497K 1 r497k8630521.htm STARBOARD INVESTMENT TRUST - ADAPTIVE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES ETF

Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF
(Ticker: AGOX)


A series of the
Starboard Investment Trust
 
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
May 7, 2021


Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s Prospectus and other information about the Fund online at https://etfpages.com/AGOX. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-800-773-3863 or by sending an e-mail request to info@ncfunds.com. The Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by the regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Fund’s shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from the Fund or your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank). Instead, the reports will be made available on the Fund’s website at https://etfpages.com/AGOX, 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 previously elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports, prospectuses, and other communications from the Fund electronically anytime by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank).


You may elect to receive all future shareholder reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held with your financial intermediary.




INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES
The Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF (the “Fund”) seeks capital appreciation.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees
1.00%
Other Expenses
0.24%
Interest Expense on securities on margin
0.01%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses1
0.30%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
1.55%
1. “Acquired Fund” means any investment company in which the Fund invests or has invested during the previous fiscal year. The “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” and “Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses” will not match the Fund’s gross and net expense ratios reported in the Financial Highlights from the Fund’s financial statements, which reflect the operating expenses of the Fund and do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

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 (or you hold) all of your shares at the end of those periods.  The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and 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:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$158
$490
$845
$1,845
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 Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.  For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020, the Predecessor Fund’s (defined in “Performance Information” below) portfolio turnover rate was 319.85% of the average value of its portfolio.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
As an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”), the Fund will not seek to replicate the performance of an index. The Fund’s portfolio manager seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective of capital appreciation by investing in exchange-traded funds that are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) and not affiliated with the Fund (“Portfolio Funds”) that invest in equity securities of any market capitalization of issuers from a number of countries throughout the world, including emerging market countries. In addition to its indirect investments, the Fund may also invest in individual large cap equities, fixed income securities, and cash and cash equivalents directly. The Fund is considered “diversified” under the 1940 Act.
The strategy primarily utilizes ETFs and equities but may also use fixed income securities to diversify the Fund’s asset classes. The Manager uses a top-down approach to identify sectors that the manager believes will produce strong performance relative to the overall market and makes investments to capitalize on these market predictions. Top-down investing is an investment analysis approach that involves looking first at the macro picture of the economy, and then looking at the smaller factors in finer detail. After looking at the big-picture conditions around the world, the manager then examines the general market conditions followed by particular industry sectors to select those sectors that it predicts will outperform the market. When the manager deems it appropriate to position the portfolio defensively, this strategy considers cash to be an asset class and will allocate a significant percentage to direct investments in cash and cash equivalents. The fixed income securities in which the Fund will invest will be investment grade and may be of any duration or maturity.
The Portfolio Funds will not be limited in their investments by market capitalization or sector criteria, and may invest in foreign securities, including foreign securities in emerging markets. The Portfolio Funds in which the Fund invests will have investment objectives similar to the Fund’s or will otherwise hold permitted investments under the Fund’s investment policies.  Although the Fund principally invests in Portfolio Funds with no sales related expenses or very low sales related expenses, the Fund is not precluded from investing in Portfolio Funds with sales-related expenses, redemption fees, and/or service fees. The portfolio manager will sell a Portfolio Fund when a more attractive investment opportunity is identified, or the Fund’s portfolio needs to be rebalanced due to increases or decreases in the Fund’s net assets. As a result of its strategy, the Fund may have a relatively high level of portfolio turnover compared to other mutual funds, which may affect the Fund’s performance due to higher transactions costs and higher taxes. Portfolio turnover will not be a limiting factor in making investment decisions.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
The loss of your money is a principal risk of investing in the Fund.  Investments in the Fund are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of some or the entire principal amount invested. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be successful in meeting its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit or obligation of any bank, is not endorsed or guaranteed by any bank, and is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund will be subject to the following principal risks:

