
FYI - For Your Innovation
308 episodes — Page 6 of 7

Investing in the Growth of Gaming with Joost van Dreunen
The gaming industry has seen massive innovations in the past two decades, from the rise of online gaming to the release of unprecedented virtual reality (VR) products. And in that time the industry has seen massive growth, going from an estimated $30 billion a year worldwide at the start of the twenty-first century, to generating an astounding $200 billion in 2022. Joining us today to discuss the business of gaming in 2023 is Angie Dalton, an advisor for ARK Invest and the CEO and Founder of Signum Growth Capital, and Joost van Dreunen, an academic, entrepreneur, and a well-known expert in the video game space. Tuning in you’ll hear a breakdown of how the gaming industry has developed over the past two decades, the ever-useful role of user-generated content in gaming, and how gaming studios are adapting to changes in the space. We take a look at how platforms and game engines like Roblox and Unity are making it easier than ever for users to generate content and how studios are leveraging amateur output to keep up with demand. Our conversation also covers how blockchain technology and Web3 could add value to the gaming space, the shifting relationship between gaming and other forms of entertainment, and the most promising use cases for VR and augmented reality (AR). To learn more about the fascinating business of gaming and upcoming developments in this space, be sure to tune in today! “When we’re trying to satiate the demand of three billion gamers worldwide, it’s a little bit impossible for conventional studios to create that much content.” — @joosterizer Key Points From This Episode: Introducing today’s guests, Angie Dalton and Joost van Dreunen. Joost’s expertise in gaming and his work as an academic, advisor, and entrepreneur. How the gaming sector has grown and developed globally over the last two decades. The history of user-generated content in gaming. Why so much innovative gameplay comes from user-generated content. How studios are leveraging user-generated content to keep up with demand. The concept of forever games and how studios are shifting their models to build community and keep users engaged. An overview of the elements driving the rising trend in user-generated content. The shifting relationship between gaming and traditional entertainment, like television. Why AAA games take so long to develop and Joost’s predictions for a more iterative release model. Joost and Angie’s top takeaways from the latest Game Developers Conference (GDC). How blockchain technology and Web3 could add value to the gaming space. The drawbacks of the play-to-earn model in Web3 games. Joost’s reservations when it comes to blockchain and Web3 applications in gaming. Key problems in the gaming industry concerning the recognition of labor. Navigating issues of copyright when it comes to user-generated content. The concept of an open metaverse, interoperable virtual worlds, and how likely these scenarios are. Our thoughts on Apple’s upcoming move to enter the VR space. The strong case for enterprise applications when it comes to AR and VR. Find out about Joost’s new venture Aldora.io and what they are currently working on.

The Intersection of Video Games and Economics with Mythical Games CEO John Linden
The rise of Web3, blockchain, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has disrupted many industries, including video gaming. To help us unpack the role of Web3 in the video game industry is John Linden, CEO of Mythical Games, a game tech studio pioneering digital asset ownership, scarcity, and secondary markets. Their team creates products to drive consumer adoption of distributed ledger tech. John has a deep love for video games and a curiosity for exploring the potential of blockchain technologies. In our conversation, we talk about his approach to revolutionizing the future of gaming by integrating blockchain technology, rethinking game economics, and the intersection of traditional gaming and crypto. Learn how the industry has shifted in recent years, the opportunities of the Web3 space, the power of digital assets, converging technologies and concepts, and the tug-of-war between centralization and decentralization within the gaming industry. We discuss the Metaverse and interoperability, and hear about the exciting collaborations that Mythical Games is working on. Tune in and discover the future of gaming with John Linden! “I think the next 10 years in gaming will be more transformative than the last 25 have been.” — @johnwastaken Key Points From This Episode: Background about John and a brief history of Mythical Games. How Mythical Games’ approach to game development differs from the traditional approach. John shares his views on play-to-earn video games, and why the concept was not widely adopted. The foundation of a good blockchain game and the role of digital assets. Learn how Mythical Games is leveraging blockchain technology to disrupt the gaming industry. Overview of the challenges game developers face in the Web3 space. What makes Web3 video games different, and why blockchain is made for gaming. Learn what is needed to build a successful open Metaverse for consumers. Whether interoperability is a necessary component of the Metaverse. He explains the road map for Mythical Games and how the concepts will not be limited to the video game industry. Ways in which the Web3 space will be beneficial for streamers and influencers. Hear about the exciting collaboration between the NFL and Mythical Games.

Crypto has been Thriving Amidst A Regional Banking Crisis and Regulatory Uncertainty: A Deep Dive
We are pleased to bring you the second edition of the ARK Crypto Brainstorm; a quarterly conversation between a rotating group of experts in the crypto space, The ARK Crypto Brainstorm is published through the For Your Innovation podcast channels and aims to be an informative and in-depth conversation on the current state of the ever-changing crypto landscape with experts offering diverse viewpoints. In the second edition of the ARK Crypto Brainstorm, ARK Crypto Lead Yassine Elmandjra and ARK CEO and CIO Cathie Wood hosted 7 leaders in the crypto space including: Lyn Alden, macroeconomic investor with expertise in Bitcoin, is leading the conversation on the regional banking crisis and the Fed’s decision-making amidst continued macro uncertainty. Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle, the largest regulated stablecoin issuer, has successfully navigated the banking crisis while demonstrating a commitment to openness and transparency. Paul Grewal, Chief Legal Officer at Coinbase, is at the forefront of advocating for greater regulatory clarity in the US and emphasizes the importance of creating an environment for crypto to flourish. Caitlin Long, CEO and Founder of Custodia, is dedicated to building a regulatory compliant bridge between the traditional US financial system and cryptoassets. Angie Dalton, CEO of Signum Capital, has built a strong relationship with US regulators, working with startups and protocols to outline a regulatory compliant path for operating in the US. Chris Burniske, a partner at Placeholder Ventures, has highlighted the resilience of crypto fundamentals and why this is a compelling time to be an investor despite the uncertainty. Michael Sonnenshein, CEO of Grayscale, is trailblazing the path to a US Bitcoin ETF approval, questioning some of the assumptions made by the SEC in its decision-making. Key Points From This Episode: 04:47 Paul and Cathie discuss the current state of the regulatory landscape surrounding cryptocurrencies 09:48 Lyn Alden provides a historical perspective on regulation 18:57 What Jeremy is hearing from his recent trips to Washington DC on crypto regulation 22:22 The potential for a Bitcoin ETF, and Grayscale’s relationship with the SEC 27:41 How the FTX collapse may have set the industry back in the eyes of the US government 34:38 Michael Sonenshein’s optimistic point of view on regulators idea of crypto 40:06 Caitlin’s view that regulators are unwilling to make progress in passing significant regulation in the next few years 49:36 Chris compares digital assets to water 50:13 Cathie and Yassine transition the conversation to the Regional Banking Crisis 58:35 Caitlin highlights the inherent illiquidity many banks currently have and what problems that might cause 1:04:56 Lyn offers her end game scenario if the Fed continues to be hawkish 1:13:22 Chris highlights the clear differences between the banking system and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum 1:20:42 Coinbase’s latest product launches including Wallet and Base 1:24:20 How Bitcoin has responded to the recent regional bank crises 1:27:33 We go around the horn and ask: What would our guests like to see happen this year?

Could Bitcoin’s Price Reach $1,000,000? With Balaji Srinivasan and Cathie Wood
On March 17, 2023, Balaji Srinivasan wrote a tweet thread that started with a simple, shocking bet that the price of one Bitcoin would reach $1,000,000 in the next 90 days. Balaji is an American entrepreneur and investor. He was the co-founder of Counsyl, the former Chief Technology Officer of Coinbase, and former general partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. ARK CEO and CIO Cathie Wood agrees that the price of a Bitcoin could reach $1M, but ARK’s prediction on when this might happen is very different. In today’s episode, Cathie and Balaji discuss their current and future outlook on the United States and global economies, the cryptocurrency ecosystem and their reaction to the recent volatility surrounding the regional banking crisis. “The economy…It’s like altitude right, if your altitude is [up] here you can take a certain set of maneuvers, if your altitude is close to the ground you cannot take the same set of maneuvers.” – @balajis Key Points From This Episode: An introduction to Balaji and his prediction that Bitcoin could reach $1M in the next 90 days Cathie sets up her initial argument that we are in a deflationary environment What we can learn from Argentina; when it was printing money while simultaneously raising interest rate Balaji argues that there are only three true currency pairs in the world today Balaji’s belief that there is a desire to exit the American financial system and that the financial system itself is inherently hard to predict Cathie shares her thesis that that the velocity of money is starting to flatten The potential for a “hard landing” in the economy How the recent regional banking crisis effects Cathie and Balaji’s predictions on inflation Balaji compares the Federal Reserve (Fed) Funds rate to Bitcoin’s issuance schedule How the 1980s compare to today in terms of inflation and interest rates Cathie provides a brief history on the guiding force behind Fed policy What could potentially happen to the use cases of Bitcoin should it rapidly increase in value Balaji’s belief that the world is running backwards in time but that the outcome will be different Why consumers have started to move money away from banks and instead have focused their attention on trying to earn yield on their money Why today’s economic events could be considered black swan events Balaji states that we may not have a widespread bank crisis, but instead we could specifically have a central bank crisis The potential that the Fed could be looking at the wrong indicators How the very existence of Bitcoin might defeat Keynsian economists theories at their core Why deflation might be a good thing for Blockchain technology Why Balaji believes states should continue to support cryptocurrencies “Fiat currency”, as referred to in this podcast, means traditional, government-issued currency, such as the US dollar.

The Banking Crisis and Crypto with Art Laffer
On this episode of For Your Innovation, we wanted to highlight last week’s special edition of “In the Know,” a monthly video series featuring ARK CEO/CIO, Cathie Wood. In this special episode, Cathie is joined by her mentor, former professor, and advisor to ARK Investment Management LLC, Dr. Art Laffer. Famous for the Laffer Curve, Art is an economist and was named one of Time’s Greatest Minds of the 20th Century. Together, Cathie and Art dive into the recent banking crisis and the world of cryptoassets. We hope you find this monthly series useful, especially during periods of heightened volatility. Stay Healthy. Stay Innovative. “It’s not up to congress to allow or not allow crypto. It shouldn’t be.” – Dr. Art Laffer Episode Timestamps 1:45 – Intro 2:31 – Banking Crisis 35:30 – Crypto

Gene Therapy Could Cure Cancer with Professor Waseem Qasim
Gene therapy is gaining momentum as a noteworthy adversary to cancer, and we are thrilled to be joined today by one of the pioneers of immune system-based treatments. Professor Waseem Qasim applies his craft at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, which is notorious for being the largest concentration of children’s health research in Europe. Professor Qasim explains why he pursued a career in gene therapy, how three patients and technological advancements formed the basis of his groundbreaking treatments, what he thinks about autologous and allogeneic therapies, and what he has to say about his work being linked with a cure for cancer. We learn about the rapid advancement of medical technology, how accessible this technology is to disadvantaged communities, why pricing gene therapies is a slippery slope, and the factors that could lead to a cost reduction in Prof. Qasim’s treatments. To end, our guest shares advice on how to merge foundational research and practical applications, why the health industry needs to do more in supporting foundational research, and what Prof. Qasim thinks about the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine. “[Soon] there will be specific conditions and circumstances where these technologies will give you a deep clearance and a possible complete eradication [of cancer], where the problem just doesn’t come back.” — Waseem Qasim Key Points From This Episode: Introducing today’s guest, Professor of Cell and Gene Therapy, Waseem Qasim. What led Prof. Qasim to focus on developing gene therapies for genetic disorders in children. The story for Leila Richards’s groundbreaking gene-edited cell therapy. How technological innovations have paved the way for successful gene therapies. The details behind Prof. Qasim’s second highly-publicized success story: Alyssa. More about his lesser-known patient who bridged the gap between Leila and Alyssa. Our guest explains the quality assurance process before cells are reentered into the body. What he thinks about autologous cell therapies versus allogeneic ones. Prof. Qasim reacts to his work being described as synonymous with a cure for cancer. What he thinks about the radical progression of health technology and whether it will continue to advance at such blinding speed. How accessible this advanced technology is and will be to disadvantaged communities. Why one size does not fit all when it comes to costing and pricing gene therapies. Exploring the factors that could reduce the cost of Prof. Qasim’s treatments. Some advice on how to blend the worlds of foundational research and practical application. The role that the health industry should be playing in supporting foundational research. Our guest’s thoughts on the use of AI in new medical technologies and techniques.

