Pembroke VCT

Our July newsletter has arrived! 👀 At Pembroke, we provide strategic investment, mentorship and resources to visionary entrepreneurs. Our aim is to empower them to enhance their growth, innovation and long-term success in the ever-evolving landscape of consumer, technology and business services Our assets under management are over £220 million, featuring a diverse portfolio of over 40 growth-stage companies, including nine companies valued over £50 million, with three of those valued over £100 million. In this edition we discuss: 🚀 New Investments & Exits 🌟 Portfolio Highlights 💼 Pembroke Updates These portfolio highlights include updates from: TALA, BOAT International Media, Beryl, bloobloom, LYMA, VIEVE, Seatfrog,Rubies In The Rubble, Thriva,Transreport, N Family Club, Ro&Zo, Floom, HACKNEY GELATO, Smartify, OnePlan & Secret Food Tours. Read on for more below. Link to download in comments.

We are excited to share the latest flyer from the Venture Capital Trust Association (VCTA), showcasing the many benefits of VCTs and their significant economic impact, backed by the latest VCTA data. This flyer provides key information for VCT stakeholders and all those interested in venture businesses, including entrepreneurs, emerging companies and potential investors. Link to download in comments.

Congratulations to My Expert Midwife on its exciting expansion into leading supermarkets, Morrisons and Sainsbury's. This growth means that My Expert Midwife's exceptional product ranges will now be accessible to even more parents and parents-to-be across the country. The expansion adds two more major supermarkets to the already impressive list of stockists including Asda, Superdrug and Boots. My Expert Midwife is dedicated to supporting individuals through the physical and emotional journey of becoming a parent—through pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery. Managing Director, Karen Doran states, “Our mission has always been to offer high-quality products that genuinely make parents’ lives easier.” A great achievement, well done to the entire My Expert Midwife team!

The Times has just named HACKNEY GELATO's Chocolate & Roasted Hazelnut the best chocolate ice cream! 🌟   That’s not all—HACKNEY GELATO also earned an astonishing 12 stars at The Great Taste Awards 2024, solidifying their place as one of the tastiest and best in the business.   Congratulations to Enrico Pavoncelli, Sam Newman, Tom Lister and the incredible HACKNEY GELATO team for making this possible. Link to Times article in comments below.

“We feel that we are missing out on a whole generation of companies…I hope the new government will help us iron out some of these quirks so we can get back to investing in the size of businesses we did in the past.” An insightful analysis of the status quo for VCT’s from our CFO and Chairman of the Venture Capital Trust Association (VCTA), Chris Lewis. Read more in the FT Adviser: https://lnkd.in/e2eAFRsM

🌟Pembroke VCT is proud to be a signatory of the Investing in Women Code 🌟   Supporting the advancement of women entrepreneurs in the UK by improving access to resources and capital is a means to advance change for female founded businesses.   As signatories, we are dedicated to:    🔈 Supporting female entrepreneurship 📊 Collecting and sharing data annually 💡 Collaborating with angel investment groups, venture capital and growth investors to address the barriers to the lack of funding for women   Read more here about the IWC below:

Are you a Founder seeking investment or looking to expand your network? Join Pembroke in Manchester on 26th September! 🚀 In collaboration with ClickyGroup™, Pembroke's Investment Director, Fred Ursell and Investment Manager, Alicia Taylor, will head north for an exclusive event. Fred and Alicia will discuss the fundraising strategies and challenges faced by consumer businesses in the current economic environment. They will also provide insights on the current state of fundraising for consumer brands, how investors’ expectations have changed, and how best to approach and navigate due diligence as Founders. See the link to sign up in the comments below. #investment #manchester #consumer #brands #founders

In 2023, VCTs raised £882m, the third highest on record, and invested over £500m in early-stage companies, fuelling growth and innovation despite a 39% drop in UK VC deal values.   Chris Lewis, Chair of the Venture Capital Trust Association (VCTA) and Pembroke’s CFO, discusses the resilience of UK VCTs during this challenging year. He emphasises the diversification benefits of VCTs, which mitigate risks and provide stable returns, while advocating for enhancing the VCT scheme by increasing age and funding limits to support more businesses and investors.   For more insights, read the full article in PA Adviser below.

Congratulations to bloobloom on their recent collaboration with OMNES! The two brands have joined forces to create a new collection of sunglasses.   Abbas Manai, Co-founder of Bloobloom, shared his excitement: " We are extremely proud of this collaboration with Omnes. The pairing works due to both brands’ sustainability credentials aligning.”   Read the full article by The Industry Fashion below: https://lnkd.in/eN8a5WfB

This is a monumental achievement for OnePlan - an official supporter of the Paris Olympic Games - with 46 functional areas of the Paris Olympics benefiting from planning in the OnePlan Platform. Congratulations to Paul Foster and the OnePlan team.