TrueMark Technology, AI & Deep Learning ETF (LRNZ)
Summary Prospectus dated February 27, 2020
Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), paper copies of the Fund’s shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the Fund’s reports from your financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer or bank. Instead, the reports will be made available online at www.true-shares.com/lrnz/summaryprospectus, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.
If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. Please contact your financial intermediary to elect to receive shareholder reports and other Fund communications electronically.
You may elect to receive all future Fund reports in paper free of charge. Please contact your financial intermediary to inform them that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of Fund shareholder reports and for details about whether your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held with your financial intermediary.
The SEC has not approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Investment Objective
The TrueMark Technology, AI & Deep Learning ETF (the “Fund” or “AI ETF”) seeks total return.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold or sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). This table and the Example below do not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay on their purchases and sales of Shares.
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Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
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None
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
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Management Fees
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0.68%
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Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees
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0.00%
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Other Expenses1
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0.00%
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
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0.68%
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1
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Estimated for the current fiscal year.
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Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
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1 Year:
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$69
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3 Years:
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$218
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Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively-managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that pursues its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings made for investment purposes) in the common stock of technology, artificial intelligence and deep learning companies. The Fund generally considers a company to be a technology, artificial intelligence and/or deep learning company if it derives 50% or more of its revenues or profits from the development, advancement and/or use of technology, including artificial intelligence-and/or deep learning-related technologies, or if it has committed 50% or more of its research and development-dedicated capital to the development, advancement and/or use of such technology, each measured at the time of investment. In addition, the Sub-Adviser seeks to select companies that have a competitive advantage with respect to the development and utilization of artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other deep learning technologies. “Artificial intelligence,” or AI, refers to the development or use by a business of computer systems that perform tasks previously requiring human intelligence such as decision-making or audio or visual identification or perception. “Machine learning” refers to technologies that enable a computer to “learn” from data it has processed to incorporate different assumptions or past experience into future computations or analyses. “Deep learning” refers to a more advanced level of “learning” and involves minimal human interference at the beginning of the learning process.
Black Hill Capital Partners, LLC, the Fund’s sub-adviser (“Black Hill” or the “Sub-Adviser”) selects companies for the Fund’s portfolio by assessing whether the company’s business is a secular growth business, a cyclical growth business, or a newly public company and then evaluates the value and growth prospects for each company using the following criteria.
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Secular Growth Companies - Companies that do not closely track a seasonal or cyclical trend. In selecting such companies for the Fund’s portfolio, the Sub-Adviser seeks companies that it believes are in the best position to succeed in what is a very competitive technology space. Research on these companies is also continuously augmented with information from additional sources such as Wall Street sell-side investment banks (e.g., Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, etc.) and other proprietary information sources from many parts of the technology sector. The Sub-Adviser expects to establish buy-and-hold positions in these companies and does not expect significant turnover of these companies within the portfolio. The Sub-Adviser expects to let these investments grow over time from positive trends in their sector, market positioning and superior products. The Fund will likely invest in secular growth companies to a greater extent than in cyclical growth or newly public companies.
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Cyclical Growth Companies - Companies that are known for following the cycles of an economy through expansion, peak, recession, and recovery. Most cyclical stocks belong to companies that sell non-essential items consumers can afford to buy more of during a booming economy. These stocks are also from companies that consumers choose to spend less with or cut back on during a recession. In selecting such companies for the Fund’s portfolio, the Sub-Adviser utilizes fundamental analysis, with an emphasis on revenue growth, margins, and select balance sheet items which it believes are more consistent indicators of cyclical bottoms. The Fund will seek to sell its cyclical growth holdings when their margins peak in the economic cycle.