Bringing Sports Betting to Web3 with DraftKings Co-Founder Matt Kalish
Please note: as of 2/28/23, ARK’s clients own greater than 1% of the shares outstanding of Drafkings Inc. Fantasy sports and sports betting are now well-known and developed markets that serve hundreds of millions of people, and today’s guest has found a way of bringing the two into the Web3 space. We are joined by the Co-Founder of DraftKings, Matt Kalish, as he gives us a sense of the moments surrounding his company’s venture into daily fantasy and mobile sports betting. Then, we learn about DraftKings NFT game Reignmakers, how it’s pushing new frontiers in Web3, how it works, and how it stacks up against other daily fantasy products. We also hear about how players and league associations have received DraftKings, as well as some key insights into some of the partnerships they have formed. Our guest explains his perspective on Web3 interoperability and the transfer of utility, why DraftKings chose to partner with Polygon, what he and his team hope to achieve in the next five years, and what excites him the most about the Web3 space. At the end of today’s episode, Matt gives us his assessment of his Boston Celtics season so far and why he thinks they are real title contenders. “DraftKings doesn’t play in the super speculative space like that. We’re not a startup that can just bet the house on one little venture. We only want to do rational things.” — @mattkalish Key Points From This Episode: An introduction to the Co-Founder of DraftKings, Matt Kalish. Matt’s professional background and how he became a founding member of DraftKings. When they launched their daily fantasy product and how they got into mobile sports betting. How DraftKings is pushing new frontiers in Web3 with Reignmakers. The way Reignmakers matches up to daily fantasy products, and how it works. How players and leagues have received DraftKings, and the partnerships they’ve formed. What Web3 interoperability means to Matt and his thoughts on the transfer of utility. Why DraftKings chose to work with Polygon. What Matt and his team hope to achieve in the next five years. How the introduction of NFTs in fantasy sports has impacted private betting behavior. What excites Matt the most about exiting the NFT winter and the Web3 space as a whole. Matt’s thoughts on the Boston Celtics season so far and where he thinks they’ll end up.

The Evolution of the Construction Industry with Noah Ready-Campbell
Robotics are both deeply tied to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), and also somewhat distinct in their practicality and material application. Built Robotics is a great example of this duality, and in today’s conversation with the CEO and Co-Founder of the company, Noah Ready-Campbell, we hear about how the company is positioning itself in relation to current construction industry needs and also for the wave of possibilities in the near future. Noah talks about the process of transition to autonomy, comparing other related sectors such as transportation, the strong bonds Built Robotics has created with the burgeoning solar power space, and also his belief in the capability of automation to aid us in constructing a better world. We discuss the refining of machine learning models, safety and security at Built Robotics, the need for supervision, and other sectors that the company might move into in the future. So to hear it all from Noah in this insightful chat, make sure to join us. “The thing that I think determines scaling a success for us is less about the technology barriers and more about how do we make something that’s easy and efficient for the customer.” — Noah Ready-Campbell Key Points From This Episode: The history of Built Robotics, the initial hypothesis, and their focus in the last few years. Noah talks about what they offer their clients in the construction business. Renewable energy and solar power; why Built Robotics has found a good fit in this space. Unpacking the usual costs of construction and how Built Robotics’ prices compare with this. The sensor suite at Built Robotics; computers, cameras, GPS, and more. Noah’s perspective on the question of autonomy and the trajectory of the construction industry. Thoughts on safety and regulation, and the eight-layer safety system in place at Built Robotics. Considering the limits on how fast and efficiently the machine is and will be able to operate. Necessary supervision and the possibility of the complete removal of human involvement. The skills involved in the utilization of machine capabilities. Noah shares the comparisons of efficiency and work hours between human labor and robotics. The vision for Built Robotics, and Noah’s ambitions around longevity. Factory integration of machines and where Built Robotics system is headed. The elements of Built Robotics that make sense to outsource. Noah’s expectations for the company to move into sectors beyond construction. The influence and impact of the latest wave of AI advancements on the company. The importance of the Inflation Reduction Act on the construction industry. Noah talks about the robotics possibilities he is most excited about currently.

Flying into a New Age in Travel with Dirk Hoke of Volocopter
Urban air modality is coming to life a lot faster than we may expect, and joining us today is the CEO of Volocopter, Dirk Hoke, to discuss their new Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicle service launching in 2024. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about how Dirk joined Volocopter, the different aviation authorization bodies and why they’re important, the aviation safety regulations in testing new aircraft, mistakes companies are making, and the global regulators’ reaction to new technology. Dirk talks us through how Volocopter is designed, why it is designed the way it is, and how it will change urban air modality over the next decade. You’ll also hear about the hurdles they are facing, their hopes for their launch, and the cost of these models. Autonomy is not a technological issue but is rather an issue of certification and public support and in this episode, Dirk highlights the importance of recognizing that air taxi travel is going to happen much sooner than we think. Tune in now to hear about this exciting innovation. “Our systems can be applied to any city in a very short-term manner, once we have demonstrated that we are safe and low level on the noise side.” — @HokeDirk Key Points From This Episode: An introduction to today’s guest, Dirk Hoke. What led Dirk to join Volocopter. Dirk explains the importance of the aviation authorization bodies, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and International Aviation Aviation Assessment (IASA). Why you can only have a serious problem in civil airspace after one billion operational hours. How to ensure safety when creating an aircraft. What makes this such a rigorous process and the mistakes he sees other companies making. How global regulators have reacted to the huge wave of new technology being created. Why air traffic management needs to go through the next step of digital transformation. Dirk tells us why Volocopter is designed the way it is. Dirk explains how this model will change flying in the next decade. The price structure dynamics in this industry. What discussions are being had about increasing landing sites. How congestion is changing and why we need new modalities without waiting for new roads. How and why the business model for making aircrafts has changed. Why Dirk wants President McCall to launch the product at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The hurdles Volocopter is facing as they journey to commercial launch. Why one design cannot cope with all the requirements of all the different markets. Why autonomy isn’t a technological issue but rather an acceptance and certification problem. Why humans will be used in the loop of automated air travel for quite a while. The importance of understanding that air taxis will fly sooner than we think they will.

Big Ideas 2023: Technological Convergence
On today’s episode of FYI, we will highlight another segment from Big Ideas 2023; Technological Convergence. To watch Chief Futurist Brett Winton walk through his section, click here. To download the full Big Ideas 2023, click here. “Future historians could look back on this business cycle and say we can’t believe that all of these technologies were hitting critical stages of inflection at the same time.” – @wintonARK According to ARK’s research, five innovation platforms are converging to create unprecedented growth trajectories. Artificial Intelligence is the most important catalyst, its velocity cascading through all other technologies. The market value of disruptive innovation platforms could scale 40% at an annual rate during this business cycle, from $13 trillion today to $200 trillion by 2030. In 2030, the market value associated with disruptive innovation could account for the majority of the global equity market capitalization.

Discussing Our Exact Sciences Valuation
Today, Tasha Keeney sits down with Simon Barnett to talk about ARK’s valuation of Exact Sciences and to share our outlook about the company’s trajectory in the next five years. Exact Sciences is the cancer testing company that has brought to market both Cologuard and Oncotype. This conversation covers the prominence and acceptance of these two testing franchises, Exact Sciences’ product leadership, Exact’s recent performance in the market, the models that ARK has developed for gauging the company’s outlook, and the areas of risk that investors should be aware of. One of the main focuses of today’s chat is what Exact Sciences’ progress symbolizes in terms of the future of the cancer treatment field, with Simon making an argument for why he sees them holding onto their market-leading position for the foreseeable future. We also spend some time at the end of the episode considering what this means for healthcare and individual wellbeing in general, so make sure to catch it all in this episode of For Your Innovation! Please refer to the Exact Sciences valuation article for a more comprehensive explanation of ARK’s model, including its risks and limitations. “Cancer care is something that is totally divorced from interest rate changes or consumer sentiment. It’s something that’s very predictable, and it’s something that’s very important.” — @sbarnettARK Key Points From This Episode: Introducing Exact Sciences and its two biggest testing franchises: Cologuard and Oncotype. Valuation of Exact Sciences and how ARK has approached creating these models. Calculations for the price target of the company. Sales and marketing at Exact Sciences and the positive brand recognition they have built. Benchmarks for analyzing companies like Exact Sciences. Comparing ARK’s process and view on Exact Sciences to other opinions in the market. How the lowered price of genome sequencing has affected the outlook for the market. The route to the aggregate gross margin structure for Exact Sciences. Qualitative elements that matter most to ARK; how Exact Science fits into our rubric. Alignment between the expectations of Exact Science’s management and our estimations. A look at the three main areas of risk: competition, time, and financing. Simon explains how thesis risk applies to the healthcare space. Thoughts on the company’s net income and cash flow in the near future. Reasons to be excited about the next few years in the healthcare space.

Introducing Big Ideas 2023
On today’s episode of FYI, we will be featuring last week’s episode of In The Know, a monthly video series on which ARK CEO and CIO Cathie Wood discusses fiscal policy, monetary policy, market signals, economic indicators, and innovation. On this specific episode, Cathie weighs in on M2 growth, interest rates, inflation, auto sales, and bitcoin. Additionally, she highlights ARK’s Big Ideas 2023. “We’ve grown up in a linear world really the last 50 years, and if were right that we’re entering into an exponential growth world, then real GDP growth should kick up here.” – @CathieDWood The Big Ideas highlighted in this year’s report include: Technological Convergence Artificial Intelligence Digital Consumers Digital Wallets Public Blockchains Bitcoin Smart Contract Networks Precision Therapies Molecular Diagnostics Electric Vehicles Autonomous Ride-Hail Autonomous Logistics Robotics and 3D Printing Orbital Aerospace Watch February’s Episode of In The Know. Download the full Big Ideas 2023.

Powering the Next Generation of Games with Justin Hulog
Video games have grown massively over time, commanding more and more leisure time for people all around the world. As video game popularity has grown, so has the use cases and popularity of blockchain technology and these two worlds are beginning to merge more frequently with blockchain based platforms for video games. To help us unpack this nuanced subject is Justin Hulog, Chief Studio Officer at Immutable X, a non-fungible token (NFT) minting and trading platform for video game developers. Justin has a wealth of experience as a general manager, operations leader, and people strategist, and mainly focuses on the intersection of strategy and organization to solve problems. In our conversation, we talk about how Immutable X started, the different sides of the business, details about his role, and what the company provides developers. We then delve into designing sustainable in-game economies, how to potentially leverage blockchain technologies, the idea of cost versus utility, and how to sustain a game’s user base. Hear about the different taxonomies of the space, balancing the business side and the developer side, the play-to-earn era, the silver lining of the recent crypto bear market, and much more. Tune in to discover how blockchain technology could be revolutionizing the video game industry! “Quality game loops and good game loops, so, actually good games, is something that the market wants to see now.” – @BathalaX Key Points From This Episode: Background about Justin and his current role at Immutable X. A brief overview of Immutable X and the underlying blockchain technology. The challenges that developers face working with blockchain-based platforms. How in-game blockchain-based economies are different. Details about the design approach at Immutable X. Ways in which the market and monetizing games have changed. The important underlying utility: making a fun game. Justin unpacks the different layers of a digital asset. How the out-of-game experience provides another platform for design. An overview of the exciting new possibilities of blockchain-based video games. What makes Immutable X different from the competition. An outline of the essential role the in-house development team plays. Justin shares his outlook on blockchain-based video games.

