ARK Invest Europe opens the door to private markets with investments in SpaceX and Databricks
10 MAR, 2026
By Joanna Piwko from RankiaPro Europe
SpaceX and Databricks are the first two investments made by the ARK Private Innovation ELTIF, designed to actively manage a diversified portfolio with roughly 80% exposure to mid- and late-stage private companies.
ARK Invest and IQ EQ Fund Management (Ireland) Limited today announced the first investments of the ARK Private Innovation ELTIF in SpaceX and Databricks, reflecting ARK’s role as a global leader in investing in technological innovation across both private and public markets.
The ARK Private Innovation ELTIF was launched as the main vehicle for ARK’s private innovation strategy, first introduced through the ARK Venture Fund in the United States in September 2022 and now available to investors in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia.
Investing in private innovation: SpaceX and Databricks
SpaceX is transforming access to space through reusable launch vehicles that enable more frequent and lower-cost launches. ARK believes improvements in reusability can significantly reduce the cost per kilogram to orbit, expanding markets for launch services and space-enabled industries such as satellite communications, Earth observation, defense, and space infrastructure.
Databricks operates a unified platform for data analytics and artificial intelligence, combining data engineering, analytics, and machine learning in one environment. As companies scale AI adoption, platforms like Databricks are becoming central to enterprise AI infrastructure. ARK believes scalable data infrastructure and AI-native software platforms will be key drivers of long-term productivity growth.
Both companies illustrate a broader shift in capital markets: many of today’s most influential firms reach significant scale and strategic importance while still private, meaning an increasing share of innovation-driven value creation occurs before IPOs.
ARK’s pipeline of private companies
ARK is building a strong pipeline of late-stage private companies for the fund, with several opportunities already under advanced evaluation. The firm expects to expand the portfolio throughout 2026, particularly in AI, robotics, energy storage, and multi-omics, as companies meet its investment criteria.
The management team oversees the $662 million ARK Venture Fund (for U.S. investors) and private market mandates totaling $1.5 billion, following a unified research process focused on disruptive innovation. ARK regularly co-invests alongside leading venture capital firms and strategic investors, aiming to support companies through their transition from private to public markets.
Cathie Wood, Founder, CEO and CIO of ARK Invest, said:
SpaceX and Databricks are building foundational platforms in space and artificial intelligence. These companies have achieved significant scale and commercial traction while remaining private. Beyond these initial investments, we see a deep pipeline of innovators approaching key inflection points in 2026, and we plan to expand the portfolio as they meet our standards for growth, valuation, and strategic relevance.
Stuart Forbes, Head of ARK Invest Europe and Global Head of Distribution at ARK Invest, added:
Much of the value creation in innovation now occurs before IPOs, yet most investors have limited access to these opportunities due to high capital requirements and professional investor restrictions. The ARK Private Innovation ELTIF provides a regulated European structure that allows a much broader group of investors—including EU retail investors—to gain exposure to leading private companies, starting with SpaceX and Databricks. We are excited about the pipeline ahead and look forward to sharing our innovation-focused research with a growing global investor base.
