‘This is a unique time’: ARK Invest’s chief futurist tackles tech innovation from AI to robotics

ARK Invest’s chief futurist lists five groups that should give tech investors an edge.

According to Brett Winton, robotics, artificial intelligence, multi-omics sequencing, public blockchain and energy storage are key areas because they’re all entering the marketplace at the same time.

“We believe that this is a unique time in technological economic history,” he told CNBC’s “ETF Edge” this week.

Winton collaborates with ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood to maintain the ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX), which allows investors to buy into the private technology space.

According to the firm’s website, the goal of the fund is to make venture capital offerings of innovative spaces in the market accessible to individual investors. As of April 10, it shows the fund’s top holdings include Epic Games, known for online video game Fortnite, and biotech companies Freenome and Relation Therapeutics.

“Our emphasis is that we are investing in innovation over the long term and going to support management teams,” said Winton.

He contends it’s a strategy that’s often not prioritized.

“That’s a real challenge a lot of public market investors don’t have that long-term view,” Winton added.

The ARK Venture Fund is down more than 7% so far this year. However, it’s up almost 39% percent over the past 52-weeks.