The Case For An Allocation to Disruptive Innovation in 2023
ARK Client Portfolio Manager Ren Leggi and Chief Futurist Brett Winton discuss why ARK believes investors should consider an allocation to disruptive innovation in 2023 in today’s episode of FYI. Ren and Brett discuss the potential size of the disruptive innovation opportunity, why ARK focuses exclusively on investing in innovation and what some of the major breakthroughs were in 2022 that the market might have missed while focusing closely on macroeconomic headwinds like interest rates and inflation. Ren explains why investors shouldn’t think of volatility negatively, and Brett answers the question: “Why should investors hold innovation strategies through downturns in the market?” “Volatility is a sign of how early we are. Volatility feels bad on the downside, but it feels great on the upside.” – wintonARK Key Points From This Episode: Everything Brett’s role entails as Chief Futurist as ARK What the size and scale might be for the disruptive innovation opportunity Why ARK focuses exclusively on investing in disruptive innovation Why Brett believes ChatGPT was a major breakthrough Some of the major breakthroughs the market might have missed in 2022 Our belief that the market might be too focused on macroeconomic headwinds What Brett would tell investors concerned about the inherent volatility in innovation Making the case for an allocation to disruptive innovation in an investor’s portfolio Why the broad-based benchmarks might be short innovation The importance of maintain a long-term investment time horizon when investing in innovation What innovation is happening in the private equity markets Why ARK never changes its investment philosophy even in market turmoil Answering the question: “Why should investors hold innovation strategies through downturns in the equity markets?” Why investors should not try to “time” the market Ren explains why volatility should not be considered a bad word Companies seem to be holding elevated levels of cash on their balance sheets

The Evolution of AI Models with Naveen Rao of MosaicML
There are many speculations about the future of artificial intelligence (AI), and in this episode, we hear the opinions and predictions of a player in the inner folds of the AI space. Naveen Rao is the CEO and Co-Founder of the machine learning (ML) training platform, MosaicML, and the former CEO and Co-Founder of Nervana Systems. Naveen shares insight into the thesis behind Mosaic and the practical applications of Large Language Models (LLMs), as well as the Generative Pre-trained Transformer-2 (GPT-2) to GPT-3 transition and the challenge of training models with the constraint of data limits. He predicts the evolution of AI models in terms of quantity, size, and function, and the future of computers in general. If you’re curious as to whether it makes sense to build smaller models or own your own model, this episode is for you. Tune in to hear Naveen’s opinions on the impact of AI on the economy, the danger of centralizing resources, what constitutes sentience, and much more. “What we’re doing at Mosaic is building tools to enable more people to have access to these technologies. When it’s all centralized in one or two or three players, that creates a huge power dynamic.” — @NaveenGRao Key Points From This Episode: Naveen Rao’s educational background and interest in synthetic intelligence. What led him to start his first AI company, Nervana Systems. The thesis behind MosaicML. What MosaicML offers customers. What Naveen considers to be 2022’s most exciting breakthrough in AI. The innovation of ChatGPT. The GPT-2 to GPT-3 transition. The challenge of training models with the constraint of data limits. Naveen explains the concept of synthetic data. He predicts the evolution of AI models in terms of quantity, size, and function. Why it makes sense to build smaller models and own your own model where possible. Data as a moat component. Practical applications of LLMs. Naveen’s opinion on whether AI will disrupt the economy or increase Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The danger of the centralization of resources. How MosaicML is making trading more efficient given the limits AI is facing. The efficiency improvements MosaicML customers are seeking out. Naveen’s prediction for the rate of cost decline. The history of the computer password. The future of computers. The question of what constitutes sentience. Naveen recounts the acquisition process of selling Nervana Systems to Intel. How the innovator’s dilemma will play out among competitors in the AI space. Naveen’s advice for his past self.

The Streaming Wars
It is officially the golden age of TV: no matter how and what you want to watch, there is a platform for you to find it. Nick Grous, Associate Portfolio Manager at ARK, is here to comment on the ongoing wars between Netflix, Disney +, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and other streaming platforms. It seems it is back to the basics for many of these platforms: a change in their digital approaches highlights adaptations in the advertising world. Nick looks at Netflix, the poster child subscription-based platform, and its struggle with users sharing passwords, and, how advertising may be used to mitigate losses. Nick explores the impacts of the pandemic, how the streaming platforms individually deal with competition, global advertising opportunities, advertising proficiencies, and so much more! Plus, you will hear why Nick thinks that Connected TV (CTV) could be the way of the future! “In terms of competition, Netflix doesn’t just compete against HBO Max or YouTube, they compete against all leisure activity.” — @GrousARK Key Points From This Episode: The subscription-based format of Netflix. When the “streaming wars” began. How Netflix managed continuous growth, despite speculation and doubts. How streaming platforms are managing the ‘COVID hangover’. Ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) versus subscription video-on-demand (SVOD). Why Nick thinks Netflix will start AVOD. How consumers approach and react to the advertising in their streaming services. Advertiser’s approach to changes in the market. The over-the-top (OTT) and Connected TV (CTV) advertising landscape. Nick discusses Roku TV: a streaming media player. Short-term turbulence versus long-term struggles in the streaming sphere. The impact of the 2008 and 2009 recessions on advertising platforms. Why cable and broadcasting are being left in the past. Nick’s five-year predictions. Nick’s show recommendations and his opinions on streaming pricing.

Year End Q&A with Cathie Wood
On this episode of the For Your Innovation podcast, we feature a special year-end episode of “In the Know” with ARK CEO/CIO, Cathie Wood. In the episode she answers investor questions ranging in topics including general market conditions, inflation, deflation, corporate earnings, interest rates, disruptive innovation, ARK’s investment process, supply-chain, and the outlook for 2023. As always, she discusses fiscal policy, monetary policy, market signals, economic indicators, and innovation. Specific questions Cathie addresses during the episode: Please share your thoughts on the 2022 market. What is your market outlook for 2023 including the impact of innovation? Given ARK’s strategies have fallen >70% from their peak in February 2021, why don’t you turn defensive as most managers would do? You have been buying more Tesla and other stocks during the downturn. However, the stocks that you have increased your purchases have fallen further, and the overall decline in performance has accelerated. With interest rates and prices fluctuating so widely, will an investment focus on innovation work? Investors appear hesitant to invest now for long-term growth, given the supply chain disruptions and the expected economic downturn due to rising interest rates. Why do you believe that now is a once-in-a-century investment opportunity? To watch the video version of In The Know, click here.

Best of 2022 – FYI Podcast Compilation
As the year comes to an end, we would like to thank everyone who listened to the FYI — For Your Innovation podcast. In this final episode of 2022, we compiled some of our most interesting podcast episodes for you. Please enjoy this summary and tune back in when we return in 2023. 1. Space, Business, and the Business of Space with Jared Isaacman from Shift4 Payments (Ep. 127) Chief Futurist Brett Winton and Autonomous and Robotics Director of Research Sam Korus interview Shift4 Payments CEO and Chairman Jared Isaacman. Brett, Sam and Jared discussed the Polaris Dawn mission, Jared’s passion for spaceflight to further human space exploration, and some of the tangible philosophies that he took from SpaceX. (Listen to the full episode) 2. The Future of Web3 Games and Digital Ownership with Polygon Studios CEO Ryan Wyatt (Ep. 146) Next Generation Internet Director of Research Frank Downing and Associate Portfolio Manager Nick Grous sit down with Polygon Studios CEO Ryan Wyatt to unpack The Future of Web3 Games and Digital Ownership. Ryan also comments more generally on the buy-in to decentralization, interoperability concerns, and his perspective on the realities of the metaverse. (Listen to the full episode) 3. Personalizing Private Wealth with Titan CEOs Joe Percoco and Clay Gardner (Ep. 151) Analysts Max Friedrich and William Summerlin talk to Titan co-Founders and co-CEOs Joe Percoco and Clay Gardner about their mission to personalize private wealth. In that episode, you’ll hear how Joe and Clay met and founded their online investment platform, their mission and vision, how they remove the ‘middleman’ in hedge-fund-like investing and more. (Listen to the full episode) 4. Breaking Down Biotech Innovations with Dr. Bob Langer (Ep. 156) Analyst Ali Urman and ARK advisor Dr. Charlie Roberts are joined by MIT professor, chemical engineer, scientist, inventor, and investor Dr. Bob Langer. Dr. Langer has over 1,400 granted or pending patents, has been cited 374,000 times and counting, and was a co-founder of Moderna. In the episode, Ali, Dr. Langer and Dr. Roberts discuss emerging biotechnologies, the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare and potential time-to-market accelerators for new therapies and vaccines. (Listen to the full episode) 5. Innovation is the Ultimate Leveler with Steve Case (Ep. 164) Steve is one of America’s most renowned entrepreneurs as a co-founder of America Online (AOL). Currently, Steve serves as chairman and CEO of Revolution LLC, which focuses on investing in the next generation of founders, especially in the 47 states outside of California, New York and Massachusetts. In the episode, Steve and our CEO Cathie Wood discuss why he thinks entrepreneurs are vital, the value of research toward innovation, why Steve thinks you should be optimistic for the future of America. (Listen to the full episode) “Check out the FYI – For Your Innovation Podcast ‘Best of 2022’. Because investing in innovation starts with understanding it. #FYIpodcast”
ARK Crypto Brainstorm #01: The Aftermath of FTX
We are pleased to introduce the ARK Crypto Brainstorm; a quarterly conversation between a rotating group of experts in the crypto space, The ARK Crypto Brainstorm will be published through the For Your Innovation podcast channels and aims to be an informative and in-depth conversation on the current state of the ever-changing crypto landscape with experts offering diverse viewpoints. In the first episode of the ARK Crypto Brainstorm, ARK Cryptocurrency Analyst Yassine Elmandjra and Chief Futurist Brett Winton hosted five leaders in the crypto space including: Alex Gladstein CSO, Human Rights Foundation Alex Gladstein is Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation. He has also served as Vice President of Strategy for the Oslo Freedom Forum since its inception in 2009. In his work, Alex has connected hundreds of dissidents and civil society groups with business leaders, technologists, journalists, philanthropists, policymakers, and artists to promote free and open societies. Chris Burniske Partner, Placeholder Chris Burniske is the Partner at Placeholder VC, a venture capital firm that invests in decentralized networks and web3 services. Chris is also the author of Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor’s Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond, and he formerly led Crypto research at ARK. Dhruv Bansal Co-Founder and CSO, Unchained Capital Dhruv Bansal is the Co-Founder and CSO at Unchained Capital, a bitcoin native financial services company offering collaborative custody multisignature vaults and loans for bitcoin holders. Prior to Unchained Capital, Dhruv was the co-Founder and CSO at Infochimps, a cloud service that streamlines building and managing complex big data environments and distills analytics. Eric Wall Crypto Blogger Eric Wall is a Stockholm-based software engineer and cryptocurrency trader. He works at a financial IT infrastructure provider as a blockchain and cryptocurrency domain expert and holds a M.Sc.Eng. in Information and Communication Engineering Technologies from the Faculty of Engineering (LTH), Lund University, where he specialized in blockchain technology. Nic Carter Founding Partner, Castle Island Ventures Nic Carter is a founding partner at Castle Island Ventures, a venture capital firm focused exclusively on public blockchains. Before founding Castle Island, Nic worked for Fidelity as their first cryptoasset analyst, where he devised research perspectives on public blockchains. He is the cofounder of Coin Metrics. He holds a degree in philosophy from the University of St Andrews and an MSc Finance and Investment from the University of Edinburgh. Key Points From This Episode: Potential sources for additional fallout in the cryptocurrency market Why might Binance’s auditor have quit Binance’s current situation generally, and what might the company’s future look like Game theory on calling out crypto scams What the future could be for Tether How US Treasury assets could be instrumentalized Would a potential collapse of Tether be positive for Bitcoin? How crypto regulation plays a role in the long-term How Fidelity can impact Bitcoin What the future might hold for the decentralized finance (DeFi) industry Bitcoin’s relative strength among a variety of other crypto crashes The prospects for Bitcoin’s price movement in the near term General thoughts on the collapse of FTX Is Solana dead or can it come back into favor? How the NFT ecosystem compares to the rest of the Ethereum ecosystem What are some optimistic viewpoints in crypto despite considerable recent volatility How government policy and regulation could shape the crypto market

