2026 ETF.com Award Nominees: Thematic

The Nominees

AIPO - Defiance AI & Power Infrastructure ETF

Launched: July 2025 | ER: 0.69% | AUM: $112M | Issuer: Defiance

Investment Strategy: AIPO tracks an index comprised of US-listed companies earning at least 50% of their revenue from AI and power infrastructure, including decentralized energy, grid equipment, data centers, and AI hardware. Holdings span utilities, engineering, and technology-enabling AI driven energy systems, and AIPO allocates approximately 50% to power/grid, 20% to data centers, and 15% each to construction and utilities.

• Merit: Very High - Unique angle on AI buildout
• Position: First-mover on “AI power” thesis
• Utility: Excellent - “Who powers AI” is the right question
• Power: Very High - AI power demand is structural and growing

Why it’s nominated: Every AI theme ETF owns Nvidia. AIPO asks a different question: where does the electricity come from? AI data centers are power-hungry, and the grid isn’t ready. AIPO captures the utilities, grid infrastructure, and data center REITs that benefit from AI’s insatiable power appetite. This is thematic thinking done right—finding the non-obvious beneficiaries.

IVES - Dan IVES Wedbush AI Revolution ETF

Launched: June 2025 | ER: 0.75% | AUM: $983M | Issuer: Wedbush

Investment Strategy: IVES tracks an index of AI-focused companies selected using proprietary NLP analysis and weighted by float-adjusted market cap, with caps to manage concentration. The fund aims to replicate the performance of leading AI innovators globally. IVES holds 30 stocks across semiconductors, hyperscalers, cybersecurity, robotics, and cloud—built from Ives’ research reports via the Solactive Wedbush AI Index.

• Merit: High - Ives brings genuine research edge and credibility
• Position: First-mover for analyst-branded AI ETF
• Utility: Excellent - “Dan Ives’ AI picks” is an easy sell
• Power: High - Depends on Ives staying relevant, but AI isn’t going away

Why it’s nominated: The analyst-as-brand model isn’t new, but IVES executed it better than anyone in 2025. Dan Ives is the most-quoted AI analyst on Wall Street, and now his proprietary research lives in ETF form.  Broke $100M in its first week, and approached $1B by October. Nearly $1B in flows proves advisors wanted exactly this product—AI exposure curated by the analyst they already follow.

DRNZ - REX Drone ETF

Launched: October 2025 | ER: 0.65% | AUM: $20M | Issuer: REX Shares

Investment Strategy: DRNZ tracks an index of global equities involved in the manufacturing and development of drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and other drone-related technologies. The fund allocates 80% to pure-plays (companies with 50%+ drone revenue) and 20% to diversified defense companies with significant UAV programs, capturing both defense and commercial drone applications.

• Merit: High - Unique pure-play access to drone ecosystem
• Position: First-mover on drones specifically
• Utility: Good - Drone boom is visible in headlines
• Power: High - Defense and commercial growth converging

Why it’s nominated: Drones are everywhere—Ukraine battlefield footage, Amazon deliveries, infrastructure inspection. DRNZ captures this convergence of defense and commercial applications, offering the first pure-play drone/UAV ETF. The AUM is small ($20M), but the thesis is timely and the exposure is genuinely unique.

KOID - KraneShares Global Humanoid and Embodied Intelligence ETF

Launched: June 2025 | ER: 0.69% | AUM: $90M | Issuer: KraneShares

Investment Strategy: KOID tracks an equal-weighted index of companies from around the world that are engaged in humanoid and embodied intelligence. The fund selects securities using a model focused on key categories to capture the thematic exposure.

• Merit: High - Humanoid robotics is the next AI frontier
• Position: Early mover on embodied AI theme
• Utility: Good - “Robots” captures imagination
• Power: High - Physical AI is years away from saturation

Why it’s nominated: ChatGPT was 2023. Humanoid robots are next. Tesla’s Optimus, Figure AI, Boston Dynamics—the race to build useful humanoid robots is accelerating. KOID positions investors for this next wave before it becomes consensus. KOID offers early positioning in a theme that’s years from peaking.

Carefully consider the fund’s investment objectives, risk factors, charges, expenses, and other information, which can be found in the fund’s prospectus or summary prospectus online at kraneshares.com/etf/koid. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.

The KraneShares ETFs and KFA Funds ETFs are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Company (SIDCO), which is not affiliated with Krane Funds Advisors, LLC, the Investment Adviser for the Funds, or any sub-advisers for the Funds.

LOGO - Alpha Brands Consumption Leaders ETF

Launched: May 2025 | ER: 0.69% | AUM: $28M | Issuer: Alpha Brands
Investment Strategy: An actively managed ETF that invests in stocks of companies that are leading and/or attractive brands serving the global consumption theme. The fund uses fundamental and technical analysis and invests across 3 pillars of consumption that include household spending, business innovation (CapEx) spending, and consumption supply chain brands. 

• Merit: High - Differentiated from tech-heavy thematic crowd
• Position: Unique angle on consumer brands
• Utility: Good - “Brands people love” is relatable
• Power: Moderate - Brand strength is durable but not explosive

Why it’s nominated: Not everything is AI. LOGO reminds us that brand equity—the moat that lets companies charge premium prices—is a valid investment thesis. In a thematic category dominated by technology, LOGO stands out for capturing something fundamentally different: the enduring value of brands consumers and businesses trust. 

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