KICK files for AI and space-themed ETFs as thematic fund race heats up

A new ETF issuer called KICK has filed with regulators for exchange-traded funds targeting two of the market’s hottest themes: artificial intelligence and space exploration. The filing lands in a market that’s already swimming in thematic products chasing these exact sectors. What makes this notable isn’t the themes themselves, which have become practically table stakes for any ETF shop with a pulse. It’s that KICK appears to be a fresh entrant with no verifiable track record, no publicly known team, and no prior issuer activity on any established platform. The space ETF gold rush At least nine new space-themed ETF products have been either launched or filed in recent months, turning what was once a niche corner of the market into something resembling a land grab. Much of that frenzy traces back to anticipation around major IPOs from companies like SpaceX, which has become the gravitational center for investor interest in the commercial space economy. Thematic AI ETFs have proliferated throughout 2026, with issuers racing to package exposure to everything from semiconductor designers to large language model developers into neat, tradeable wrappers. What we don’t know about KICK Fun...