Seneca Partners appoints James Scanlon as Investment Executive

Strengthening Growth Capital team

Seneca Partners (“Seneca”), the specialist SME investment business based in the North West, has strengthened its Growth Capital team with the appointment of James Scanlon who joins as Investment Executive.

James will be working alongside Matt Currie, Siobhan Pycroft and Victoria Edwards – contributing to finding the best public and private investment opportunities in the UK across the Seneca EIS Portfolio Fund, Seneca AIM EIS Fund, and Seneca Growth Capital VCT.

Prior to joining Seneca, James spent five years at Ernst & Young (EY) Manchester in the North West corporate audit team. He obtained his ACA qualification through a Level 7 Master’s Degree apprenticeship and has experience working on a variety of clients – from AIM listed to small private companies across a wide range of sectors including real estate, manufacturing and services for SMEs. He was also involved in the EY Entrepreneur of the year program.

Matt Currie, Investment Director at Seneca Partners commented: “We are delighted to welcome James to the Seneca team. His experience working with some of the leading management teams in the region means he can add real value to our investment strategy from day one – as the team looks for further opportunities to add to our portfolio.

“James joins at such an exciting time for Seneca, with the Growth Capital team having already achieved 11 investments in 2022 with more expected before the end of the year – and with our sights set on further growth, we are confident that James’ appointment will add to our success going forward.”

ENDS  

Notes to Editors  

Seneca Partners

Seneca Partners is an award-winning specialist SME investment business which provides equity and debt funding to UK SMEs. Formed in 2010, and headquartered in the North West of England, the management team has extensive experience across a range of sectors, including private equity, corporate finance, wealth management, accountancy and stockbroking.

Seneca Partners is also the founding member of the Seneca branded network of companies which has over £200 million of assets under management. This includes Seneca Bridging, a property bridging finance provider with a loan book of more than £20 million and Seneca Property which has completed in excess of £60 million of property acquisitions to date. The Seneca-branded network of companies operates from three offices across the North of England and employs more than 60 people.   

Matt Currie, Investment Director at Seneca Partners

Matt heads up the investment team and leads the Growth Capital division at Seneca. He works alongside management teams within the Seneca portfolio to deliver value to Seneca investors, with particular focus on technology and biotech investments. Matt joined Seneca from the RBS Structured Finance team in January 2017. Working alongside the top private equity institutions in the region, Matt led deals across the Leisure/Consumer, TMT, Professional Services, Manufacturing and Infrastructure sectors. Prior to that Matt spent four years with Deloitte, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and graduated from the University of Manchester in 2010 with a degree in Management with Accounting & Finance.

Press Office  

Ciara Simpson  

e: csimpson@sharecomms.co.uk  

dd: 0207 074 3582  

m: 0796 6642830  

Zoe Powell 
e: zpowell@sharecomms.co.uk 
dd: 020 7071 3932 
m: 07866 639014  

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Important information

This information is of a general nature and does not constitute an offer to provide services.

Any opinions or conclusions attributable to Seneca Partners are based on the understanding of the available information at the time of publication. Such opinions or conclusions are subject to change without notice.

The value of investments and/or any income arising from them may fluctuate.

Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance.

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Risk summary

(Estimated reading time: 2 minutes)

Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this type of investment to be high risk.

What are the key risks?

  1. You could lose all the money you invest
    •  If the business you invest in fails, you are likely to lose 100% of the money you invested.
    • Advertised rates of return aren’t guaranteed. If a borrower doesn’t pay you back as agreed, you could earn less money than expected or nothing at all. In addition, if the tenant of the property being financed doesn’t pay the rent due as agreed or vacates the premises, you could earn less money than expected. A higher advertised rate of return means a higher risk of losing your money.
  2. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
    • Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker at https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker/.
    • Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection at https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers.
  3. You won’t get your money back quickly
    • This type of business could face cash-flow problems that delay payments to investors. It could also fail altogether and be unable to repay any of the money owed to you.
    • Even if the business you invest in is successful, it may take several years to get your money back. You are unlikely to be able to sell your investment early.
    • Even if you are able to sell your investment early, you may not receive all of your money back or the full value of your investment. In addition, you may have to pay exit fees or additional charges.
    • The most likely way to get your money back is if the business is wound up following the sale of the underlying property or is bought by another business. Neither is guaranteed to happen with the envisaged timescale or at all.
    • Depending upon how your investment is structured and the rate and frequency of any interest paid, it could take 10 years or longer to receive back an amount equal to the amount you invested. You should not expect to get your money back through the payment of dividends.
  4. This is a complex investment
    • This makes it difficult to predict how risky the investment is, but it will most likely be high.
    • You may wish to get financial advice before deciding to invest.
  5. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
    • Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
    • A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. (See www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest).

