Cathie Wood Makes $240M Bet In OpenAI's Mammoth Fundraise As IPO Looms

• OpenAI on Tuesday announced that it raised $122 billion in equity financing – the largest investment round for any company.
• The financing and stake sale of individual investors comes ahead of a potential initial public offerings, expected towards the end of the year.
• Investors are increasingly eying exposure to marquee pre-IPO tech companies such as SpaceX and Anthropic, investing into funds that own them.

Noted tech investor Cathie Wood has poured in $240 million as part of OpenAI’s mammoth $122 billion funding round – a significant development that opens the door for retail investors to gain exposure to the world’s leading AI company, which is also gearing up for an initial public offering.

The investment is made from her three exchange traded funds ARK Innovation (ARKK), ARK Fintech Innovation (ARKF) and ARK Next Generation Internet (ARKW), according to ARK Invest disclosures. 

As a percentage of their total holdings, the OpenAI stake accounts for 3.1% for ARKK, and 3.0% for ARKW and ARKF. Wood had earlier invested a similar amount in OpenAI through her venture fund, the ARK Venture Fund.

Separately, OpenAI said it secured over $3 billion investment as part of the round from individual investors – a first for the company. 

OpenAI is “broadening ownership and giving more people the opportunity to share in the upside economics of OpenAI and the AI era,” it said in the blog post announcing its fundraise on Tuesday.

Although the ARK ETFs have declined in the recent months, with ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) logged its worst quarter since early 2025, the OpenAI stake might increase their appeal.

Investors are increasingly seeking exposure to marquee pre-IPO tech companies such as SpaceX and Anthropic, and are investing in funds that own them, Stocktwits has reported. 

Besides the ARK ETFs, KraneShares Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (AGIX), Fundrise Innovation Fund (VCX), and Destiny Tech100 (DXYZ) are some of the funds that have seen significant interest among retail traders on Stocktwits of late.

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