Dot-Com Survivor Ryan Jacob Channels Cathie Wood With First ETF
Dot-Com Survivor Ryan Jacob Channels Cathie Wood With First ETF
(Bloomberg) -- Famed tech investor Ryan Jacob is jumping into the thematic ETF business.
Following the trail blazed by Cathie Wood and Ark Investment Management, Jacob Asset Management is this week launching the Jacob Forward exchange-traded fund (ticker JFWD), according to a statement.
The actively managed ETF will invest in “innovative, forward-thinking companies that the team believes are leveraging technology to create significant competitive advantages,” it said.
If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because it echoes the playbook used to wild success by Wood and her team. Thematic funds -- which invest based on trends like space travel and robotics -- are booming in large part thanks to Ark. Its ETFs were among the best-performing in the U.S. last year, helping lure billions and turning founder Wood into a star.
Jacob, 51, knows all about that. He had a sensational track record when he started the Jacob Internet Fund in December 1999 -- just in time for the dot-com crash. He famously rode the storm to keep his tech-focused firm alive more than two decades later.
Jacob will be the lead portfolio manager for the new fund, which will focus on technology and healthcare though can invest in an array of sectors, according to the statement.
“We thrive on discovering exciting, enduring businesses with the potential to introduce innovative solutions to the global economy, while delivering solid growth for our investors,” Jacob said in the statement.
The ETF carries a fee of 0.75% and joins the firm’s lineup of three mutual funds.
The Jacob Internet Fund (JAMFX) has returned about 20% this year, the Jacob Discovery Fund (JMCGX) almost 23% and the Jacob Small Cap Growth Fund (JSCGX) 11%.
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