Common Stock Risk.  Investments in shares of common stock may fluctuate in value response to many factors, including the activities of the individual issuers whose securities the Fund or Portfolio Fund owns, general market and economic conditions, interest rates, and specific industry changes.  Such price fluctuations subject the Fund to potential losses.  During temporary or extended bear markets, the value of common stocks will decline, which could also result in losses for the Fund.
Control of Portfolio Funds Risk. The Portfolio Funds each have their own unique investment objective, strategies, and risks. There is no guarantee that the Portfolio Funds will achieve their investment objectives and the Fund has exposure to the investment risks of the Portfolio Funds in direct proportion to the allocation of assets among the funds. The investment policies of the Portfolio Funds may differ from the Fund’s policies.
Although the Fund and the Advisor will evaluate regularly each Portfolio Fund to determine whether its investment program is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, the Advisor will not have any control over the investments made by a Portfolio Fund.  The investment advisor to each Portfolio Fund may change aspects of its investment strategies at any time.  The Advisor will not have the ability to control or otherwise influence the composition of the investment portfolio of a Portfolio Fund.
Equity Securities Risk.  Investments in equity securities may fluctuate in value response to many factors, including the activities of the individual issuers whose securities the Portfolio Fund owns, general market and economic conditions, interest rates, and specific industry changes. Such price fluctuations subject the Fund to potential losses. During temporary or extended bear markets, the value of equity securities will decline, which could also result in losses for the Fund.
Fixed Income Risk.  When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. Interest rates are currently at historical lows, which may impact the Fund’s risk profile. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund's share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
ETF Investing Risk.  The Fund’s investment in ETFs may subject the Fund to additional risks than if the Fund would have invested directly in the ETF’s underlying securities. These risks include the possibility that an ETF may experience a lack of liquidity that can result in greater volatility than its underlying securities, an ETF may trade at a premium or discount to its net asset value, or an ETF may not replicate exactly the performance of the benchmark index it seeks to track. In addition, investing in an ETF may also be costlier than if the Fund had owned the underlying securities directly. The Fund and, indirectly, shareholders of the Fund, bear a proportionate share of the ETF’s expenses, which include management and advisory fees and other expenses. In addition, the Fund will pay brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase and sale of the ETFs in its portfolio.

Fund Investing Risk.  Investments in other investment companies subject the Fund to additional operating and management fees and expenses. Investors in the Fund will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by the funds in which the Fund invests, in addition to the Fund’s direct fees and expenses.  The Fund’s performance depends in part upon the performance of the investment advisor to each Portfolio Fund, the strategies and instruments used by the Portfolio Funds, and the Advisor's ability to select Portfolio Funds and effectively allocate fund assets among them.
Cash and Cash Equivalents Risk. At any time, the Fund may have significant investments in cash or cash equivalents. When a substantial portion of a portfolio is held in cash or cash equivalents, there is the risk that the value of the cash account, including interest, will not keep pace with inflation, thus reducing purchasing power over time.
Foreign Securities and Emerging Markets Risk. Foreign securities have investment risks different from those associated with domestic securities. The value of foreign investments may be affected by the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar, changes in exchange control regulations, application of foreign tax laws, changes in governmental economic or monetary policy, or changed circumstances in dealings between nations. There may be less government supervision of foreign markets, resulting in non-uniform accounting practices and less publicly available information about issuers of foreign securities. In addition, foreign brokerage commissions, custody fees, and other costs of investing in foreign securities are often higher than in the United States. Investments in foreign issues could be affected by other factors not present in the United States, including expropriation, armed conflict, confiscatory taxation, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations. In addition to the risks of foreign securities in general, countries in emerging markets are more volatile and can have relatively unstable governments, social and legal systems that do not protect shareholders, economies based on only a few industries, and securities markets that trade a small number of issues which could reduce liquidity. There is also less publicly available information on emerging market companies due to differences in regulation, accounting, auditing, and financial recordkeeping requirements, and the information available may be unreliable or outdated.
Investment Advisor Risk.  The portfolio manager’s ability to choose suitable investments has a significant impact on the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objectives.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s portfolio securities, the Sub-Advisor will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these will produce the desired results. The Sub-Advisor’s decisions relating to the Fund’s duration will also affect the Fund’s yield, and in unusual circumstances will affect its share price. To the extent that the Sub-Advisor anticipates interest rates imprecisely, the Fund’s yield at times could lag those of other similarly managed funds.
Large-Cap Securities Risk.  Stocks of large companies as a group can fall out of favor with the market, causing the Fund to underperform investments that have a greater focus on mid-cap or small-cap stocks. Larger, more established companies may be slow to respond to challenges and may grow more slowly than smaller companies.