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website at www.fca.org.uk/investsmart

Request details of upcoming investments– Seneca Select EIS Portfolio Service

Application Form Request – Seneca Select EIS Portfolio Service


Risk summary

(Estimated reading time: 2 minutes)

Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) considers this investment to be high risk.

What are the key risks?

  1. You could lose all the money you invest
    • If a business you invest in fails, you are likely to lose 100% of the money you invested in that business. Most start-up businesses fail. 
  2. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
    • Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker at https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker/.
    • Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection at https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers.
  3. You won’t get your money back quickly
    • Even if the business you invest in is successful, it may take several years to get your money back. You are unlikely to be able to sell your investment early.
    • For companies whose shares are not listed on any exchange (‘unquoted’ or ‘private’ companies), the most likely way to get your money back is if the business is bought by another business or lists its shares on an exchange such as the London Stock Exchange. These events are not common.
    • For companies whose shares are listed on an exchange (such as the AQSE or AIM), the most likely way to get your money back is if the business is bought by another business or your shares are sold on that exchange. The latter can only occur if there is a willing buyer.
    • If you are investing in a start-up or EIS qualifying business, you should not expect to get your money back through dividends. Such businesses rarely pay these.
  4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
    • Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
    • A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. (See https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest).
  5. The value of your investment can be reduced
    • The percentage of the business that you own will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment reduces, depending on how much the business grows. Most start-up businesses issue multiple rounds of shares.
    • These new shares could have additional rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, which could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment.

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website at www.fca.org.uk/investsmart

Risk summary

(Estimated reading time: 2 minutes)

Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.

What are the key risks?

  1. You could lose all the money you invest
    • If the business you invest in fails, you are likely to lose 100% of the money you invested. Most start-up businesses fail.
    • Advertised rates of return aren’t guaranteed. This is not a savings account. If the business doesn’t pay you back as agreed, you could earn less money than expected or nothing at all. In addition, if the tenant of the property being financed doesn’t pay the rent due as agreed or vacates the premises, you could earn less money than expected. A higher advertised rate of return means a higher risk of losing your money.
  2. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
    • Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker at https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker/.
    • Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection at https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers.
  3. You won’t get your money back quickly
    • This type of business could face cash-flow problems that delay payments to investors. It could also fail altogether and be unable to repay any of the money owed to you.
    • Even if the business you invest in is successful, it may take several years to get your money back. You are unlikely to be able to sell your investment early.
    • Even if you are able to sell your investment early, you may have to pay exit fees or additional charges.
    • The most likely way to get your money back is if the business is bought by another business or is wound
      up following the sale of the underlying property. These events are not common.
    • If you are investing in a start-up business, you should not expect to get your money back through dividends. Start-up businesses rarely pay these. This investment aims to make quarterly repayments that comprise both a partial repayment of capital and interest, although this is not guaranteed. It could take over 14 years to receive back an amount equal to the amount you invested.
  4. This is a complex investment
    • This makes it difficult to predict how risky the investment is, but it will most likely be high.
    • You may wish to get financial advice before deciding to invest.
  5. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
    • Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
    • A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. (See https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest).

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website at www.fca.org.uk/investsmart

Important notice

Please note that you have clicked to leave the Seneca Partners website. Seneca Partners Limited is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The website you have requested to visit is an unregulated Seneca business and you will not therefore be afforded the protections offered by an FCA authorised and regulated business.

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Risk summary

(Estimated reading time: 2 minutes)

Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.

What are the key risks?