Innovation Is the Ultimate Leveler with Steve Case
He is one of America’s most renowned and accomplished entrepreneurs and helped make the internet what it is today. Steve Case’s entrepreneurial journey began in 1985 when he co-founded America Online (AOL), the largest internet-access subscription service company in the United States. He stepped down as CEO of AOL in 2000 after negotiating the largest merger in business history. He has an immense passion and appreciation for business, helping start several companies since leaving AOL. Steve has also helped shape government policy regarding issues relating to entrepreneurship and supports legislation that catalyzes startup ecosystems. One of his exploits is Revolution, where he serves as the Chairman and CEO. Revolution is a company focused on investing in the next generation of founders and helping startups grow. In our conversation, we talk broadly about innovation in America, his book Rise of the Rest, and the power of government policy. Learn about his professional background and journey at AOL, his achievements after leaving AOL, and why innovation is fundamental for the future of America. We also unpack the current thinking around government policy concerning crypto and tech, how he thinks the government will handle it, and what policy reforms to expect in the future. Hear about his company Revolution and how the company is helping drive and support entrepreneurial spirit in the country. We also discuss why he thinks entrepreneurs are vital, the value of research toward innovation, why Steve thinks you should be optimistic for the future of America, and much more. “Following the money is one way to make investments, but following the talent is probably the better way in the venture capital world.” — @SteveCase Key Points From This Episode: A brief background about Steve’s professional career journey at AOL. Whether the market bust of 2020 was caused by the collapse of tech stocks. Find out why the business model of AOL was daring in the early days. How Steve got involved in helping shape government tech policies. His opinion regarding government policy in the tech sector. Whether government policy will encourage innovation within tech and crypto. Learn how innovation can be the greatest leveler of opportunity and success. We discuss Revolution and his motivation for starting the company. Discover details about his book and the insight it provides readers. Steve outlines some of the companies in the Revolution growth portfolio. We unpack the shift toward passive investing that has occurred in recent years. Steve shares what he thinks will be the long-term trend in investment of capital. We discuss and compare private and public markets. Reasons for the brain drain and the concentration of capital in a handful of cities. The innovation that is happening around the country and why this is good. Learn about an interesting new application to help you invest properly. Where the biggest inefficiencies are concerning the various stages of venture capital. Differences in terms of companies needing assistance concerning fixed assets. Hear why you should be positive for the future of business in America.

Contextualizing Today’s Economy with Jeremy Siegel
From The Great Depression and the two World Wars to now COVID and the escalation of the War in Ukraine, the world has had its fair share of economic downturns. However, the way we recover from it seems different now than it was in the early 1900s. Here with us today to discuss the differences and similarities of past, present, and future recessions is Wharton Professor and esteemed economist, Jeremy Siegel. Jeremy shares his thoughts on the Monitor hypothesis, the potential severity of a recession, and how current technological advancements make an increase in productivity highly likely. We learn what the Federal Reserve could be doing better amidst the negative money growth we are currently experiencing before Jeremy gives us his take on digital currencies and why crypto may be a three-part revolution. “I do think, as I look back, because of my studies with Milton Friedman, that the principal cause of the Great Depression was the failure of the Fed to prevent the total collapse of the banking system.” — Professor Jeremy Siegel Key Points From This Episode: Welcoming today’s guest, Wharton Professor and decorated economist, Jeremy Siegel. A look at Jeremy’s professional background. Jeremy’s thoughts on the Monitor hypothesis. What Jeremey thinks the severity of the an upcoming recession could be. How too much labor and inventory could compound a recession. Why innovation and automation may lead to a big increase in productivity in the near future. How Jeremy thinks today’s economic climate compares to the Smoot-Hawley act and others. Whether inflation can drop below zero, mimicking post-disaster periods of old. What the Federal Reserve could do to bring back money growth. A closer look at the negative money growth America is currently experiencing. Why Jeremy believes it’s no longer necessary to squeeze the economy to death to regain parity. Why increasing productivity should be our top priority. Whether a productivity rise is inevitable due to ever-changing technological advancements. Jeremy’s take on digital currencies. Cryptocurrency as a possible three-part revolution.

Designing The Future Of Software Engineering with Amjad Masad from Replit
Programming has transitioned from machine code to punch cards, from assembly to high-level languages, and from C to dynamic languages, then to Python. Now, we are heading into the next frontier with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and today’s guest, Amjad Masad, is one of the leaders designing the future of software engineering. During this episode, Amjad explains how the challenges he came up against during his early days as a programmer inspired him to make programming more accessible and how he is turning that dream into a reality through his privately-held company, Replit. Among other things, you’ll hear why Replit might appeal to both novice and highly experienced programmers, their “code as data” approach, the exponential growth that the company has experienced since its founding in 2016, and why Amjad believes that in the coming years, a single software developer might have the same productivity level as a 100 software developers today! “Our mission is to power the next generation of software development and rebuild something that is collaborative by default, instance ubiquitous and AI-powered.” — @amasad Key Points From This Episode: Amjad Masad, the co-founder and CEO of Replit, shares what the company does and the vision that drives them. The problem with the programming world that inspired Amjad to found Replit. What the Replit prototype was like in its infancy. Amjad’s breakthrough that went viral. The early years of Amjad’s career. How Replit has grown since its founding in 2016. Value that Replit aims to provide to beginner and senior programmers. Where the idea of using code as data originated. How Replit acquired its name. Impacts of the Transformer revolution. How Transformers are programmed. Amjad explains what his Ghostwriter program does. Valuable lessons Amjad learned from The Mythical Man-Month. Software engineering’s latest “silver bullet.” What Amjad sees as the role of software engineers in the future. A high-level overview of the history of programming and the developments that Amjad expects to see in the coming years. Factors that might make Replit stand out from its competitors. What Amjad wishes he knew from day one of building Replit.

Disrupting Stock Market Education with Emmet Savage from MyWallSt
MyWallSt is built on a simple mission: to get the world investing successfully. During today’s discussion, co-founder Emmet Savage shares a wealth of insights from his investment journey, which began in the early 90s. Listeners will become privy to six golden rules Emmet has learned the hard way during his career, plenty of which can be applied far beyond financial decision-making. Hear the origin story of his app, Learn by MyWallSt, and how it has begun to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives. Hear about how Emmet has built the algorithm behind Horizon, another product by MyWallSt, and find out how he summarizes his long-term vision for the business. We discuss what you can learn from stock investing which extends beyond what you may expect, and Emmet weighs in on the role of AI and Robo-Adviser in changing the landscape today. Tune in to hear all this and much more. “We’re motivated by a simple mission: to get the world investing successfully.” — @emmetsavage Key Points From This Episode: Welcome to Emmet Savage, co-founder of MyWallSt. Emmet’s history with investing in Irish and US markets. MyWallSt’s origins and their opportunity to disrupt stock market education and investing. John and Emmet’s simple mission at MyWallSt: to get the world investing successfully. Emmet’s first experiences of investing during the .com boom. The first share Emmet invested in with his father was in the early 90s. How ‘nothing beats free’ has become a rough rule of the internet. Six golden rules Emmet learned the hard way when the .com bubble burst. The conjoined rules of thinking long-term and not borrowing. Why diversification is critical to success. Buying what you believe in for your best success. What it means to “invest what you can, when you can.” Two reasons people choose not to invest. The origin story behind the app, Learn by MyWallSt. How Learn by MyWallSt was built with the rewards of short bursts of learning in mind. The story of Michelle, who upskilled herself on the bus, leading to investment success. What MyWallSt’s $1000 a year service, Horizon, works to do. The long-term vision behind Emmet’s work at MyWallSt. Similarities between the bursting of the .com bubble and the current climate. Understanding that a part of your brain lights up when you bet on something. The double-edged sword of human temperament. What you can learn from stock investing beyond the obvious. Emmet’s advice to keep your nerve when everyone else is panicking. Why the customization of messaging is so important: we remember feelings. The fact that AI and Robo-Adviser may overtake us eventually. What happens the moment a magic formula is released.

Military Defense and Intelligence with Chip Walter from Marlinspike
Today’s guest Chip Walter is a Navy veteran and Managing Director of Marlinspike Partners, a company working to solve the technological needs in space, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence (AI) through investment. Tune in to hear about Chip’s background in the Navy, how he ended up at Marlinspike, and his experience flying a P-3 plane. We discuss the roles of the Prime contractors in defense and intelligence, the process of trying to sell weapons to the Department of Defense, and a common mistake startups should to avoid. The timeline of the growth of space technology is increasing at a rapid rate. In this episode, Chip tells us why he feels the USA needs to match the presence of other dominant countries in space in order to defend itself before he explains how cyber fits into war-fighting as the fifth domain. “The big players in the in the defense industrial base [need to] play with the smaller players and be responsible [for] bringing them along and allowing them to use their innovative cycle” — Chip Walter Key Points From This Episode: A brief introduction of today’s guest, Chip Walter, and all about his background. What Chip thinks the US needs to do to improve defense and intelligence and maintain its position. What it’s like to try to sell to the Department of Defense or the intelligence community. What small companies in this industry should be aiming for. Why startups should be careful of trying to do too much. What Chip sees happening in space in terms of defense and investment at Marlinspike. Why presence in space is essential to achieve military dominance. Why cyber is the fifth domain of war-fighting. How AI fits into war-fighting. Chip tells us about his days flying the P-3 plane.

Has Innovation Bottomed? with Steven Vannelli
Here at ARK, the number one question we hear is: has innovation bottomed? Steven Vannelli is seeing signs that innovation may have hit the bottom and that there might be a significant turning point ahead. Steven is Founder and CEO of Knowledge Leaders Capital and Chief Investment Officer of the Knowledge Leaders Funds. There, he oversees investment strategy, asset allocation, and security selection, and leads development on the firm’s analysis of intangible capital, studying how it affects corporate profitability and wealth creation. According to Steven’s most recent Quarterly Strategy Report, global innovation appears to have bottomed, and in this episode, he breaks down what he means. We take a deep dive into the stats that suggest that innovation could be relatively undervalued from a historical perspective. “[Intangible assets aren’t] all necessarily hardcore ones and zeros, bits and bytes. A lot of it is investments that companies make into their people or make into their processes.” — Steven Vannelli Key Points From This Episode: The motivation behind Knowledge Leaders and their unique focus on intangible assets. Indications that innovation as a factor bottomed earlier in 2022, according to Steven. Defining intangible assets and some examples that illustrate their value. Understanding the relationship between present intellectual property and future earnings. A look at the first quintile of the S&P 500 and what it means for innovation. Where research and development spenders in the S&P 500 are concentrated. Steven shares his view on how companies can benefit from capitalizing on R&D. Indices that Steven uses as proxies for innovation. The Bloomberg R&D Leaders Index versus the Goldman Sachs Non-profitable Tech Index. A look at financial leverage based on reported data. The potential merits of comparing the 2000s boom and bust cycle with innovation today. Potential ramifications of the tech race between the U.S. and China. How geopolitical risk can slow innovation.

