Albion Capital Group LLP

Following the recent budget, tax-efficient investors expressed relief as the government reaffirmed support for schemes like the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs). These schemes, extended for another 10 years, provide vital funding for high-growth UK businesses. Will Fraser-Allen, Managing Partner at Albion Capital Group LLP said: "𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘒’𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮. 𝘉𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘝𝘊𝘛 (𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵) 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 2035, 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 £250 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘒’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩-𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘒 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴." IFA Magazine has more here: https://lnkd.in/e3FzZbB5 #Budget2024 #AutumnBudget #VCTs

Clean energy is a big world issue that requires top-down government level initiatives; our own government is on a mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower. At the ground level, start-ups also play a crucial role by driving innovation to address critical challenges in this space. Albion portfolio company tem. has been spotlighted as a real example of this, for helping to redefining how renewable energy is transacted and powered. Their AI platform directly matches businesses’ energy needs with the right generators at the right time, saving Britain’s small businesses millions in energy costs in the process. Full story on how the company is achieving that here: https://lnkd.in/e-FXr7jB...  #energytransition #vct #venturecapital #accesstoinnovation #ukstartups #cleanenergy #energycosts

While VCTs are often top of mind for tax relief, Will Fraser-Allen reminds readers of FT Adviser how the investment vehicle’s value also lies in its ability to provide clients with access to innovation. As the government looks to unlock opportunities in high-growth potential sectors such as #deeptech, #healthcare, and #cleantech, and for investors looking to gain exposure to these themes at an early stage, VCTs can act as a bridge, helping investors and the economy realise the growth potential. Full article here: https://lnkd.in/e4ZyNF4M #venturecapital #vcts #accesstoinnovation #ukenterprise #investment #alternativeinvestments

It’s so incredible to see MeiraGTx making great strides in its gene therapy innovations. The company, which was backed by the UCL Technology Fund (which is managed by us in collaboration with UCL Business Ltd) is advancing its Parkinson’s disease treatment into phase three after positive results from a small midphase trial.   In the long-term, if successful, MeiraGTx’s innovation has the potential to solve a global problem so we continue to follow its progress with optimism.   Full story here: https://lnkd.in/epg6VxeM #parkinsons #geneticmedicine #biotech #trial #genetherapy #vcinvestment #venturecapital #VC #university #spinout #UCL

As the VCT fundraising season commences, Will Fraser-Allen shares his thoughts on what we can expect with Investment Week. Will notes that despite reduced fundraising recently, the VCT industry remains resilient. Deployment numbers have remained consistent with the previous year, indicating that funds raised continue to be effectively invested. For Albion, the recent quarter ending in June was particularly strong, with a significant number of companies receiving investments. This stability in deployment is a positive sign, suggesting that while fundraising has slowed, the industry continues to identify and invest in high-potential opportunities. Full article here: Deep Dive: https://lnkd.in/ef-NgXTM #VCT #investmentweek #fundraising

Credit reference agencies (CRAs) are an integral part of the lending landscape and impact us all in the products we can apply for and receive. However, the industry is monopolised by a few giants. This legacy and lack of innovation, both in outdated technology and operational complacency, has created far reaching consequences for both lenders and society. Transforming the credit industry is no small feat - it requires deep expertise, technological prowess, credibility, and an ambitious vision. Enter Infact, a challenger CRA, who has just completed a £4m seed fundraise led by us after securing FCA authorisation to establish the first real-time credit bureau for the digital financial services market. Read on to learn more about why we invested in Infact. https://lnkd.in/effG6xZP #vct #creditratingagencies #venturecapital #investments #creditrisk #consumercredit #credit #lending #financialinclusion #affordability #ukteck #tech #entrepreneurs #vc

Following the launch of the Mansion House VC Compact earlier this year, British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) Pensions and Private Capital Expert Panel has just published an Interim Report with proposals to help #UKpensions unlock private capital funds. The detailed report features an array of recommendations, from regulatory changes to reporting standardisation. Speaking with Preqin News, Albion's Christina Theilgaard shares: ‘There is definitely a requirement for some standardisation for evaluation of private funds...In certain industries in the US, they have standardised templates that are used by all big institutions, which makes operations easier, cheaper, and better for everyone.’ Full article below. UK private equity and pensions industries lay out blueprint to drive investment in private funds (preqin.com)

🍁 Autumn is here, and so is our new website! 🍁   As the leaves change and a new season starts, we’re embracing the change with transformations of our own – a new Albion Capital look and the launch of our new website! It speaks to our identity as a specialist venture capital investor that backs visionary founders and technologies, something we’ve been doing since 1996, and highlights our thematic investment style in key sectors what we feel can redefine the future.   Head to Albion.Capital to explore our new digital home, which now makes it easier than ever to find what you need and stay connected with us. https://albion.capital/

What better news to mark the end of summer than the official extension of the EIS and VCT ’sunset clause’ to 5 April 2035.   The relevant Treasury Order was laid before Parliament on 3 September and now provides much needed clarity for the industry and UK entrepreneurs seeking to raise money to fuel growth. Cheers to that 🥂 The Association of Investment Companies (AIC), British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA), Venture Capital Trust Association (VCTA), Enterprise Investment Scheme Association (EISA)

The European Commission’s decision to enable the extension of the EIS and VCTs schemes until 2035 is welcome news for the UK SME ecosystem. VCTs have been rewarding for patient investors whilst funnelling vital capital to UK entrepreneurs. With this news, Albion, like other VCT managers, now has the certainty to continue backing venture breakthroughs that help fuel the next generation of British success stories.