  1. You could lose all the money you invest
    • If the business you invest in fails, you are likely to lose 100% of the money you invested.
    • Many of the loans ultimately financed by your investment are made to borrowers who can’t borrow money from traditional lenders such as banks. These borrowers have a higher risk of not paying back their loan.
    • Advertised rates of return aren’t guaranteed. If a borrower doesn’t pay back their loan as agreed, you could earn less money than expected. A higher advertised rate of return means a higher risk of losing your money.
  2. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
    • Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker at https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker/.
    • Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection at https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers.
  3. You won’t get your money back quickly
    • Some of the loans financed by your investment will last for several years. You may need to wait for your money to be returned even if the borrower repays on time.
    • Some Managers may give you the opportunity to sell your investment early through a ‘secondary market’, but there is no guarantee you will be able to find someone willing to buy.
    • Even if your agreement is advertised as affording early access to your money, you will only get your money early if someone else wants to buy your shares or the company in which you are invested has sufficient available capital to buy them from you. If no one wants to buy, it could
      take longer to get your money back.
    • If you are investing for growth, you should not expect to get your money back through dividends as the Service is not designed to pay dividends to investors seeking growth. If you are investing for income, it will take at least 25 years to get your money back purely through dividends.
  4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
    • Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
    • A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. (See https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest).
  5. The value of your investment can be reduced
    • The percentage of the business that you own will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment reduces, depending on the basis on which these new shares are issued.
    • If these new shares have additional rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, this could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment.

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website at www.fca.org.uk/investsmart

Application Form Request – Seneca IHT Service


Risk summary

(Estimated reading time: 2 minutes)

Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) considers this investment to be high risk.

What are the key risks?

  1. You could lose all the money you invest
    • If a business you invest in fails, you are likely to lose 100% of the money you invested in that business. Most start-up businesses fail. Please see page 14 of the Information Memorandum for an overview of the types of businesses this fund invests in.
  2. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
    • Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker at https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker/.
    • Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection at https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers.
  3. You won’t get your money back quickly
    • Even if the business you invest in is successful, it may take several years to get your money back. You are unlikely to be able to sell your investment early.
    • The most likely way to get your money back is if the business is bought by another business or your shares are sold on the Alternative Investment Market. The latter can only occur if there is a willing buyer.
    • If you are investing in a start-up or EIS qualifying business, you should not expect to get your money back through dividends. Such businesses rarely pay these.
  4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
    • Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
    • A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. (See https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest).
  5. The value of your investment can be reduced
    • The percentage of the business that you own will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment reduces, depending on how much the business grows. Most start-up businesses issue multiple rounds of shares.
    • These new shares could have additional rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, which could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment.

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website at www.fca.org.uk/investsmart

Application Form Request – Seneca AIM EIS Fund


Application Form Request – Seneca EIS Portfolio Service


Risk summary

(Estimated reading time: 2 minutes)

Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) considers this investment to be high risk.

What are the key risks?

  1. You could lose all the money you invest
    • If a business you invest in fails, you are likely to lose 100% of the money you invested in that business. Most start-up businesses fail. Please see page 10 of the Information Memorandum for an overview of the types of businesses this fund invests in.
  2. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
    • Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker at https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker/.
    • Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection at https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers.
  3. You won’t get your money back quickly
    • Even if the business you invest in is successful, it may take several years to get your money back. You are unlikely to be able to sell your investment early.
    • For companies whose shares are not listed on any exchange (‘unquoted’ or ‘private’ companies), the most likely way to get your money back is if the business is bought by another business or lists its shares on an exchange such as the London Stock Exchange. These events are not common.
    • For companies whose shares are listed on an exchange (such as the AQSE or AIM), the most likely way to get your money back is if the business is bought by another business or your shares are sold on that exchange. The latter can only occur if there is a willing buyer.
    • If you are investing in a start-up or EIS qualifying business, you should not expect to get your money back through dividends. Such businesses rarely pay these.
  4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
    • Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
    • A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. (See https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest).
  5. The value of your investment can be reduced
    • The percentage of the business that you own will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment reduces, depending on how much the business grows. Most start-up businesses issue multiple rounds of shares.
    • These new shares could have additional rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, which could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment.

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website at www.fca.org.uk/investsmart

Important notice

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Important notice

Please note that you have clicked to leave the Seneca Partners website. Seneca Partners Limited is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The website you have requested to visit is an unregulated Seneca business and you will not therefore be afforded the protections offered by an FCA authorised and regulated business.

Please click ok below to continue to the Seneca Property Investments website.

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