EIS Portfolio Fund
Open for new investment
Specialising in the provision of growth capital and strategic support to ambitious SMEs. Our team is responsible for investing EIS funds into growing businesses, on behalf of our underlying investors.
Investment size typically £500k+
We are sector agnostic
Exits between 3 and 5 years
What is the EIS Portfolio Fund?
The Seneca EIS Portfolio Fund is an Alternative Investment Fund managed by Seneca Partners Ltd. The Fund is evergreen, meaning that it is open for new investment all year round and will not close having raised a predetermined amount of money.
The Fund is targeting a return of 1.6 to 1.8x after five years*, excluding any tax reliefs and fees.
Upon sale of your investments, you will receive 100% of any proceeds, up to the value of your Investment Amount, before any Annual Management Charge or Performance fee is levied by Seneca. After you have received your Investment Amount, Seneca will then charge fees from any further realisations.
Our Annual Management Charge is capped and will only be charged for a maximum of 5 years.
In its previous guise as the EIS Portfolio Service, our EIS offer received over £60 million of Subscriptions.
*return is not guaranteed
Note: Investment Amount is the net amount of the Subscription invested following deduction of any initial fees or fees to facilitate share purchase. Please see the Investment Memorandum for full details of our fees and how they are charged.
Reasons to invest
High growth opportunity
Investments will likely include a mixture of holdings in established companies and some earlier stage businesses, all requiring capital growth. The Fund does not invest in start-ups
Tax reliefs
Including relief against Income Tax, Business Relief, deferred/no Capital Gains Tax. Please speak to your financial adviser for more information
A diversified portfolio
Investee companies will be a mix of private companies and those with shares quoted on the Alternative Investment Market (“AIM”)
Risks to consider
Risks to capital
There is a high risk of capital loss when investing in smaller companies. Growth is not guaranteed and you may get back less that you invest or no return at all
Tax treatment may change
Personal circumstances, rates of tax, tax benefits and allowances may change and therefore tax benefits are not guaranteed
Volatility and liquidity
There is no recognised market on which shares in private companies can be traded therefore it may not be possible to release investments in a prescribed timeframe. It is possible to trade shares in AIM quoted companies but this is dependent upon there being willing buyers
Companies we've invested in
Gear4music
Online music equipment and musical instrument retailer.
- Invested: £1.25m
- Date: June 2015
- Exit: 5.2x
Mission Labs
Powering the Future of Business Communications by transforming the way businesses communicate with their customers and communities.
- Invested: £1 million
- Date: April 2018
- Exit: 2021 at 5.2x return
EIS Portfolio highlights
The EIS Portfolio Fund is a new fund which was launched in June 2021. Given it is an EIS fund no exits have been achieved or are anticipated until 2024 at the earliest. We have therefore used our wider track record as a simulated performance for this fund. The above figures are based on the businesses that our previous EIS Portfolio Service has invested on behalf of investors in their individual portfolios. These figures cover the whole period of investing. Please note that Fees as described in the Information Memorandum may apply on any exits. Past performance is not a guide to future returns. Your capital is at risk, you may get back less than you invest.
Key documents
- Key Information Document (where financial advice has been given)
- Key Information Document (where no financial advice has been given)
- EIS Portfolio Fund Brochure
- Information Memorandum
- Terms and Conditions
- Our Custodian’s Terms of Business
- Application Form for Individuals (e-complete)
- Application Form for Individuals (PDF)
- Application Form for Representatives (PDF)
- Application Form for Trusts (PDF)
Important information
The Seneca EIS Portfolio Fund is an Alternative Investment Fund for the purposes of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive. It is not a collective investment scheme within the meaning of section 235 of the Financial and Services Market Act nor a Non-mainstream Pooled Investment by virtue of it being a fund complying with the meaning of Article 2 in the Schedule to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Collective Investment Schemes) Order 2001.
The investments we offer are high risk in nature and therefore not suitable for everyone. If you would like to find out more about the Enterprise Investment Scheme, EISA (the Enterprise Investment Scheme Association) have produced a guide.
Past performance is not a guide to future returns. Target returns are not guaranteed. Capital at risk.
How can I invest?
We recommend that you seek independent financial advice before you invest. Please make sure that you have fully read and understood the Information Memorandum and Terms and Conditions applicable to the EIS Fund product. Please also read our Custodian’s Terms of Business. To make an investment into this product please complete and return the appropriate Application Form available on this page. Alternatively, please speak to our Client Relations team for more information.
Further information
When you Subscribe to the Fund, your Subscription will be held in cash by the Custodian, helping build a sum of money for the Fund to invest (an “investment tranche”). Periodically, we will complete what is known as a “soft close” so that we can start making investments for all those investors who are included in that “investment tranche”. The timing of these “soft closes” will be designed to ensure efficient investment of investors’ money. Once your Subscription is included in an “investment tranche”, we will begin buying shares on your behalf.
The Fund will remain open for further Subscriptions which will build to form the next “investment tranche” until the £5 million fundraise has been achieved.
The minimum initial investment is £25,000
For any additional investments the minimum amount is £5,000
We have designed our EIS Portfolio Fund to appeal to investors who are looking to invest in UK SMEs with the aim of achieving capital growth over the medium-term (five to six years) in an investment that qualifies for the tax reliefs available under the Enterprise Investment Scheme. They will have experience of investing in tax advantaged investments (e.g. EIS, VCT) or buying shares in FTSE 100, FTSE 250, smaller quoted (e.g. the Aquis Stock Exchange), AIM or unquoted companies. Those investors will understand what factors drive the movement of share prices and how in turn that impacts the value of their investment. They will also understand and accept the risks associated with making an investment in the Fund (see pages 24 to 25 of the Information Memorandum). Their current financial situation will mean that they do not need access to the amount they invest for at least five years or need an income from it. They should also be able to withstand the loss of some or all of that amount. You should not invest in this Fund if you lack the requisite knowledge and experience, are looking to invest for less than five years, need your investment to pay an income or are risk averse or have a low tolerance to risk.
Typically, we target well-managed businesses that can demonstrate established and proven concepts, good balance sheet strength, profits or visibility of profit and cash generation and which are looking to take the next step in their growth phase. As a guide, we would normally look for the following key criteria:
Copies of previously issued EIS 3 certificates are available to download from our secure online portal. If you do not have a login, please contact our Client Relationship Team on 01942 271746 for further information.
Our portal contains copies of EIS 3 certificates for investments made through our EIS Portfolio Service, our Evolution Fund and our Managed Storage EIS Funds.
Outstanding EIS 3 Certificates
EIS 3 certificates have yet to be issued for the following investment rounds:
Poolbeg Pharma PLC (July 2021) – expected by 31/01/2022
Please note that the expected dates shown are only intended as a guide and may be subject to change. We have no control over how long it takes HMRC to authorise the issue of EIS 3 certificates.
Unfortunately, there are occasions where an EIS qualifying investment fails. If that happens, you may be entitled to claim loss relief against Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax. We have produced a PDF guide that you can download here: Guide to loss relief.