Cathie Wood · Founder & CEO · ARK Invest · The WLS 100 · 2026 Edition
Finance
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Inaugural edition 2026 · N. America

Cathie Wood

Founder & CEO

Disruptrice ETFs. Innovation. 1M X.

Education
University of Southern California
Organization
Profile

Founder and chief executive of ARK Invest, Cathie Wood built an asset manager devoted entirely to disruptive innovation. After more than three decades in finance, including at AllianceBernstein, she launched ARK in 2014 on a conviction that was then unusual: concentrate portfolios on technologies capable of transforming whole industries, from artificial intelligence and genomics to autonomous vehicles. Her exchange-traded funds, led by ARK Innovation, and her openly published research earned her global recognition and a large following of individual investors.

Why this selection

She opened thematic investing and financial research to a broad public, with a transparency that remains rare in her industry.

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