NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Defiance ETFs today announced the launch of its Defiance Future Tech ETF (NYSE:AUGR), which is designed for investors seeking to capitalize on the growing opportunities in augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) technology, a disruptive tech category that is already having a meaningful impact on a wide range of industries.
“The AR/VR space has extended far beyond its roots in gaming to applications in healthcare, retail, manufacturing, entertainment and more,” said Matthew Bielski, founder and CEO of Defiance ETFs. “But as the category matured and expanded, investors lacked options for adding targeted exposure to AR/VR leaders to their portfolios. With AUGR that problem has been solved, and access to the category is now available in a highly liquid ETF wrapper.”
Augmented reality—digital images superimposed over the real world—is primed to drive industry growth. In fact, companies are already putting the technology to use in a variety of ways from AR-enabled real estate tours to training workers in manufacturing.
“In the healthcare sector alone, there have already been cases where surgeons used augmented reality technology to assist in heart transplant operations, and new AR approaches are helping doctors manage sensory overload issues for patients, such as children with autism, during medical procedures,” added Bielski. “These are just a few of the real world applications of this technology.”
AUGR offers a liquid and transparent way to invest in companies developing and commercializing the AR/VR technology from application developers to manufacturers and distributors of the necessary hardware.
The underlying index, the BlueStar Augmented and Virtual Reality Index (BAUGR), is global in nature and includes approximately 60 stocks across all market capitalizations. Current country allocations include the United States, France, Japan and Korea. The index is equal weighted, offering investors more targeted exposure, including to smaller companies with higher growth potential.
AUGR is the first ETF from Defiance ETFs, which specializes in portfolios that highlight disruptive technologies. Bielski, who was previously Senior Vice President at Direxion ETFs, has deep experience in ETFs and asset allocation.
“We founded Defiance ETFs with the vision that more investors should be able to tap into the growth stories of the truly disruptive technologies that we believe will permanently change our lives,” continued Bielski. “Our ETFs go beyond the trend-of-the-month, and provide targeted exposures that act as important complements to existing core tech allocations. We’re thrilled to be bringing our first ETF to market and we’re equally excited to be providing investors with access to AR/VR growth.”
About Defiance ETFs
Defiance ETFs offers investors access to transformative technology via targeted portfolios. Defiance ETFs’ distinct approach to disruptive investing empowers investors to be on the leading edge of technological developments that have the potential to alter industries, and change how we experience the world. The firm’s flagship product, AUGR, focuses on the opportunities presented by augmented and virtual reality.
The Funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses must be considered carefully before. The prospectus and summary prospectus contains this and other important information about the investment company. The prospectus can be obtained by calling 1-833-333-9383. Please read it carefully before investing.
Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible. As an ETF, the fund may trade at a premium or discount to NAV. Shares of any ETF are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. The Fund is not actively managed and would not sell a security due to current or projected under performance unless that security is removed from the Index or is required upon a reconstitution of the Index. A portfolio concentrated in a single industry or country, may be subject to a higher degree of risk. The value of stocks of information technology companies are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, so it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks including risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. This risk is magnified in emerging markets. Small and mid-cap companies are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than securities of large-cap companies.
The BlueStar Augmented and Virtual Reality Index is a rules-based index tracking the performance of a group of globally-listed stocks of companies engaged in the research & development or commercialization of products and services related to augmented and virtual reality within one of the following categories: Gaming systems and video games; artificial intelligence, including machine vision and natural language processing; graphic processing units; cloud computing infrastructure; simultaneous localization and mapping; displays including holographic and adaptive interfaces; and sensors for depth perception and positioning. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
The “BlueStar Augmented and Virtual Reality Index™” and “BAUGTR™ Index” (collectively “Augmented and Virtual Reality Index”), is the exclusive property and a trademark of BlueStar Global Investors LLC d/b/a BlueStar Indexes® and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by Defiance ETFs LLC. Products based on the Augmented and Virtual Reality Index are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by BlueStar Global Investors, LLC or BlueStar Indexes®, and BlueStar Global Investors, LLC and BlueStar Indexes® makes no representation regarding the advisability of trading in such product(s).
Defiance ETFs, LLC is the adviser to the Fund which is distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC.