The World of DaaS with Auren Hoffman
With steadily increasing technological advancements and a new way of living with the global pandemic, Data as a service (DaaS) has become a very attractive business model. Taking full advantage of the growing internet is today’s guest, CEO of privately held SafeGraph and the host of The World of DaaS podcast, Auren Hoffman. To paraphrase our guest, SafeGraph sells data about physical places, they sell a collection of facts. Auren’s background as a software engineer launched him into the world of tech, and he explains why he believes DaaS is so important in today’s world. We learn that SafeGraph prioritizes data over analytics, why trading datamay be / appears to be better for business than selling it, and why value and accuracy could be / he believes, etc more important than data quantity. Software tools are leading to both market concentration and fragmentation, and we see how software’s evolution to be more text-prompt-based can be great for the everyday consumer. Auren is also an angel investor and he tells us what he prefers investing in and why he finds the current market so fascinating. Before discussing the slippery slope of universal standards, our guest shares why podcasting brings him joy and why being able to switch between platforms and systems is becoming a major selling point. Auren is encouraged by the competitive nature of the data space and he explains why traditional banks have a tough battle to deal with. “The most important thing in data is that it’s true because you’re just selling facts. Hopefully, you have a lot of facts. Hopefully, those facts are facts people want.” — @auren Key Points From This Episode: Introducing today’s guest, DaaS expert and serial entrepreneur, Auren Hoffman. Auren’s business background and how he got into tech. What SafeGraph does as a business. The definition of a “data as a service” (DaaS) company and why it matters in today’s world. How dealing in data is simply working with facts. Whether Auren has been tempted to add analytics to his data-focused business. How Auren feels about the ever-increasing capabilities of data software tools. How his business’s data class differs from the others that prioritize analytics. Data-direct monetization and why it’s a bad idea for businesses to adopt the trend. Why Auren believes trading data is more beneficial than selling it. The difficulties of being in the data business. Why Auren’s company needs to provide both the facts and the interpolation between them. According to Auren, how data quantity is not enough and why value and accuracy also matter. The tipping points within data accuracy. SafeGraph’s prototypical customer. How Auren bills his clients and why he thinks more people are able to use modern data software. Whether software tools are leading to market concentration, fragmentation, or both. How Auren’s customers are implementing the data they receive from him. Why data software is evolving to be more text-prompt-based. How SafeGraph is competing with Google, just like everybody else. What Auren is investing in and what he finds interesting about the current marketplace. How he approaches the problem of customer acquisition within SafeGraph. Why Auren, as a CEO, is running a podcast. How to navigate systems that have become resistant to changes in processed data. The slippery slope of universal standards, and why Auren believes they are still important. What Auren thinks about the competitive nature of the current data space. The displacement of customer-sticking in banking.

A New Era in Cancer Immunotherapy with Tom Whitehead and Dr. Alex Marson
When his six-year-old daughter was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Tom Whitehead was determined to do whatever it took to save her life. In 2012, Emily Whitehead became the first patient enrolled in a clinical trial of a new immunotherapy treatment known as CAR T, which would ultimately turn her immune system into a powerful weapon against cancer. A decade later, this cancer treatment is now widely used and has gone on to save hundreds of lives. Today, in this special double episode of For Your Innovation, you’ll not only hear from Tom Whitehead as he shares the details of their miraculous story, recounting the innovative research, faith, and support that got them through the most difficult time of their lives, but you’ll also gain additional insight into CAR T therapy from biologist and infectious disease physician, Dr. Alexander Marson. Dr, Marson is a Professor at UCSF and the Director of the Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology. His lab focuses on adapting CRISPR genome editing techniques to human immune cells in order to understand the genetic programs controlling immune cell function and to manipulate T cells to generate cell-based therapies for a wide range of diseases, including cancer. For a fascinating look at the patient/family/caregiver experience of cancer immunotherapy, intersected with that of a scientist who works on these novel and innovative therapies every day, listen to today’s episode! “T-cells are a central cell type that we can engage in a number of different ways to start orchestrating responses to treat cancer.” — @MarsonLab Key Points From This Episode:

Breaking Down Biotech Innovations with Dr. Bob Langer
Today’s guest is MIT professor, chemical engineer, scientist, inventor, and investor Dr. Bob Langer. Dr. Langer has over 1,400 granted or pending patents and has been cited 374,000 times (and counting)! As a co-founder of Moderna, he has great insights into the potential of mRNA to treat diseases of various descriptions. Joining us to pick this extraordinary mind is clinically trained entrepreneur, Dr. Charlie Roberts. In this conversation, we discuss emerging biotechnologies, the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in this space, as well as what might be attributed to the current downturn of the market. Dr. Langer lists potential time-to-market accelerators for new therapies and vaccines and shares his advice for those looking to make an impact from an academic and/or entrepreneurial standpoint. Tune in to hear more about the innovations Dr. Langer has been involved in over the years, and what we can look forward to in the future! “I don’t see much limit in terms of what messenger RNA can be used to treat.” — Dr. Bob Langer Key Points From This Episode: Dr. Bob Langer highlights his favorite patent. Dr. Langer’s career achievements. Some factors impacting the current biotech market downturn. The correlation between magic and science. What mRNA is and why it’s an ideal candidate for treating disease. The personalized cancer vaccines Merck and Moderna are currently developing. Under what circumstances mRNA isn’t the solution. The emerging biotechnologies Dr. Langer is most excited about. The applications of organs on a chip. The potential of AI in the biotech space. Potential time-to-market accelerators for new therapies and vaccines. How to make an impact in the academic and entrepreneurial biotech spaces. The importance of understanding intellectual property. The team aspect of innovation. Dr. Langer’s tales of perseverance. Strategies for enforcing IPs. Dr. Langer’s delivery expertise. How he’s balanced his work and family life over the years.

Talking The Tezos Network with Arthur and Kathleen Breitman
The world of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology is a rapidly evolving sector that has grown tremendously in popularity in recent years. However, the original philosophy of crypto and blockchain has been altered by interests in capital gain and convenience, eroding the founding ethos of the technology. This was not acceptable to today’s guests, Arthur and Kathleen Breitman, who decided to build a blockchain technology that ensured the original spirit of the technology was preserved. Arthur and Kathleen are the creators of Tezos, a public blockchain that enables decentralized governance by allowing self-amendments. In today’s conversation, we dive into the underlying Tezos protocol and discover the various ways people are applying it. We learn what a rollup is, the different versions of rollups, and what data availability is as a concept. Hear about their approach to scaling, how scaling has changed from a research to an engineering problem, and why the Breitman’s believe gaming will catalyze the next wave of users of blockchain technology. “I started my journey by thinking: Bitcoin, it’s not an algorithm. It’s not a software. It’s a network. It’s consensus around a ledger.” — @ArthurB Key Points From This Episode: Background about our guests and what got them interested in crypto. The motivation for Arthur and Kathleen to build their own blockchain. How the narrative around cryptocurrencies has evolved and where Tezos fits in. How Arthur and Kathleen formed the idea of on-chain governance as a middle ground. An outline of the upsides and downsides to the on-chain governance approach. The shift in motivation and ethos of the average crypto-user. Past updates and the current state of the network. Whether scaling is achieved by upgrading the core or Layer 2. What data availability is as a concept and why it is essential. A breakdown of a rollup and the various approaches to scaling. What rollup approach the Tezos network uses to scale. The many ways people are using the Tezos network. How Arthur and Kathleen measure the growth and use of the Tezos network. What they think will cause more people to adopt the network in the future. Why venture capitalists have become interested in cryptocurrencies. Comparing the railroads of the 1900s with public blockchains that exist today. Ways in which capitalization of crypto and blockchain technology will be overcome. An outline of the future for Tezos and how the community is involved. Arthur and Kathleen’s take on the regulatory environment and how it’ll change in the future.

The Future of AI with Manu Sharma
Today, Will Summerlin hosts a conversation with Manu Sharma, founder and CEO of Labelbox, a privately held data curation and artificial intelligence (AI) company. In the episode, Manu unpacks the role of AI in powering real-world solutions, discusses why he believes the AI paradigm shift is really all about data, and what motivates him to create a product suite to orchestrate AI activities. We also dive into the rapid AI driven transformations that enterprises are facing today, how they navigated solutions for data engines before Labelbox, and what the impact of unsupervised learning is on the need for labeling. You’ll hear why Manu believes AI is more accessible than ever before, and how John Deere is implementing artificial intelligence in their daily work. Additionally, you’ll hear about the role of the government, and about remote and in-person culture. “These computer systems are getting better and better. They are going to be able to abstract and generalize knowledge from their natural interactions humans have.” — @manuero Key Points From This Episode: How Labelbox tries to improve mission-critical AI systems across industries by building software products. Manu’s experience working in satellite imaging at Planet Labs before starting Labelbox. What it was like to see AI applications powering real-world solutions for the first time. Why the Manu believes the AI paradigm is really all about data. How the need to create a product suite to orchestrate AI activities motivated Manu to create Labelbox. The rapid AI driven transformations that enterprises using Labelbox experience today. How enterprises navigated solutions for data engines before Labelbox. How Tesla has built a data engine to create a closed loop system. What AI labeling actually is. The impact of unsupervised learning on the need for labeling. Three layers of AI capabilities. Why AI is accessible to everyone today. How AI powers John Deere’s tractors through See & Spray technology. The biggest challenge that AI adopters are facing today. Manu’s prediction for the rate of progress in AI technology. Government progress in AI and digital warfare. The importance of finding people who are on board with the values of the company. Why Labelbox has embraced remote culture. Working together in person and building a team culture at Labelbox.

Gilt Trip with Cathie Wood
On this episode of For Your Innovation, we showcase Episode 34 of our monthly video series, “In the Know,” from October 7, 2022. ARK CEO, CIO and Founder Cathie Wood, weighs in on M2 growth, inventory pile-ups, liability driven investing, commodity prices, and why we believe the Fed is making a mistake as they base policy on lagging economic indicators. She discusses fiscal policy, monetary policy, market signals, economic indicators, and innovation. To read our full open letter to the Fed, click here. To watch the video version of In The Know, click here.
Inventing Base Editing with Doctors Nicole Gaudelli and Alexis Komor
Please note: as of 6/30/22, ARK’s clients own greater than 1% of the shares outstanding of Beam Therapeutics Inc. On today’s episode, ARK analyst Ali Urman hosts the inventors of the adenine base editor (ABE) and the cytosine base editor (CBE) Nicole Gaudelli and Alexis Komor, respectively. Nicole is the Senior Director and Head of Gene Editing Platform Technologies at Beam Therapeutics, and Alexis is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry DNA damage and repair and Genome editing at the University of California, San Diego. Alexis and Nicole worked together to develop a pair of CRISPR base editors, capable of engineering precise single-base substitutions. In today’s conversation, Alexis and Nicole discuss their discovery of base editing, what base editing is, how they grew interested in the space and what the future applications of this discovery might be! Key Points From This Episode Alexis and Nicole on the discovery of base editing What exactly base editing is How Alexis and Nicole grew interested in base editing Alexis’ interest in directed evolution How CRISPR and antibiotics integrate What itwas like working with Dr. David Liu The potential disease curing applications of base editing Why Alexis decided to go into academia rather than corporate Why Nicole decided to go into industry instead of academia

Personalizing Private Wealth with Titan CEOs Joe Percoco and Clay Gardner
On today’s episode, ARK analysts Max Friedrich and Will Summerlin are joined by co-founders and co-CEOs of Titan, an online investment management platform, Joe Percoco, and Clay Gardner. In this episode, we hear how these business partners met and founded their company, their mission, and vision, how they remove the ‘middleman,’ and more. We also discuss what Titan believes prevents investors from trying to build a distribution channel, and what information investors care about the most. Joe and Clay also share some new strategies they’ve launched on their app, and we delve into how they see their user experience evolving and what their biggest challenges have been thus far. This dynamic duo also tells us their entrepreneurial story, how their vision has changed, and they give out some advice to their younger selves. “I think the world needs to remove these barriers, as opposed to just making wealthy people richer.” — @virtualclay Key Points From This Episode: An introduction to today’s guests, Joe Percoco and Clay Gardner. How Joe and Clay met. How Joe and Clay founded Titan. Joe and Clay explain what Titan is and what their mission is. What is happening with asset classes today. What prevents institutional investors from trying to build a distribution channel with retail. How Titan tries to remove the ‘middleman.’ What information Titan believes investors care about the most. The new strategies launched by Titan and how investors can engage with them on the app. The details associated with Titan’s new interval funds. The feedback Titan has gotten up until this point. How Titan sees the user experience and the product mix evolving in the future. Joe and Clay’s entrepreneurial story and how their vision has changed over time. Joe and Clay share some advice for their younger selves. What Joe and Clay they look for in an ideal venture partner. The biggest challenges Titan is facing and what Joe and Clay are doing to overcome them.

