
SpaceX stands out for its ability to transform access to space thanks to reusable launch vehicles and an ever-increasing launch frequency.
ARK’s investment is based on the belief that the continuous improvement of reusability can structurally reduce the marginal cost per kilogram in orbit, thus expanding the potential market for space services.
With the reduction in launch costs, sectors such as satellite communications, Earth observation, defense, and space infrastructure become economically sustainable.
In particular, Starlink emerges as a rapidly growing commercial platform for global connectivity, while Starship aims to further increase payload capacity and reusability, strengthening SpaceX’s position as a leader in integrated space infrastructure.
Databricks: At the Center of AI Transformation
Databricks operates a unified platform for data analysis and artificial intelligence, integrating data engineering, analytics, and machine learning in a single environment.
In a context where companies centralize data and implement large-scale artificial intelligence applications, platforms like Databricks are positioned at the heart of the corporate AI ecosystem. ARK’s investment reflects the belief that scalable data infrastructures and native AI software are key elements for long-term productivity growth.
A Monumental Shift in Capital Markets
Both companies represent an increasingly evident trend: many of the most influential entities achieve significant scale and revenue maturity while remaining private.
Consequently, a growing portion of value creation driven by innovation occurs before the IPO. ARK Invest, with its strategy, allows investors to access this crucial phase of corporate development.
A Diversified and Actively Managed Fund
The ARK Private Innovation ELTIF is designed to actively build and manage a diversified portfolio, with approximately 80% exposure to mid and late-stage private companies and the remaining 20% to high-conviction public companies.
The fund primarily invests directly in private companies, avoiding third-party investment vehicles to ensure greater transparency and reduce costs for investors.
An Open and Accessible Model
Semi-Liquid Structure and Transparency
The fund is presented as a semi-liquid “evergreen” vehicle, offering quarterly redemption windows and unprecedented portfolio transparency. Thanks to ARK’s open research ecosystem, retail investors can also access opportunities that, until recently, were reserved for institutional investors.
Wide Distribution in Europe
The ARK Private Innovation ELTIF has been notified and made available in numerous countries within the European Economic Area, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and many others. The fund can be distributed by private banks, wealth managers, and financial advisors, thereby reaching a wide audience of investors, including those classified as retail according to MiFID regulations.
A Pipeline Rich in Innovation
ARK Invest is not stopping at SpaceX and Databricks. The company is evaluating a broad pipeline of late-stage private companies active in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, energy storage, and multi-omics technologies. This pipeline reflects the depth of ARK’s research platform and the access built over more than a decade of investments in innovation.
An Integrated and Collaborative Approach
The fund management team, with experience in managing private mandates exceeding $1.5 billion, employs a unified research and investment process, exclusively focused on disruptive innovation.
ARK regularly co-invests with leading global venture capital firms and positions itself as a long-term partner for companies, both in the private and public phases.
This integrated approach allows for the capture of arbitrage opportunities between private and public market valuations and supports portfolio companies at all stages of their lifecycle.
The Voices of the Protagonists
Cathie Wood, founder and CEO of ARK Invest, highlights how SpaceX and Databricks are building fundamental platforms in space and artificial intelligence, achieving significant scale while remaining private.
Wood also points out the growth potential beyond these initial investments, thanks to a pipeline of private innovators reaching critical inflection points in 2026.
Charles Roberts, Chief Investment Strategist Private Equity at ARK Invest, emphasizes the company’s decade-long commitment to disruptive innovation and the importance of open research and collaboration with top venture capital partners to access rapidly growing private companies.
Stuart Forbes, Head of ARK Invest Europe, highlights how most value creation in innovation today occurs before the IPO, but until now, ordinary investors did not have access to these opportunities. The ARK Private Innovation ELTIF bridges this gap, offering a regulated and accessible structure to a much broader audience.
A New Horizon for Investors
With the launch of the ARK Private Innovation ELTIF, ARK Invest Europe opens a new frontier for European and global investors, offering direct access to leading private companies such as SpaceX and Databricks.
Thanks to an innovative, transparent, and accessible structure, the fund promises to democratize access to innovation, allowing an increasing number of investors to participate in the growth of companies that are shaping the future.