Market Risk.  Market risk refers to the possibility that the value of securities held by the Fund may decline due to daily fluctuations in the market.  Market prices for securities change daily as a result of many factors, including developments affecting the condition of both individual companies and the market in general.  The price of a security may even be affected by factors unrelated to the value or condition of its issuer, including changes in interest rates, economic and political conditions, and general market conditions.  The Fund’s performance per share will change daily in response to such factors.
Portfolio Turnover Risk.  The portfolio manager will sell Portfolio Funds and other securities when it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders to do so without regard to the length of time they have been held. As portfolio turnover may involve paying brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, there could be additional expenses for the Fund.  High rates of portfolio turnover may also result in the realization of short-term capital gains and losses.  Any distributions resulting from such gains will be considered ordinary income for federal income tax purposes.
Quantitative Model Risk. Portfolio Funds or other investments selected using quantitative methods may perform differently from the market as a whole. There can be no assurance that these methodologies will enable the Fund to achieve its objective.
Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Securities Risk.  Investments in securities of small-cap and mid-cap companies involves greater volatility than investing in larger and more established companies.  Small-cap and mid-cap companies can be subject to more abrupt or erratic share price changes than larger, more established companies.  Securities of these types of companies have limited market liquidity, and their prices may be more volatile.  You should expect that the value of the Portfolio Fund’s shares will be more volatile than a fund that invests exclusively in large-capitalization companies.
Cybersecurity Risk. As part of its business, the Advisor processes, stores, and transmits large amounts of electronic information, including information relating to the transactions of the Fund. The Advisor and the Fund are therefore susceptible to cybersecurity risk. Cybersecurity failures or breaches of the Fund or its service providers have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, and/or reputational damage. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
COVID-19 Risk. An outbreak of infectious respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 was first detected in China in December 2019 and has now been detected globally. COVID-19 has resulted in travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, and lower consumer demand, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of COVID-19, and other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many countries or the entire global economy, individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. Public health crises caused by the COVID-19 outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. As such, issuers of debt securities with operations, productions, offices, and/or personnel in (or other exposure to) areas affected with the virus may experience significant disruptions to their business and/or holdings.  The potential impact on the credit markets may include market illiquidity, defaults and bankruptcies, among other consequences, particularly on issuers in the airline, travel and leisure and retail sectors.  The extent to which COVID-19 will affect the Fund, the Fund’s service providers’ and/or issuer’s operations and results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions taken to contain COVID-19. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected. As a result, whether or not the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic, political and/or financial difficulties, the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by such events. If there is a significant decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio, this may impact the Fund’s asset coverage levels for certain kinds of derivatives and other portfolio transactions. The duration of the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on the global economy cannot be determined with certainty.

Authorized Participant Risk. Only an authorized participant (“Authorized Participant” or “APs”) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened for exchange-traded funds (ETFs), such as the Fund, that invest in securities issued by non-U.S. issuers or other securities or instruments that have lower trading volumes.
ETF Structure Risks. The Fund is structured as an ETF and as a result is subject to the special risks, including:
o
Not Individually Redeemable. Shares are not individually redeemable and may be redeemed by the Fund at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units.”  You may incur brokerage costs purchasing enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit.
o
Trading Issues. An active trading market for the Fund’s shares may not be developed or maintained. Trading in shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange. If the Fund’s shares are traded outside a collateralized settlement system, the number of financial institutions that can act as authorized participants that can post collateral on an agency basis is limited, which may limit the market for the Fund’s shares.
o
Cash purchases. To the extent Creation Units are purchased by APs in cash instead of in-kind, the Fund will incur certain costs such as brokerage expenses and taxable gains and losses. These costs could be imposed on the Fund and impact the Fund’s NAV if not fully offset by transaction fees paid by the APs.
o
Market Price Variance Risk. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in NAV and supply and demand for Shares and will include a “bid-ask spread” charged by the exchange specialists, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. This means that Shares may trade at a discount to NAV.


