ARK Invest (NASDAQ: SPCX) purchased 3,291,184 shares of SpaceX across four of its exchange-traded funds on the very day the company made its Nasdaq debut.
The total value of the purchases came to $444,309,840, spread across the ARK Innovation ETF, ARK Autonomous Technology and Robotics ETF, ARK Next Generation Internet ETF, and ARK Space Exploration and Innovation ETF.
SpaceX raised $75 billion in what became the largest IPO on record, with shares beginning to trade on June 12, 2026.
ARK’s founder Cathie Wood has long been associated with backing Elon Musk’s ventures, with Tesla remaining the flagship ARK Innovation fund’s biggest holding.
Wood’s investment philosophy centers on getting into innovative companies early, well before they achieve their most significant milestones or reach mainstream adoption.
ARK first invested in SpaceX through its Venture Fund in late 2023, when the company was valued below $200 billion, and SpaceX now carries a market cap of $2.11 trillion.
Prior to the IPO, ARK wrote that “the existing business segments, at their current trajectories, are plenty sufficient to justify a compelling investment case” for SpaceX.
SpaceX was already ARK’s largest Venture Fund holding, making up over 11% of net assets, placing it ahead of OpenAI and Anthropic in that portfolio.
Wood is currently restricted from selling her original Venture Fund SpaceX shares due to a standard lockup period, which typically spans the first 90 to 180 days following an IPO to prevent early investors from flooding the market with shares.
The ARK Innovation ETF purchased 1,690,839 shares, giving SpaceX a 3.2% weight in that fund, while ARK Autonomous Technology bought 736,442 shares for a 4.5% weighting.
The ARK Next Generation Internet ETF added 325,562 shares for a 2.6% weighting, and ARK Space Exploration and Innovation ETF acquired 538,341 shares, resulting in a 6.8% position in that fund.
The purchases are expected to place SpaceX among the top ten holdings of the ARK Innovation ETF.
For investors considering whether to follow Wood’s lead, the decision hinges largely on individual risk tolerance and broader investment strategy.
Aggressive investors comfortable with volatility may find the stock appealing, though there is no urgency to act immediately, as SpaceX, like most stocks, is unlikely to move in a straight line and may offer better entry points over time.
More cautious investors may prefer to wait and assess the extent to which SpaceX is able to monetize its various business segments before committing capital.
