AXS Investments

What AXS Investments does

AXS Investments LLC is a privately held, US-based asset management firm (domiciled in Moseley, VA) that sponsors a curated lineup of differentiated ETFs and mutual funds focused on alternative, thematic, and tactical strategies. Founded around 2014, the firm operates with 1-10 employees and distributes its products on Nasdaq and Cboe through ALPS Distributors, with fund shares available across major retail brokerage platforms (Fidelity, Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Robinhood, Interactive Brokers, SoFi, Webull, Vanguard) and via RIAs and broker-dealer intermediaries.

The firm's product architecture is organized into three groupings: Strategic ETFs (KNO Knowledge Leaders, NXTE Green Alpha, PPI Astoria Real Assets, WUGI Esoterica NextG Economy), Mutual Funds (ADOIX Dynamic Opportunity, AXSPX Adaptive Plus, LDVIX FTSE Venture Capital Return Tracker, TINIX Tactical Income, OIOIX Income Opportunities), and the Tradr sub-brand of single-stock leveraged and inverse ETFs (SARK, TARK, TSLQ, NVDS, and nine additional products launched October 2025). Portfolio management is outsourced to specialized sub-advisors including Astoria Portfolio Advisors, Green Alpha Investments, Esoterica Capital, and ProfitScore Capital Management, allowing the firm to offer cross-discipline strategies without building in-house portfolio teams.

The firm pioneered the U.S. single-stock leveraged ETF category in July 2022 and has grown through acquisitions (ACM Family of Liquid Alternative Funds in May 2023; Knowledge Leaders Capital in October 2023, bringing ~$124M in AUM). Revenue is generated through recurring management fees on AUM, with expense ratios ranging from 0.58% (PPI net) to 2.11% (TINIX gross). The firm faces an ongoing financial obligation from the Cobalt Falcon acquisition contract (~$74,062.45/month per a May 2026 Texas Business Court ruling) that materially affects net economics.

Name

AXS Investments

Legal name

AXS Investments LLC

Website

https://axsinvestments.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AXS Investments is a private US asset manager that sponsors differentiated ETFs and mutual funds, including the first U.S. single-stock leveraged ETFs under its Tradr brand, distributed through major brokerages and financial advisors via ALPS Distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Moseley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Management Fees: AXS Investments generates revenue through management fees charged as a percentage of assets under management across its ETF and mutual fund products. Fee structures vary by fund, ranging from 0.58% to 2.11% total annual operating expenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

AXS Investments is an independent asset management firm that designs, distributes, and manages a curated suite of actively managed ETFs and mutual funds offering differentiated exposures to growth, income, real assets, sustainability, and next-generation technology themes. The firm also operates the Tradr brand of single-stock leveraged and inverse ETFs for sophisticated traders, having pioneered the first-ever U.S. single-stock leveraged ETFs in July 2022.

Product overview

AXS Investments operates as an access-oriented investment management firm offering a diversified portfolio of ETFs and mutual funds. The company's Strategic ETFs (KNO, NXTE, PPI, WUGI) provide thematic equity exposure through actively managed approaches focusing on knowledge leadership, sustainability, real assets, and NextG technology. The Mutual Funds lineup (ADOIX, AXSPX, LDVIX, TINIX, OIOIX) offers alternative market sectors and strategies including long-short equity, adaptive trend following, venture capital tracking, tactical income, and income opportunities. The Tradr brand (SARK, TARK, TSLQ, NVDS) offers leveraged and inverse single-stock ETFs designed as high-conviction trading tools for sophisticated investors. AXS is known for pioneering first-ever U.S. single-stock leveraged ETFs, enabling traders to express directional views on individual stocks like Tesla and Nvidia with 1X to 2X daily leverage. The firm also acquired Knowledge Leaders Capital in 2023, adding the Knowledge Leaders Developed World ETF and KL Allocation Fund to its offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tradr ETFs: Leveraged and inverse single-stock ETFs providing 2x or -1x daily exposure to individual stocks including Tesla, NVIDIA, and other high-conviction trading views
• AXS Knowledge Leaders ETF (KNO)
• AXS Green Alpha ETF (NXTE)
• AXS Astoria Real Assets ETF (PPI)

Products and services

• AXS Knowledge Leaders ETF (KNO) An actively managed equity ETF providing thematic exposure to the Knowledge Effect, targeting highly innovative companies with significant investments in knowledge-intensive activities such as R&D and brand development.
• AXS Green Alpha ETF (NXTE)

Quantifiable outcome

• First-ever U.S. single-stock leveraged ETFs launched July 14, 2022

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Knowledge Leaders CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 October 2023AXS acquired Knowledge Leaders Capital in October 2023, including the Knowledge Leaders Developed World ETF and KL Allocation Fund with approximately $124 million in assets. The acquisition included key team members including CIO Steven Vannelli, CFA. The deal was based on the Knowledge Effect investment methodology focusing on highly innovative companies with significant R&D and brand development investments.
• Astoria Portfolio AdvisorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAstoria Portfolio Advisors serves as sub-advisor and portfolio manager for the AXS Astoria Real Assets ETF (PPI). Founded by John Davi, the firm specializes in research-driven, cross-asset, ETF, and thematic equity portfolio construction.
• Green Alpha InvestmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen Alpha Investments serves as sub-advisor for the AXS Green Alpha ETF (NXTE), bringing sustainable and socially responsible investment expertise to the firm's product lineup.
• Esoterica CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEsoterica Capital serves as sub-advisor for the AXS Esoterica NextG Economy ETF (WUGI), providing specialized expertise in next-generation economy investments.
• ProfitScore Capital ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfitScore Capital Management serves as sub-advisor for the AXS Adaptive Plus Fund (AXSPX), contributing quantitative investment approach expertise.
• ALPS Distributors, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorALPS Distributors, Inc. serves as the principal distributor for AXS Investments' fund products. ALPS is a leading fund distributor known for working with investment managers to bring products to market through advisor and institutional channels.
• ACM (Alternative Capital Management)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAXS acquired the ACM Family of Liquid Alternative Funds in May 2023. The acquisition added the AXS Dynamic Opportunity Fund (ADOIX) and AXS Tactical Income Fund (TINIX) to the firm's lineup, with the Funds' longtime portfolio managers joining the AXS Investments team.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AXS Investments