Exploring Big Green DAO with Kimbal Musk
In this episode of For Your Innovation, we sit down with multi-hyphenate Kimbal Musk to talk about food justice, Big Green, and its latest branch, Big Green Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). Billed as the first non-profit-led philanthropic DAO, this experiment is aiming to use the power of decentralization and automation to impact lives on the most basic level. Kimbal shares a little about why this work has him so excited and feels like the natural progression of the efforts he has been making in the past years, before we dive into the ethos behind Big Green, and how they are tackling the constant challenges that are associated with this kind of philanthropy. Our guest also unpacks the intricacies of fundraising, the impacts of the pandemic, and what transparent growth means to him. We get to look ahead to the future vision of the project, and Kimbal talks about the cyclical nature of growth seasons in all industries and how this compares to the projects for decentralized technology. “If nothing else comes of the DAO, the community itself is the most wonderful, beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in the non-profit space, and I’ve been working in this space for 12 years.” — @kimbal Key Points From This Episode The current work and projects that are getting Kimbal most excited. The three ways that Big Green approaches trying to change lives through growing food. Kimbal’s reflections on the challenges facing philanthropic work. How Big Green DAO aims to tackle some of the fundraising issues. The pivots and shifts that Big Green made in response to the conditions of the pandemic. The transparent growth of Big Green DAO and how automation makes vetting easier. Confronting concerns around the ability of donors to vote. Kimbal shares his aspirations for Big Green DAO in the near future. The evolution of Kimbal’s crypto philosophy and the cycles of bubbles. Early attitudes towards Big Green DAO, and the usefulness of branding it an ‘experiment.’ Where to learn more and get involved with this great project!

Discussing The Current State Of The Investment Industry with Eric Balchunas
On today’s episode of the For Your Innovation podcast, our Chief Futurist Brett Winton interviews Bloomberg’s Eric Balchunas. Eric Balchunas is Senior ETF Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, where he leads the ETF and passive fund research and contributes to Bloomberg Opinion. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences, as well as the co-creator of the Bloomberg podcast Trillions and Bloomberg TV’s ETF IQ. Eric is also the author of the recently released, The Bogle Effect, a book about how john bogle and vanguard turned wall street inside out and saved investors trillions. Brett and Eric discuss The Bogle Effect, and Vanguard’s John Bogle in detail, indexation in the investment management industry, passive vs. active investing[1], the media’s coverage of the investing world and much more. “What we try to tell people and is to go where the indexes aren’t…this industry like any other, you can see this with ETFs in particular, that’s where a lot of the innovation is seen.” – @EricBalchunas Key Points From This Episode: Eric Balchunas’ recent book; The Bogle Effect Indexing and how John Bogle brought indexing to Wall Street Eric explains risks of indexing for retail investors The size and scale of the passive fund market Eric’s views on risk within the active fund industry How exchange traded funds (ETFs) fit into the innovation of financial innovation How ETFs compare to index funds The media’s coverage of the investment management industry Eric’s stock ETFs and the risks they may pose to investors What the future might be for indexation and ETFs What Eric thinks is the primary function of investment advisors The potential of mass adoption of cryptocurrency based investment products

Exploring the Custodia Bank Project with Caitlin Long and Angie Dalton
Today CEO and CIO Cathie Wood and Angie Dalton engage Caitlin Long, the CEO and Founder of the privately owned Custodia Bank, in an insightful conversation about her work and her particular take on the possibilities of crypto technologies in the current climate. Caitlin’s approach is one we do not hear about so often, and we get to explore how Custodia Bank is hoping to harness the powers of new technology and at the same time focus on proper regulation adherence and improving the dominant banking systems. We talk about the work that Caitlin is doing as a stepping stone and how we might get through this transitional period of integration, and Cathie and Angie get to ask our guest a number of very probing questions on what a truly modern payment ecosystem would look like. For Caitlin, it is a no-brainer to utilize this powerful, open, and cost effective technology to upgrade banking services. “Ultimately, what we’re trying to do is ensure that the on-off ramps are there and reliable so that legitimate businesses in this industry don’t lose their bank accounts.” — @CaitlinLong_ Key Points From This Episode: The significance of Wyoming to Caitlin’s work and the inspiration drawn from South Dakota. Caitlin paints a picture of the regulatory backdrop for her efforts to start a bank. Creating a bank in new infrastructure while integrating digital assets into the traditional banking system. Why access to the Federal Bank is necessary for this project. The likely impact of ‘open banking’ on the status quo and the incumbent powers. Exploring the idea of rehypothecation and Caitlin’s approach to lending and leverage. Recent lessons in transparency for policymakers. A little about Custodia Bank, its bank charter, and the problems they are aiming to solve. Adjusting the narrative around crypto and non-compliance with regulation. Comparing crypto with card networks and how the infrastructure might be replicated. Caitlin explans how Custodia Bank compares with Silvergate and Circle. Caitlin’s feelings about moving back to Wyoming!

Making AI Accessible with Scale AI CEO Alex Wang
The idea of artificial intelligence (AI) may appeal to many businesses for its cost-saving potential, but ARK believes in its ability to enable scaling reaches far beyond. Today, we are joined by the CEO of Scale AI, Alex Wang, to talk about the problem Scale was born out of, and its mission to enable every organization to utilize AI technology. In our conversation, we touch on everything from Scale’s origin story and its success in improving data set curation systems for machine learning algorithms, to the involvement of humans in the trajectory of AI systems. Alex breaks down the paradigm shift from human as author and editor to AI as author and human as editor, before explaining the market-enabling potential of AI. We discuss the geopolitical relevance of AI and what would could be required for any country to take the lead as an AI superpower. Listen in to find out more about the scaling potential of AI for businesses and the role Scale AI is playing to help make this possible for organizations all over the world! “If you solve the data problems and the data foundations of AI, that’s going to enable almost everyone in the world to be able to build great AI and transform their businesses.” — @alexandr_wang Key Points From This Episode: Introducing Alex Wang, CEO of Scale AI. What Scale AI does and who they serve. Alex shares the origin story of Scale AI. The exponential gains Scale has driven in the efficiency of data-producing systems for machine learning algorithms. The paradigm shift from human as author and editor to AI as author and human as editor, according to Alex. Alex’s prediction for the involvement of humans in the trajectory of AI systems. The market-enabling potential of AI. The notable rate of improvement in the AI field. The magnitude of scaling Scale AI enables for its customers. Alex’s view of the broader trend TikTok reflects, in terms of AI efficiency in a business context. The role AI could play in national security, and why Alex believes regulation is essential. The importance of AI from a geopolitical standpoint. The gulf of understanding between Silicon Valley and DC regarding AI, as told by Alex. Alex explains how Scale fulfills its mission to enable every organization with great AI technology. How Scale communicates the true value of AI to its customers. Examples of the use of AI in various industries. The challenges traditional companies face when it comes to embracing AI. What differentiates Scale from its competitors.

The Future of Web3 Games and Digital Ownership
Today Frank Downing and Nick Grous are joined by current CEO of Polygon Studios, Ryan Wyatt! A lifelong gamer and technology enthusiast, Ryan shares his journey through these worlds as a user and then as a professional before we dive into Polygon and some of the foundational elements of what they are doing in the gaming and non-fungible token (NFT) space. Ryan talks about the Polygon protocol, and also how the company relates and compares to its peers and adjacent technologies. From there, the bulk of our conversation is spent unpacking what Polygon Studios is bringing to the table and how they are aiming to attract customers through their unique value offer. We also cover exciting avenues in the gaming world and weigh how much of this is going to the move into the Web3 domain. Ryan also comments more generally on the buy-in to decentralization, interoperability concerns, and his perspective on the realities of the metaverse. “We’re not really a studio. We’re not making any games in-house. We’re not creating any IP in-house. That’s very intentional, because I would never want to be at odds with any of the people that are building.” — @Fwiz Key Points From This Episode: Some background from Ryan on his journey through the world of gaming and media. Unpacking the Polygon protocol and how Polygon Studios fits into the ecosystem. Introducing Polygon’s role in the context of Ethereum and companies like Solana. The main products that Polygon is targeting as a means of attracting customers. Ryan shares some of the development happening at Polygon. The new toolset that is now available for game development. Possibilities for the future of the play-to-earn model and cosmetic purchase options. Considering mass adoption of Web3 and the current readiness for this. The spectrum of investment in the idea of decentralization. Interoperability arguments and Ryan’s thoughts about how best to tackle some of the issues. The transition that Ryan made from YouTube to Polygon and his reflections on the contrast. Ryan’s perspective on the potential of the metaverse.

The Dust is Settling in the Cryptocurrency Market
Today, ARK analysts Frank Downing and Yassine Elmandjra and research associate David Puell join the For Your Innovation podcast to provide an update on the cryptocurrency market. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about what the last three months have meant for cryptocurrency, what led to Three Arrows filing for bankruptcy, where we are in the broader cost basis of the market, the state of the current decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure, and the biggest learnings from this turmoil. We also discuss how we believe all of this might play out for Ether, the path to recovery, the implications of the security regulation uncertainty of Coinbase, and the Tornado Cash incident. We even give you ARK’s market analysis of the broader price action featured in The Bitcoin Monthly! Be sure to subscribe to the Bitcoin Monthly, here. “There’s an interesting settling of the dust, where the size of every marginal fallout associated with Terra is diminishing.” — @yassineARK Key Points From This Episode: What the last three months have meant for cryptocurrency. What led to Three Arrows filing for bankruptcy. A market analysis of the broader price action that was featured in July’s edition of The Bitcoin Monthly. ARK’s view of where we are in the broader cost basis of the market. ARK’s conclusions from this turmoil and the state of the current DeFi infrastructure. How all of this might play out for Ether in the short and mid-term future. ARK’s metrics showing that the path to recovery could be well on its way. The recent security regulation and uncertainty around some of Coinbase’s listings. The Tornado Cash incident and its implications. Disclsoure Please note, companies that ARK believes are capitalizing on disruptive innovation and developing technologies to displace older technologies or create new markets may not in fact do so and/or may face political or legal attacks from competitors, industry groups, or local and national governments. ARK aims to educate investors and to size the potential opportunity of Disruptive Innovation, noting that risks and uncertainties may impact our projections and research models. Investors should use the content presented for informational purposes only, and be aware of market risk, disruptive innovation risk, regulatory risk, and risks related to Deep Learning, Digital Wallets, Battery Technology, Autonomous Technologies, Drones, DNA Sequencing, CRISPR, Robotics, 3D Printing, Bitcoin, Blockchain Technology, etc. Cryptocurrency Risk. Cryptocurrencies (also referred to as “virtual currencies” and “digital currencies”) are digital assets designed to act as a medium of exchange. Cryptocurrency is an emerging asset class. There are thousands of cryptocurrencies, the most well-known of which is bitcoin. Cryptocurrency generally operates without central authority (such as a bank) and is not backed by any government. Cryptocurrency is not legal tender. Federal, state and/or foreign governments may restrict the use and exchange of cryptocurrency, and regulation in the U.S. is still developing. The market price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been subject to extreme fluctuations. Similar to fiat currencies (i.e., a currency that is backed by a central bank or a national, supra-national or quasi-national organization), cryptocurrencies are susceptible to theft, loss and destruction. Cryptocurrency exchanges and other trading venues on which cryptocurrencies trade are relatively new and, in most cases, largely unregulated and may therefore be more exposed to fraud and failure than established, regulated exchanges for securities, derivatives and other currencies. Cryptocurrency exchanges may stop operating or permanently shut down due to fraud, technical glitches, hackers or malware, which may also affect the price of cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrency Tax Risk. Many significant aspects of the U.S. federal income tax treatment of investments in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are uncertain and still evolving. The content of this presentation is for informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice. This presentation does not constitute, either explicitly or implicitly, any provision of services or products by ARK and investors are encouraged to consult counsel and/or other investment professionals as to whether a particular investment management service is suitable for their investment needs. All statements made regarding companies or securities are strictly beliefs and points of view held by ARK and are not endorsements by ARK of any company or security or recommendations by ARK to buy, sell or hold any security. Historical results are not indications of future results. Certain of the statements contained in this presentation may be statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on ARK’s current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ