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Newly Public Companies - Companies that have recently gone through an initial public offering (“IPO”) and are now publicly traded on a stock exchange. In selecting such companies for the Fund’s portfolio, the Sub-Adviser follows developments in the private market to seek to identify companies that will fit the Fund’s investment profile at the time of their IPO. When a new company that fits the Fund’s investment profile enters the market via an IPO, the Sub-Adviser will generally seek to build the Fund’s position in that company over the course of a four to six month period following the IPO.
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The Sub-Adviser expects that the Fund’s portfolio will be primarily composed of common stock of U.S. companies, although the portfolio may include common stock of non-U.S. companies from time to time. The Fund’s portfolio is expected to typically be comprised of the 20 to 30 most attractive securities based on the Sub-Adviser’s analysis.
The Sub-Adviser anticipates keeping a significant portion of the Fund’s portfolio in cash (up to 20%) during periods when the Sub-Adviser believes it is merited. These cash positions will be utilized to purchase securities when the Sub-Adviser identifies an event-based investment opportunity in a secular growth company that has driven down share prices but will not, in the Sub-Adviser’s opinion impact the secular nature of the company. The cash positions also may be used in the event of a bear market or an instance in which the Sub-Adviser believes that the market is experiencing a valuation correction (i.e., a move that is not reflected in overall economic data).
After initial purchase, company weightings will typically fluctuate with the market. The Sub-Adviser will manage inflows and outflows (i.e., fluctuations in Fund assets from creations and redemptions of Fund shares) by referencing existing stock weights coupled with its view of a company’s forward rate of return potential.
While many portfolio holdings will have a larger capitalization, the Fund may also invest in small and medium capitalized companies, as the Adviser believes these relatively smaller companies may provide above average capital appreciation and dividend yield.
The Fund is non-diversified and may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer than a diversified fund.
The Fund will concentrate at least 25% of its investments in one or more industries within the Information Technology Sector. While the Fund’s exposure to the industries within the Information Technology Sector may vary over time, as of January 31, 2020, the Fund’s holdings are concentrated within the Software Industry. For purposes of this policy, each sector and industry is defined by the Global Industry Classification Standard, a widely recognized industry classification methodology developed by MSCI, Inc. and Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC.
Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with those of other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. The following risks could affect the value of your investment in the Fund:
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Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning Investment Risk. Companies across a wide variety of industries, primarily in the technology sector, are exploring the possible applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning and other deep learning technologies. The extent of such technologies’ versatility has not yet been fully explored. Consequently, the Fund’s holdings may include equity securities of operating companies that focus on or have exposure to a wide variety of activities in addition to their AI, machine learning and deep learning activities, and the economic fortunes of such companies may be tied to such other activities. Currently, there are few public companies for which artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning technologies represent an attributable and significant revenue or profit stream, and such technologies may not ultimately have a material effect on the economic returns of companies in which the Fund invests. Companies that do have a focus on such technologies may rely on a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secret laws to establish and protect their proprietary rights in their products and technologies. These companies also tend to engage in significant amounts of spending on research and development, and there is no guarantee that these products or services will be successful. The securities of such companies, especially smaller, start-up companies, are also typically more volatile than those of companies that do not rely heavily on technology.
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Cash and Cash Equivalents Risk. Holding cash or cash equivalents rather than securities or other instruments, even strategically, may cause the Fund to risk losing opportunities to participate in market appreciation, and may cause the Fund to experience potentially lower returns than other funds that remain fully invested.
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Concentration Risk. The Fund may, at various times, concentrate in the securities of a particular industry, group of industries, or sector. To the extent the Fund’s investments are so concentrated, the Fund may be adversely affected by political, regulatory, and market conditions affecting the particular industry, group of industries, or sector.
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Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stocks and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers.
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ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF, and, as a result of this structure, it is exposed to the following risks:
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Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
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Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
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Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market
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volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
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Trading. Although Shares are listed for trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”) and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares.
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Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
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Growth Investing Risk. Growth stocks can be volatile for several reasons. Since those companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their businesses, they may lack the dividends of value stocks that can cushion stock prices in a falling market. The prices of growth stocks are based largely on projections of the issuer’s future earnings and revenues. If a company’s earnings or revenues fall short of expectations, its stock price may fall dramatically.
