Innovator ETFs Trust - Innovator U.S. Small Cap Power Buffer ETF - October (KOCT) is an actively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks to provide investors with returns that match the price return of the iShares Russell 2000 ETF up to an annual upside cap, currently around 17.18% before fees, while offering a buffer against the first 15% of losses in the underlying ETF over a one-year outcome period ending annually in October; the fund achieves this through investments substantially in FLEX Options on the iShares Russell 2000 ETF, which are customizable exchange-traded option contracts guaranteed by the Options Clearing Corporation, combined with collateral holdings. The ETF, launched on October 1, 2019, targets the small-capitalization segment of the U.S. equity market, comprising approximately 2,000 of the smallest issuers in the Russell 3000 Index as defined by FTSE Russell, and serves retail investors, financial advisors, and institutions seeking defined outcome strategies with downside protection and capped upside participation. Shares are listed on the Cboe BATS exchange, with the fund domiciled in the United States and managed by Innovator Capital Management, LLC, the investment adviser headquartered at 200 W. Front Street, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.
Innovator Capital Management, LLC, founded in 2017 by industry veterans Bruce Bond and John Southard—co-founders of PowerShares ETFs—pioneers defined outcome ETFs, including buffer, power buffer, and income strategies across broad market indices, and operates globally through U.S.-listed products distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC.
In a major strategic development announced on December 1, 2025, Goldman Sachs agreed to acquire Innovator Capital Management for approximately $2 billion in cash and equity, subject to performance targets and regulatory approval, with the transaction expected to close in Q2 2026; this deal will integrate Innovator's $28 billion in assets across 159 ETFs into Goldman Sachs Asset Management, enhancing its active ETF offerings in defined outcome solutions, while Innovator's leadership and over 60 employees join Goldman Sachs' Third-Party Wealth and ETF units, and the business operates as a wholly owned subsidiary retaining existing investment managers.