Resisting Recession with Cathie Wood
On this episode of FYI, we showcase our latest episode of In The Know, a monthly video series on which our CEO and CIO Cathie Wood discusses fiscal policy, monetary policy, market signals, economic indicators, and innovation. You can find the full In The Know video series at our video center here. Cathie also weighs in on the Inflation Reduction Act, productivity, inventory build-ups, the latest employment report, commodities, why we’re already in a recession, and more. She also touches on the Bitcoin Monthly, a Bitcoin “earnings report” that details relevant on-chain activity and showcases the openness, transparency, and accessibility of blockchain data. Please subscribe here to download The Bitcoin Monthly Report. Key Points From This Episode: Inflation Reduction Act Productivity inventory build-ups The latest employment report Why commodities can be a good market indicator Why we’re already in a recession The Bitcoin Monthly

Enabling the Metaverse Revolution with Improbable CEO Herman Narula
As improbable as it may seem, the metaverse is well under construction, but not in the way it’s been communicated to us in the mainstream. Joining us today to reconstruct all we know about the metaverse and its potential is Herman Narula, the co-founder and CEO of the privately owned metaverse technology company, Improbable. Improbable isn’t necessarily taking a different approach, they’re trying to solve a completely different problem. In this episode, we hear how their aim and approach differ from those of other game developers and the relationship the company has with the traditional gaming sector. Herman describes both the business and discovery model of Improbable’s M2 platform and the extent to which interoperability could be possible. We delve into blockchains and their role in the metaverse, which should fair best in the realm, and how M2 interacts with blockchains. Furthermore, Improbable has partnered with Yuga Labs: “The NFT Company Taking Over the World,” and Herman describes the intention behind it and what the partnership involves, before breaking down how he defines and views NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). Tune in to hear Herman’s thoughts on augmented and virtual reality, why he believes presence is more important than immersion, and discover how Improbable is making value transfer possible! “To me, the metaverse is a collection of related experiences that specifically augment and enhance existing communities [and] real-world culture.” — @HermanNarula Key Points Form This Episode Herman Narula gives an overview of his metaverse tech company, Improbable. How Improbable interacts with game engines but exceeds their usual capabilities. How Improbable’s aim and approach differ from that of other game developers. The convergence of technologies required to solve the gaming problem identified by Improbable. The flexibility and complexity of the platform and the resulting challenges. Why Herman has chosen to make everything as modular as possible for users. The relationship Improbable has with the traditional gaming sector. The industries that are most interested in what the company has to offer. Herman defines the metaverse and explains how the term is being mishandled in the mainstream. The benefit of the metaverse and how it differs from a video game. The benefits of blockchain technology and its role in facilitating value transfer in the metaverse. Improbable’s partnership with Yuga Labs in the NFT space. The predicted time-horizon for the full-functioning of the metaverse. How interoperability works in the M2 context and how Improbable has created a common technical basis between worlds. The biggest hurdles Improbable is currently facing. The business model of the platform and how it differs from existing online platforms. Why Herman prefers to use a link-based discovery model. How the M2 network will operate and how it interacts with blockchains. Herman predicts which blockchains will be most successful in the metaverse. How Herman defines NFTs What makes the M2 platform so appealing, without the need for a network effect. Why Herman considers Improbable and M2 to be powerful in the metaverse space. AR and VR, and the difference between presence and immersion. What Herman’s book, Virtual Reality,

E-Commerce in Indonesia with Bukalapak President Teddy Oetomo
E-commerce is taking the world by storm and today, we are joined by the President of Bukalapak, Teddy Oetomo, to find out how they’re revolutionizing the market in Indonesia. Bukalapak is a publicly traded Indonesian e-commerce company operating as a platform for both online and offline services for smaller retailers. The company partners with mom-and-pop kiosks to make its services easily accessible to customers in a cash-dominant society while enabling these small businesses to increase their revenue. In our conversation with Teddy, we learn more about Bukalapak and the Indonesian e-commerce market, and how the country’s unique socio-economic factors have lent to Bukalapak’s unique e-commerce strategy. We find out how the Indonesian market differs from other markets, and the various customer journeys available with Bukalapak. Teddy fills us in on Bukalapak’s acquisition strategy, financial services, and future plans. Tune in to find out about the nuances of the ever-expanding Indonesian e-commerce market and the versatile approach Bukalapak has adopted to meet the country’s needs. “You need practically a different strategy to tackle this market compared to [the] more commonly adopted global strategy.” — Teddy Oetomo Key Points From This Episode: Teddy Oetomo’s career background and his current role as President of Bukalapak. Indonesia’s recent history in terms of digitization. The socio-economic factors lending to Bukalapak’s unique e-commerce strategy in Indonesia. How the Indonesian market differs from other markets around the world. The nuanced e-commerce customer journey in Indonesia. The role of mom and pop kiosks in Bukalapak’s business model. Bukalapak’s acquisition strategy. The financial services Bukalapak offers, and is working towards. The typical financial services setup for convenience stores in Indonesia. The room for growth Teddy has identified in the financial services sector. The role of Bukalapak as the bridge to financial inclusion and digital transformation. The landscape of social media in Indonesia. Why Bukalapak is avoiding a single-channel strategy. The monetization capabilities of gaming and game items. The greatest challenges Teddy faces as he strives to reach the company’s goals.

Discussing Our Roku Valuation with Nick Grous and Andrew Kim
Please note: as of 3/31/22, ARK’s clients own greater than 1% of the shares outstanding of Roku Inc. We believe there’s a major shift taking place in the TV ecosystem in terms of people moving from linear (cable) TV to connected (streaming) platforms and it’s only going one direction. The advertising world hasn’t quite caught up; In Roku’s first quarter earnings call, CEO Anthony Wood reiterated that US audiences spend 46% of their TV time on streaming while advertisers spend only 18% of their TV ad budgets on streaming.[1] We believe there is an enormous investment opportunity here, and in today’s episode we are going to be talking about why we believe Roku, the only purpose-built operating system for TVs today, is positioned to be a prime beneficiary of the shift from linear to connected TV. Tune in today to hear our predictions for the next five years, the factors required for our thesis to crystalize, exciting developments taking place at Roku, and more! You can read the full Roku valuation blog here. “The way that we think about Roku in this new digital TV ecosystem is as the new cable box.” — @GrousARK Key Points From This Episode: An overview of what Roku is. How the TV ecosystem has shifted. The drop that we expect to see in the number of households using cable/broadcast (linear TV) in the US in the next five years. The number of households that we expect to be using connected TV (streaming) in the coming years. The mismatch between advertising dollars spent and engagement in the streaming space. A comparison between the amount of advertising dollars spent on connected TV and linear TV. How we predict global and US advertising spending will change in the next few years. Three key variables that our assumptions about Roku’s future depend on. How we expect Roku’s daily hour stream per account metrics to change by 2026. Roku’s approaches to driving revenue dollars. Live sports; what we believe to be the linchpin holding the linear TV advertising space together. The growth that we expect to see in global digital advertising spending by 2026. Why we think connected TV targeting can improve but linear TV targeting cannot. Our calculations of Roku’s gross platform monetization rate. Benefits of the Roku Pay offering (that we are monitoring very closely). DISCLOSURE The forecasted performance and price estimates herein are subject to revision by ARK and provided solely as a guide to current expectations. There can be no expectation that the specific security will achieve such performance or that there will be a return of capital. Past performance is not indicative of future results. FORECASTED PERFORMANCE RESULTS ARE HYPOTHETICAL AND HIGHLY SPECULATIVE, AND PRESENT MANY RISKS AND LIMITATIONS. The recipient should not consider these estimated prices alone in making an investment decision. While ARK believes that there is a sound basis for the forecasts presented, no representations are made as to their accuracy, and there can be no assurance that such forecasts or returns will be achieved by the specific security. The recipient is urged to use extreme caution when considering the forecasted performance, as it is inherently subjective and reflects ARK’s inherent bias toward higher expected returns. Any higher returns should be viewed as a measure of the relative risk of such investments, with higher forecasted performance generally reflecting greater risk. There is no guarantee that any results will align with the forecasted performance, and they might not be predictive. Some or all results may be substantially lower than projected results and, as with any investment, it is possible that you could lose money. FORECASTED performance results (single security model simulation forecasts) have many inherent limitations. A recipient account might or might not hold this single security, and the account performance will be affected in proportion to its holding size and the amount of price fluctuation over time. No representation is being made that any client account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses tied to a security in the security model forecasts. In fact, there could be significant differences between these forecasted performance results and the actual results realized. Forecasted performance has not been achieved by the security, and like all modeled, projected or hypothetical performance, it is important to note that there are multiple versions of a model, and ARK has a conflict of interest in that we have an incentive to show you the best performing results. These forecasts rely on models, which calculate hypothetical performance. Several of the limitations of hypothetical performance models include: 1) reliance on a variety of data obtained from sources that are believed to be reliable, but might be incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete and ARK does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information obtained from any third party, 2) potential inclusion of inherent model creation biases,

Exploring Space Laser Communication with Mynaric CEO Bulent Altan
Please note: as of 3/31/22, ARK’s clients own greater than 1% of the shares outstanding of Mynaric. Mynaric CEO Bulent Atlan began his career as one of the first employees at the then newly-established SpaceX in 2004, having graduated from Stanford University and following completion of his studies at the Technical University of Munich. At SpaceX, he was essential in growing the company’s avionics department from seven people to over 200 and was as Vice-President responsible for the avionics of the Falcon rockets as well as the Dragon capsule. Bulent is now the CEO of Mynaric and Investment Partner at Alpine Space Ventures. Publicly owned, Mynaric produces the optical fiber for the skies and enables as a pioneer of laser communication extremely fast and secure wireless data transmission between aircraft, drones and satellites. On today’s episode, ARK Associate Portfolio Manager Sam Korus and Director of Research Brett Winton talk to Bulent about space laser communication, drone to drone communication, Mynaric’s partnership with the military and much more! Key Points From This Episode: Bulent Atlan’s introduction to the space industry and working at SpaceX Bulent’s road to becoming the CEO of Mynaric How a satellite system works without optical communication The opportunity to operate in countries with significant firewalls The precision of laser communication Drone to drone communication The role software plays in the performance of Mynaric’s systems The potential cost decline trajectory of orbital communications How much power is required to communicate with space laser technology Mynaric’s partnerships with Northrup Grumman and L3Harris

Finding Growth with Cathie Wood
On this episode of FYI, we showcase our latest episode of In The Know, a monthly video series on which our CEO and CIO Cathie Wood discusses fiscal policy, monetary policy, market signals, economic indicators, and innovation. You can find the full In The Know video series at our video center: https://ark-invest.com/videos/ Today, Cathie highlights our latest initiative: The Bitcoin Monthly, an “earnings report” that details relevant on-chain activity and showcases the openness, transparency, and accessibility of blockchain data. Please subscribe here to download The Bitcoin Monthly Report: https://ark-invest.com/lp-bitcoin-monthly/ Cathie also weighs in on the Fed, inflation, deflation, yield curves, interest rates, gold and copper prices, the crypto markets, and more. Key Points From This Episode: An overview on our latest content initiative, the Bitcoin Monthly. Cathie’s views on the Fed, inflation and deflation. A closer look at yield curves and interest rates. Cathie’s view on commodity prices like gold and copper. What the current monetary and fiscal policy might mean for markets. What Cathie believes is happening in the cryptocurrency market.