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Information Technology Sector Risk. The Fund expects to concentrate (i.e., invest more than 25% of its net assets) its investments in a limited number of issuers conducting business in the same industry or group of related industries within the Information Technology Sector. To the extent the Fund does so, the Fund is more vulnerable to adverse market, economic, regulatory, political or other developments affecting that industry or group of related industries than a fund that invests its assets more broadly. As of June 30, 2019, the Fund’s investments are concentrated in securities issued by companies in the Software Industry. When the Fund focuses its investments in a particular industry or sector, financial, economic, business, and other developments affecting issuers in that industry, market, or economic sector will have a greater effect on the Fund than if it had not done so. Market or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a major effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. Stocks of technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Additionally, companies in the technology sector may face dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel.
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Software Industry Risk. Computer software companies can be significantly affected by competitive pressures, aggressive pricing, technological developments, changing domestic demand, the ability to attract and retain skilled employees and availability and price of components. The market for products produced by computer software companies is characterized by rapidly changing technology, rapid product obsolescence, cyclical market patterns, evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions. The success of computer software companies depends in substantial part on the timely and successful introduction of new products and the ability to service such products. An unexpected change in one or more of the technologies affecting an issuer’s products or in the market for products based on a particular technology could have a material adverse effect on a participant’s operating results.
Many computer software companies rely on a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secret laws to establish and protect their proprietary rights in their products and technologies. There can be no assurance that the steps taken by computer software companies to protect their proprietary rights will be adequate to prevent misappropriation of their technology or that competitors will not independently develop technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to such companies’ technology.
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IPO Risk. The Fund may at times have the opportunity to invest in IPO shares. The market value of IPO shares can have significant volatility due to factors such as the absence of a prior public market, unseasoned trading, a small number of shares available for trading and limited information about the issuer. The purchase of IPO shares may involve high transaction costs and the Fund may lose money on an investment in such securities.
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Management Risk. Your investment in the Fund varies with the success and failure of the Fund management team’s investment strategies and the Fund management team’s research, analysis, and determination of portfolio securities. If the Adviser’s and Sub-Adviser’s investment strategies, including their stop loss and goal setting process, do not produce the expected results, the value of the Fund would decrease.
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Market Capitalization Risk
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Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.
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Mid-Capitalization Investing. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole.
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Small-Capitalization Investing. The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large- or mid-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large- or mid-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies.
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Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
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New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized, non-diversified management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors have no track record or history on which to base their investment decision. Additionally, the Adviser has not previously managed a registered fund, which may increase the risks of investing in the Fund.
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New Issuer Risk. The market value of shares of newly-public companies may fluctuate considerably due to limited information about a company’s business model, quality of management, earnings growth potential, and other criteria used to evaluate its investment prospects. Accordingly, investments in shares of new issuers involve greater risks than investments in shares of companies that have traded publicly on an exchange for extended periods of time.
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Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a small number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a small number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance. However, the Fund intends to comply with the diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”). For more information, please see the section entitled “Federal Income Taxes” in the SAI.
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Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not have a full calendar year of performance prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance information for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.truemarkinvestments.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at 1‑800‑617‑0004.
Portfolio Management
Adviser TrueMark Investments, LLC (the “Adviser”)
Sub-Adviser Black Hill Capital Partners, LLC
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Portfolio Managers
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Sangbum Kim, CEO of the Sub-Adviser, has been portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2020.
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Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund’s Shares are listed on the Exchange, and most investors will buy and sell Shares through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Creation Units generally consist of at least 25,000 Shares, though this may change from time to time. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities closely approximating the holdings of the Fund (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of cash.
Investors may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.truemarkinvestments.com.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Fund’s investment adviser, sub-adviser or their affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.