In times of market stress, market makers may step away from their role market making in shares of ETFs and in executing trades, which can lead to differences between the market value of Fund shares and the Fund’s net asset value.
To the extent authorized participants exit the business or are unable to process creations or redemptions and no other AP can step in to do so, there may be a significantly reduced trading market in the Fund’s shares, which can lead to differences between the market value of Fund shares and the Fund’s net asset value.
The market price for the Fund’s shares may deviate from the Fund’s net asset value, particularly during times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay significantly more or receive significantly less for Fund shares than the Fund’s net asset value, which is reflected in the bid and ask price for Fund shares or in the closing price.
When all or a portion of an ETFs underlying securities trade in a market that is closed when the market for the Fund’s shares is open, there may be changes from the last quote of the closed market and the quote from the Fund’s domestic trading day, which could lead to differences between the market value of the Fund’s shares and the Fund’s net asset value.
In stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s shares may become less liquid in response to the deteriorating liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio. This adverse effect on the liquidity of the Fund’s shares may, in turn, lead to differences between the market value of the Fund’s shares and the Fund’s net asset value.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk. An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may prevent the Fund from buying or selling certain securities or financial instruments. In these circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and may incur substantial trading losses.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the average annual total returns for the Fund compared to that of a broad-based securities market index. The Fund acquired all of the assets and liabilities of the Adaptive Growth Opportunities Fund, a series of Starboard Investment Trust (the “Trust”), (the “Predecessor Fund”) in a tax-free reorganization on May 7, 2021.  In connection with this acquisition, shares of the Predecessor Fund’s Institutional Class shares, Class A shares, and Class C shares were exchanged for shares of the Fund. The Predecessor Fund had an investment objective and strategies that were, in all material respects, the same as those of the Fund, and was managed in a manner that, in all material respects, complied with the investment guidelines and restrictions of the Fund. The performance information set forth below reflects the historical performance of the Predecessor Fund shares. Prior to July 31, 2015, the Fund had a different investment advisor. The performance information set forth below does not reflect the Fund’s current strategy or ETF structure. The Fund’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.  Updated performance information is available online at https://etfpages.com/AGOX.


Calendar Year Returns
During the periods shown in the bar chart above the Fund’s highest quarterly return was 13.90% (quarter ended March 31, 2019) and lowest quarterly return was -14.72% (quarter ended December 31, 2018).  The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2020 was 18.04%.

Average Annual Total Returns
Periods Ended December 31, 2019
Past 1
Year
Past 5
Years
Since
Inception (9/20/2012)
Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF
Before taxes
After taxes on distributions
After taxes on distributions and sale of shares
23.72%
22.27%
13.40%

8.83%
7.89%
6.81%
10.23%
9.38%
8.21%
Morningstar Moderate Aggressive Target Risk TR Index1
(reflects no deductions for fees and expenses)
22.95%

7.96%
8.95%
S&P Global Broad Market TR Index
(reflects no deductions for fees and expenses)
26.76%

8.87%
10.13%
1. In prior prospectuses, the Fund compared its performance against the S&P Global Broad Market TR Index. The Advisor believes the Morningstar Moderate Aggressive Target Risk TR Index is a more appropriate and accurate index against which to compare the Fund’s investment strategies than the S&P Global Broad Market TR Index as the Fund will utilize a defensive overlay and may result in higher allocations to cash or other investments not included in the S&P Global Broad Market TR Index and, therefore, the Morningstar Moderate Aggressive Target Risk TR Index will replace the S&P Global Broad Market TR Index in future comparisons.


After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.  Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not applicable to investors who hold Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (IRA).
MANAGEMENT
Investment Advisor. Cavalier Investments, LLC d/b/a Adaptive Investments, serves as the Fund’s investment advisor.
Investment Sub-Advisor. Bluestone Capital Management, LLC (the “Sub-Advisor” or “Bluestone”), serves as the Fund’s investment sub-advisor.
Portfolio Manager. The Fund’s portfolio manager is Brian Shevland.  Mr. Shevland has provided services to the Fund since September 2018.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund will issue and redeem shares at NAV only in large blocks of 10,000 shares (each block of shares is called a “Creation Unit”). Creation Units are issued and redeemed for cash and/or in-kind for securities. Except when aggregated in Creation Units in transactions with APs, the shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund. 
Individual shares of the fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker or dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). You may access recent information, including information on the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, on the Fund’s website at https://etfpages.com/AGOX.
TAX INFORMATION
Fund distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (IRA). Distributions on investments made through tax deferred arrangement will generally be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND
OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) the Fund, and its related companies, may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.