Discussing our Zoom Valuation with Will Summerlin and Andrew Kim
Please note: as of 3/31/22, ARK’s clients own greater than 1% of the shares outstanding of Zoom Video Communications. Read our full valuation article here. According to ARK’s open-source research and model, Zoom’s share price could approach $1,500, compounding at a 76 percent annual growth rate in 2026. In today’s episode, Will Summerlin and Andrew Kim talk through their thesis for Zoom, as well as their open-source Zoom model that’s available on GitHub. They cover the type of top-down research that we do at ARK, as well as some of the research that they have done for Zoom. Tuning in, you’ll hear their bottoms-up analysis of Zoom as Will and Andrew dig into the modes that they believe Zoom has, as well as the competitive dynamics they think are going to play out in the communication software space. They also talk through their model and key drivers and, finally, close out with the overall AI opportunity that ARK sees playing out over the next decade and how they believe Zoom can capture some of that opportunity. For all this and more, make sure not to miss today’s conversation! “We think Zoom is in a really unique position to benefit from this trend towards AI productivity. Generally speaking, meetings have a lot of room to improve when it comes to productivity. We think AI can be part of the solution.” Key Points on this Episode: The type of top-down research we do at ARK. Understanding the opportunity for communication software in the context of hybrid work. Why we believe Zoom is in a unique position to benefit from the trend towards AI productivity. Our bottoms-up analysis of Zoom’s people, management, and culture; product leadership; execution; and barriers to entry. Zoom’s infrastructure, enterprise readiness, AI data advantages, and third-party ecosystem. The four drivers that we attribute the most important to in our Zoom model. Unpacking the manual and Monte Carlo models of our Zoom Valuation Model on GitHub. Our bull and base forecasts for Zoom’s top-line growth. How we see Zoom capturing AI opportunity thanks to declining deep learning training costs, among other factors. The interesting role AI could play in making Zoom meetings more productive. We encourage you to download the model, put in your own assumptions, play around with it, and provide us with your feedback on Twitter! DISCLOSURE The forecasted performance and price estimates herein are subject to revision by ARK and provided solely as a guide to current expectations. There can be no expectation that the specific security will achieve such performance or that there will be a return of capital. Past performance is not indicative of future results. FORECASTED PERFORMANCE RESULTS ARE HYPOTHETICAL AND HIGHLY SPECULATIVE, AND PRESENT MANY RISKS AND LIMITATIONS. The recipient should not consider these estimated prices alone in making an investment decision. While ARK believes that there is a sound basis for the forecasts presented, no representations are made as to their accuracy, and there can be no assurance that such forecasts or returns will be achieved by the specific security. The recipient is urged to use extreme caution when considering the forecasted performance, as it is inherently subjective and reflects ARK’s inherent bias toward higher expected returns. Any higher returns should be viewed as a measure of the relative risk of such investments, with higher forecasted performance generally reflecting greater risk. There is no guarantee that any results will align with the forecasted performance, and they might not be predictive. Some or all results may be substantially lower than projected results and, as with any investment, it is possible that you could lose money. FORECASTED performance results (single security model simulation forecasts) have many inherent limitations. A recipient account might or might not hold this single security, and the account performance will be affected in proportion to its holding size and the amount of price fluctuation over time. No representation is being made that any client account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses tied to a security in the security model forecasts. In fact, there could be significant differences between these forecasted performance results and the actual results realized. Forecasted performance has not been achieved by the security, and like all modeled, projected or hypothetical performance, it is important to note that there are multiple versions of a model, and ARK has a conflict of interest in that we have an incentive to show you the best performing results. These forecasts rely on models, which calculate hypothetical performance. Several of the limitations of hypothetical performance models include: 1) reliance on a variety of data obtained from sources that are believed to be reliable, but might be incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete and ARK does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information obtained from any third party, 2) potential inclusion

The Future of Blockchain and Healthcare with Dr. Alex Cahana
Today’s guest believes strongly that healthcare needs blockchain and blockchain needs healthcare. In this episode, Dr. Alex Cahana returns to the show to discuss how blockchain can be the impetus for societal change in the healthcare industry. Dr. Cahana is a medical doctor, an ambassador to the UN for blockchain, and a theme developer for ARK Invest. He is on a mission to “block change healthcare and healthify the crypto space”. In our discussion, Dr. Cahana explains how he has seen the world change over the past two years in terms of healthcare and blockchain technology. He talks about why healthcare needs blockchain, the benefits and vast potential of tokenizing health data, and his three steps to addressing the current problems in healthcare with decentralization. Dr. Cahana also sheds light on his work in Sub-Saharan Africa and why the general adoption of crypto across Africa is much higher than of the rest of the world, as well as what it means for El Salvador to be the first country that has adopted Bitcoin as legal tender, before discussing the difference between “lean and obese” economies and the adoption of blockchain. To find out where Dr. Cahana sees healthcare, blockchain, and the world at large going in the next two to five years, as well as the three things that he’s most excited about in the near future, don’t miss this episode! “This financial freedom, which I think a lot of people here in the United States don’t have, is going to unleash something that perhaps central governments are not interested in it be[ing] unleashed.” — Alex Cahana Key Points From This Episode: An introduction to today’s guest Dr. Alex Cahana and his career in healthcare and blockchain. How Dr. Cahana has seen the world change over the past two years in terms of healthcare and blockchain technology. Why healthcare needs blockchain and why just rebuilding the existing technology system on centralized infrastructure isn’t enough. Why Dr. Cahana believes that the real benefits of blockchain to healthcare can be found in the idea of tokenization. Thoughts on how we can tokenize health data in a privacy preserving manner. The problem of data ownership. The three steps to addressing the current problems in healthcare with decentralization starting with: educating people and making them aware that their data is their own. Step two: addressing the problems that each stakeholder is experiencing in healthcare now. Step three: deriving sustainable business models from this and how this will look very different in each market. How the Global Blockchain Business Council is ‘healthifying’ the crypto space. Insight into Dr. Cahana’s work in Sub-Saharan Africa and what he learned from the way Africa dealt with COVID. Why general crypto adoption across Africa is much higher than that of the rest of the world, according to Dr. Cahana. The difference between “lean and obese” economies and how this relates to a nation’s willingness to adopt blockchain. What it means for El Salvador to be the first country that has adopted Bitcoin as legal tender. How Latin America’s adoption of blockchain differs from that of Africa. Dr. Cahana’s thoughts on how leaders need to transition from being omnipresent leaders to facilitators and educators as the world transitions from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0. Predictions on whether or not global bodies like the IMF and the UN will continue to be resistant to the adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender. Where Dr. Cahana sees healthcare, blockchain, and the world at large going in the next two to five years, and the three things that he’s most excited about.

End to End 3D Printing with Velo3D CEO Benny Buller
Please note: as of 3/31/22, ARK’s clients own greater than 1% of the shares outstanding of Velo3D. ARK expects 3D printing to revolutionize manufacturing by collapsing the time between design and production, reducing costs, and providing greater design complexity, accuracy and customization. We believe 3D printing can enable digital inventory and distributed manufacturing, adding flexibility to supply chains. On today’s episode, ARK Research Analyst Tasha Keeney and Research Associate Pierce Jamieson interview Benny Buller, founder and CEO of Velo3D, a leader in end-to-end 3D printing space. Benny observed the additive manufacturing (AM) industry with fresh eyes and no prior manufacturing experience. In doing so, he observed a fundamental flaw limiting the speed of AM adoption: Engineers not only had to learn a new manufacturing process (AM), but they also had to learn a new design process (DfAM). He built Velo3D from the ground up, solving for this root challenge, enabling design to inform manufacturing not the other way around. Key Points in this Episode: The origin story of 3D Printing and why Benny started Velo3D. What determines a part’s usability with internal supports. What software Velo3D uses in the manufacturing process. The current repeatability of 3D printing and the overall importance of repeatability. The design process for additive manufacturing. Design freedom that 3D printing allows when manufacturing parts. What is driving growth in the additive manufacturing industry today. The future of material science and 3D printing. How machine learning and advanced optimization is affecting 3D printing. How 3D printing is driving the future of innovation.

Transforming the Moving World with Cyrus Sigari
In the world of aerospace, our wildest imaginings are steadily becoming a reality. Joining us today to discuss the future of air traffic, autonomous flight, and the phenomenon of Hamburger Helper being delivered to your door via drone, is aviator, entrepreneur, and investor, Cyrus Sigari. Cyrus has an impressive track record in the field of aviation and is currently the Co-founder and Managing Partner of UP Partners, a privately-owned company that builds and invest in technologies that help move people and goods. In this episode, we discuss the undeniable crossover between military and civilian applications of aviation technology, the challenges the FAA faces when it comes to certifying revolutionary technologies, and what exciting drone-related developments we could see in the next five years! Cyrus fills us in on China’s interesting aviation model, speculates on which areas the US could improve, and explains why focusing on transporting things, rather than humans, could free up the innovation process. Tune in to find out what’s going on in the aviation world, what might be some future possibilities, and what to consider as an early-stage investor in aerospace technologies! “As you democratize access to mobility, quality of life goes up and economies just do better.” — Cyrus Sigari Key Points from this Episode Cyrus Sigari’s background and involvement in the field of aviation. How Eclipse Aviation started the Very Light Jet (VLJ) Revolution. The historical risk of investing in disruptive innovation in aerospace, and why that risk is steadily decreasing. The challenge of the FAA to certify multiple new systems and technologies. Which countries Cyrus believes are leading progress in aerospace. China’s interesting aviation model. What makes aerospace one of the most important industries in the world. Why ARK is interested in autonomous flying vehicles. The undeniable crossover between military and civilian applications of technology. Examples of geopolitical conflict creating technologies with civilian applications. How civilian technologies are now bleeding into the military. How the development of adaptable commercial applications of technology could improve a country’s ability to be militarily competitive. Impressive autonomous flight technologies and their social and regulatory obstacles. Walmart’s revolutionary drone delivery service. Three noteworthy drone delivery companies: DroneUp, Zipline, and Wing. How focusing on moving things via air, rather than people, lessens the barrier to innovation. What to consider as an early-stage investor in aerospace technologies. Cyrus predicts that the US will be operating drones beyond the line of sight within five years. The shocking statistic of people who have flown in an aircraft. What Cyrus is most excited about in aerospace today!

Stemloop, Biotech, and Rapid Tests with Khalid Alam
When you’re in the middle of a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, getting timely test results is imperative. Unfortunately, laboratory testing does not scale well due to its centralized testing infrastructure. It also requires sample transportation, complicated equipment, and technical expertise, all of which lead to high costs and time delays that are incompatible with problems that require immediate answers. Today on the show, we talk with Khalid Alam, Founder and CEO of Stemloop, a privately-held company that is currently focused on developing cell-free biosensors to solve challenges in biomanufacturing, environmental monitoring, and human health. Tuning in, you’ll learn more about Khalid’s career, how he became interested in biochemistry and biotech, and how Stemloop’s cell-free biosensors will monitor and fortify water supplies around the world. We discuss how the biotech space has evolved over the past few decades, why doing projects at scale is so beneficial, and how the cost of DNA sequencing has plummeted in recent years. Khalid also delves into the crisis that the US is currently experiencing with lead in their water supply, the challenges of solving this problem, and the rapid tests that Stemloop is building for household taps. Today’s episode offers an exciting look into the world of testing and is full of important insights on advancements in biotech. Tune in to hear it all! “Two and a half years ago, when I was pitching Stemloop, I would tell people that laboratory testing doesn’t scale. I think they understood that superficially, but they didn’t necessarily empathize with it deeply.” — @BioChemPHD Key Points from this Episode An overview of Khalid’s career journey in biotech and biochemistry. How Khalid defines synthetic biology. Advancements in the biotech space over the past few decades. The value of doing biotech projects at a massive scale. How high-scale parallelization caused DNA sequencing to become more affordable. Aptamers: what they are, how they work, and why they’re useful. A breakdown of the FASTAptameR 2.0 toolkit. Exciting developments related to fluorescence activating RNAs. Global issues around water quality and how synthetic biology can address it. The benefits and challenges of analytical testing. Why getting a test result quickly is imperative. How the COVID-19 pandemic introduced testing issues to a broader audience. An overview of a lateral flow test and why it’s so valuable. Advantages of a cell-free approach and the cell-free biosensors that Stemloop is developing. How these will monitor and fortify water supplies around the world. How Khalid has transformed computational ideas and adapted them to the physical space. The methods they used to winnow down the application space. How the US is dealing with lead in their drinking water; challenges and possible solutions. How to get involved with Stemloop.