History of Cathie Wood in Timeline

Cathie Wood is an American investor, the founder, CEO, and CIO of Ark Invest. She is known for her focus on disruptive innovation and thematic investing, primarily in technologically advanced sectors like genomics, robotics, artificial intelligence, energy storage, and blockchain technology. Wood is known for her bold predictions and high-conviction investments in companies she believes are poised for significant growth. Ark Invest actively manages several exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on these innovative themes. She is a well-known and often controversial figure in the financial world due to her firm's distinctive investment strategies and public pronouncements.

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Full Timeline

1955: Catherine Duddy Wood Born

In 1955, Catherine Duddy Wood was born. She is an American investor and the founder, CEO, and CIO of Ark Invest.

1974: Graduation from Notre Dame Academy

In 1974, Cathie Wood graduated from Notre Dame Academy in Los Angeles, an all-girls Catholic high school.

1977: Joins Capital Group

In 1977, Cathie Wood, through her mentor Arthur Laffer, secured a role as an assistant economist at Capital Group.

1980: Joins Jennison Associates

In 1980, Cathie Wood moved to New York City to work at Jennison Associates as chief economist, analyst, portfolio manager, and managing director.

1981: Graduation from USC

In 1981, Cathie Wood graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and economics.

1998: Co-founds Tupelo Capital Management

In 1998, Cathie Wood co-founded Tupelo Capital Management, a hedge fund based in New York City, along with Lulu C. Wang.

2001: Joins AllianceBernstein

In 2001, Cathie Wood joined AllianceBernstein as CIO of global thematic strategies.

2008: Criticism During Financial Crisis

During the 2008 financial crisis, Cathie Wood was criticized for her performance at AllianceBernstein, which was worse than the overall market.

2014: Wealth Destroyer Investment Fund

From 2014–2023, Morningstar considered Cathie Wood's flagship ARK Innovation exchange-traded fund (ETF) to be the third highest "wealth destroyer" investment fund.

2014: Founds ARK Invest

In 2014, after AllianceBernstein deemed her idea for actively managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) too risky, Cathie Wood left the company and founded ARK Invest.

2017: ARK Innovation ETF Performance

In 2017, Cathie Wood's flagship ARK Innovation exchange-traded fund (ETF) received accolades for its performance.

2018: Donated Funds to Her High School

In 2018, Cathie Wood donated funds to her high school to start the Duddy Innovation Institute, which encourages girls to study disruptive innovation.

2018: Death of Robert Wood

In 2018, Cathie Wood was divorced from Robert Wood, who died in 2018.

2020: Warned about Joe Biden's Plan

During the 2020 election, Cathie Wood warned that Joe Biden's plan of taxation and regulation would stifle innovation.

2020: Top Performing Global Equity Fund

In 2020, Cathie Wood's flagship ARK Innovation (ARKK) exchange-traded fund (ETF) was the top-performing global equity fund with at least $1 billion of assets, and she was named the best stock picker of 2020 by Bloomberg News.

2020: ARK Innovation ETF Performance

In 2020, Cathie Wood's flagship ARK Innovation exchange-traded fund (ETF) received accolades for its performance.

2021: Forbes 50 Over 50

In 2021, Cathie Wood was selected for the inaugural Forbes 50 Over 50, which recognizes entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists, and creators over the age of 50.

2021: ARKK Fell 24%

In 2021, Cathie Wood's ARKK fell 24%.

2022: ARKK Was The Worst Performer

In the first quarter of 2022, Cathie Wood's ARKK was the worst performer among equity funds covered by Morningstar, Inc.

2023: ARK Innovation ETF Performance

In 2023, Cathie Wood's flagship ARK Innovation exchange-traded fund (ETF) received accolades for its performance.

December 31, 2023: Morningstar Ranks ARK Invest Funds

For the 10 years ending on December 31, 2023, Morningstar ranked ARK Invest Funds as the worst "wealth destroyer" family of funds.

2024: Proponent of Bitcoin

As of 2024, Cathie Wood is a proponent of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and has an allocation of 25% of her net worth in bitcoin.

July 2025: Ark Investment Sold Coinbase Shares

In late June and July 2025, Cathie Wood’s Ark Investment sold $47.9 million worth of Coinbase shares (137,075 shares) after the stock surged 37% in the preceding month. Coinbase remains the second-largest holding in Ark’s flagship Innovation ETF, accounting for 8.4% of the portfolio. Ark’s funds rebounded in 2025, with ARKK up 23.4% through Q3, far outpacing the S&P 500's 6.8% gain.