CHICAGO, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Innovator Capital Management, LLC (“Innovator”), pioneer and provider of the first and largest lineup of Defined Outcome ETFs™, is proud to announce that its CEO and co-founder, Bruce Bond, is a finalist for etf.com’s 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award1. This annual honor recognizes one individual for outstanding long-term contributions to the ETF industry.
Throughout his career, Bond’s creativity and entrepreneurial vision have moved the industry forward. He cofounded Innovator with longtime business partner John Southard in 2017, with the goal of redefining the way investors manage risk through innovative yet simple products.
Together they introduced the world’s first Defined Outcome ETFs™, also known as Buffer ETFs™, which seek to provide exposure to market upside, to a cap, with built-in, known levels of protection on the downside, a concept that was formerly confined to the multi-trillion dollar annuity and structured products markets.
Under Bond’s leadership, Innovator has blazed a trail for a segment of asset management that now surpasses $50 billion in total AUM. Today, the firm maintains the most expansive suite of Defined Outcome ETFs™, along with a range of other products, totaling 153 funds and approximately $23.7 billion in assets under management as of February 28, 2025. The firm is one of the fastest-growing in the industry, generating inflows of approximately $1.2 billion in net new assets in 2025 through the end of February.
Prior to launching Innovator, Bond was already regarded for his ETF industry leadership. He and Southard founded PowerShares in 2003, which later sold to Invesco, paving the way for the massive growth of what is known today as smart or strategic beta.
“It comes as no surprise that Bruce is being recognized for his long list of achievements in and contributions to our industry,” said Southard. “I’ve seen firsthand over the past two decades both his foresight about the category’s massive potential as well as his dogged perseverance in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.”
Added Bond, “I am grateful for this recognition and to be among a group of such important figures in the ETF world. With Innovator, and throughout my career, I’ve set out to create something new and powerful within an inherently groundbreaking industry. It’s humbling to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, and exciting to look ahead to a future with significant upside yet to be realized.”
More information about Bruce’s storied career can be found on etf.com. The 2025 etf.com Awards will be held on April 23 in New York City.
About Innovator Capital Management, LLC
Innovator was established in 2017 by Bruce Bond and John Southard, founders of the PowerShares ETF lineup that has grown to be the fourth largest in the world. The listing of three Innovator Buffer ETFs™ in August 2018 marked the launch of the world’s first Defined Outcome ETFs™. Innovator is dedicated to providing ETFs with built-in risk management that offer investors a high level of predictability around their investment outcomes. Today, with more than 140 ETFs and $23 billion in AUM, Innovator is the industry’s leading provider of Defined Outcome ETFs™.
Media Contact
Frank Taylor
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1 Etf.com’s Awards Nominating Committee review nominations, screen nominations for eligibility, and then costs votes on a majority basis. More information regarding etf.com’s nomination and award methodology is available at https://www.etf.com/awards-2025.
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