Seneca EIS Funds: Update

It has been another strong start to the year for Seneca’s EIS funds, with no sign of a slowdown in private deal opportunities, alongside a marked increase in AIM company activity.

For the 4 months to the end of April 2024, Seneca made £670k of EIS investment (as a part of a total of £1.2m of growth capital funding when combined with the Seneca Growth Capital VCT). This investment was made into 3 AIM-listed businesses which together raised a total of £18m in what is a tough market, which we think is indicative of the quality of the assets.

These investments were:

Verici Dx Plc, a developer of advanced clinical diagnostics for organ transplant, raised £6.5m to expedite growth following the announcement of a commercialisation agreement with Thermo Fisher for one of its products. This fundraise was supported very well, and in fact was oversubscribed, by shareholders and the ‘market’ more widely.
OptiBiotix Health Plc, a life sciences business developing compounds to tackle obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, and skincare, raised c.£1.5m. This is a business well known to Seneca, with a CEO with a track record of delivering value for shareholders.
Oxford Biodynamics Plc, a biotechnology company developing precision medicine tests, secured a total of £10m further funding to support the company as commercialisation of the two lead assets ramps up.

We expect to continue this momentum through the second quarter of the year and beyond. There is a good pipeline of both public and private opportunities currently under review by the team. We persist in our preference of well-funded businesses, with demonstrable traction, which can illustrate a good route to value creation and exit.

Undoubtedly the wider fundraise landscape remains a challenge for many, but this presents fertile investment ground for the growth capital space, and we remain encouraged by the quality of businesses seeking funding at this time.

Victoria Edwards
Investment Manager

8th May 2024

EIS investment is not for everyone. You can lose some or all of the money you invest. This article should not be taken as a recommendation to buy or sell shares in any of the companies named therein. Past performance is not a guide to future returns.

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?

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.
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.
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.
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.
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

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?

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.
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.
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.
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).
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?

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.
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.
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.
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.
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

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?

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.
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.
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.
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).
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

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?

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.
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.
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.
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).
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?

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.
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.
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.
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).
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