Meet Me VC 2 – July 2021

Welcome to the second instalment of Meet Me VC brought to you by NOTWICS and sponsored by Amplifi, an R&D tax credit specialist; and fast-growing digital publication, Maddyness UK.

This month we have 6 exciting Investment Firms including: Arca Continental Ventures (ACV), Greater London Investment Fund (GLIF), Fuel Ventures, Pembroke VCT, Puma Private Equity, and Sandbox Studios Ventures.

If you want to get in touch with the sponsors or participants for any reason, please contact them via the buttons below each video, and thank you for joining us!

Arca Continental (AC) Ventures

AC Ventures Fund, a Corporate Venture Capital fund based in Mexico sponsored by Arca Continental. The company is one of the largest Coca-Cola bottlers in the world with operations in the United States, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador and Argentina.

The objective of the CVC is to invest almost globally in Venture Capital funds as a Limited Partner (LP) and also in startups. We look for opportunities in startups across pre-series A, Series A and B, in the following verticals (attached a teaser on the fund):

  • Industry 4.0, Logistics, distribution, supply chain
  • Enable tech retail (eg. analytics, big data, machine learning, artifitial intelligence, image recognition, etc.)
  • Fintech (eg. wallets, processing payments, SME lending)
  • Snacks, healthy food
  • Value chain for Water and plastics (impact investing)

Fuel Ventures

Fuel Ventures is the leading early stage investor in technology companies in the UK. We have a unique approach to investing in early stage globally scalable marketplaces, platforms, software (SaaS) and transactional technologies.

We invest in and grow great companies with big potential. Our primary focus is on building proven business models in the online and mobile space that have the ability to scale quickly and have international growth potential. We invest in extraordinary entrepreneurs with unique technologies that will define the next era of innovation. We take a hands-on approach from the very beginning, partnering with talented entrepreneurs to transform their vision into reality.

Using a recipe of entrepreneurial innovation, passion, energy and hard work, a mix of deep sector knowledge, influential personal network and a healthy dollop of been-there-done-that we achieve success, all been fine-tuned over the last 10 years.

Our Funds:

👉 Concept/Early Stage SEIS Fund 🌱 20-30 investments of £150k

👉 Scale up/Growth EIS Fund 📈 12-15 investments of £1-£2m

SUBMIT YOUR BUSINESS FOR INVESTMENT:

The best way for us to review your business if you are looking for investment is to submit the business to our web form for me and our investment team to review properly within our process, we review weekly in our investment meetings and will come back to you if we spot something of interest that gets us excited.

Please submit the business here

Greater London Investment Fund (GLIF)

Greater London Investment Fund growth loans from £100,000 – £1,000,000. Loans are available over 3-5 years; bespoke repayment profiles will be considered. Security, interest and fees will be individually tailored and reflective of the Funds risk appetite. Debentures will be taken but may be subordinated, partial personal guarantees maybe required.

To apply to the Fund, the business must*:

Be an SME established as a limited company. Have a material part of its operations based in Greater London. Have a viable business plan and compelling commercial potential.

Funds can be used for expansion-related activities that will deliver substantial growth impact within Greater London, including:

Sales & marketing activity, Hiring new staff, New product development, Entering new markets, Exporting Abroad, Purchasing New Equipment

*Other eligibility conditions exist, reflective of the requirements of the Fund stakeholders. In particular, restrictions apply which prohibit support to a business defined as “undertaking in difficulty” Please speak with a Fund Manager who will be able to guide you as to any eligibility factors which may affect our ability to consider loan support.

Pembroke VCT

Pembroke VCT is a venture capital trust with a difference. We find exceptional, innovative founders and use our extensive network and experience to grow the brands of tomorrow.

We specialise in the design, education, food, beverage & hospitality, wellness, digital services and media sectors. From start-ups to more mature businesses, we invest in companies we believe in, enabling continued growth through our strategic and operational expertise.

We work closely with each company and give investors access to a private equity style investment strategy with significant tax benefits. Across our Board, Management Team and Advisers, Pembroke VCT offers much more than capital.

 

Puma Private Equity

We’re committed to supporting the growth of small and medium-sized businesses across all sectors and regions of the UK. We’ll work with you to unlock the potential in your business, delivering investment from £2 million to £10 million to help your company achieve its ambitions. These investments provide more than capital – they provide partnership. By using our investment insight, multi-sector experience and extensive network, we’ll help you accelerate your business’s growth.

We work with established businesses and will provide you with the capital and support to bring your plans to life. We’ll work closely with your organisation to build a relationship that supports you from start to finish, helping you ensure you have the best financial and operational practices in place. And as long-term partners, we frequently participate in follow-on rounds.

Sandbox Studios Ventures

Through decades of experience creating globally renowned collaborations we are developing a new asset class, one that has been virtually untouched by venture capital due to the siloed nature at ideation stage. Although influencer marketing and brand collaborations have built an $80bn industry, much of it has been focused on marketing campaigns. The collaborations that have built new businesses and product lines consistently provide exceptionally high returns, outperforming the market substantially. We aim to capitalize on this global shift in the economy driven by the advance of social media and celebrity.

Sandbox Studios is an actively managed venture capital fund. As part of the creation and launch of new IP to which the fund invests into, we have greater control on the company’s exit strategy. By acting as a co-founder of the newly formed IP, Sandbox Studios will ensure exits are driven by the fund and roll outs provide annual returns for LPs from dividends.

This is only possible due to the unique position of our General Partners who have over forty years collective experience in creating and developing multi-million-dollar collaborations that have generated over $1bn in revenue in addition to running high-growth start-ups with returns up to 1000x.