Stephen Johnson of Mercia Ventures is at the helm of the Northern VCTs – a trio of Venture Capital Trusts that have been going since 1995, focusing on the UK’s regions, looking for early stage technology and B2B software businesses. Where have they been investing recently? What kind of exits have they had? Ultimately, should you invest in the Northern VCTs in 2025/26?
In this episode:
For more details on the Northern VCTs, including documents & how to invest, see https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/venture-capital-trusts/northern-vcts/.
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) are higher risk and less liquid than mainstream investments. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
Haatch’s founding team is made up of four entrepreneurs with $200m of personal exits behind them. For their EIS fund, they focus on one thing: B2B software companies with recurring revenue. What are some examples, why does this work for them, and why should investors consider their funds? Fred Soneya, partner at Haatch, explains all in the first of our Meet The Investor series for 2025/26.For more details on Haatch EIS fund, including documents & how to invest, see: https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/haatch-eisPlease Subscribe (+ 🔔 ) for more Meet The Manager video interviews.IMPORTANTThe opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. EIS investments are high risk and illiquid compared to mainstream investments. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
“I’d really seen an industry come out of nowhere, right at the beginning in terms of the internet gaming industry, and that’s where climate tech is today.” We talk to Matthew Jellicoe of OnePlanetCapital about investing in early-stage climate tech funds. In this episode:
For more details, including documents & how to invest, see https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/seis-investments/oneplanetcapital-seis/
Please Subscribe (+ 🔔 ) for more Meet The Manager video interviews.
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. SEIS investments are high risk and illiquid. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
“We’re looking to back individuals who’ve worked in an industry, experienced an acute pain point and built a software solution to address that”… Seed-stage investors Harveer Bharaj and Robert Walsh of QVentures give some examples of companies they’ve backed to date – including a £100m exit story (there have also been failures). In this episode:
IMPORTANT: The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice. The investments described are high risk and illiquid.
Continuing our Private Markets / Private Equity series of interviews: What about Private Credit? What is it, what does it have to offer investors, and how can they get involved? This episode gives a high-level overview of the Private Credit asset class with James Vanek of Apollo Global Management.
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products mentioned are not suitable for everyone. Private markets investments are illiquid. You could lose your capital. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
Bill Nixon, founder of Maven Capital Partners, talks to us about the Maven VCTs following a year of several exits. In this interview:
For more details on Maven VCTs, including documents & how to invest, see
https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/maven-vcts
Please Subscribe (🔔 ) for more Meet The Manager interviews.
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. VCTs are higher risk and less liquid than mainstream investments. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
“The average revenue of businesses we invested in last year was around £5 million. We focus predominantly on scale-up businesses, so it’s more the stage businesses are at rather than a specific sector.” Meet investor Shane Gallwey, of Guinness Ventures – why do they focus on this stage of a company’s growth, what are some recent examples, and how are previous years’ investments doing? In this episode:
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. EIS investments are high risk and illiquid. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
“We have been around for quite a few decades – this is my third economic cycle – and it does feel a bit different…” What does the investor in Lucky Saint, Dash Water, Monica Vinader and MPB think about the venture capital environment in 2024/25? We talk to Karen McCormick of Beringea – the transatlantic manager of the ProVen VCTs (Venture Capital Trusts). In this episode:
For more details on ProVen VCTs please see www.wealthclub.co.uk/ProVen.
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice. Venture Capital Trusts are higher risk and less liquid than mainstream investments. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
RC Brown’s AIM Inheritance Tax Service invests in AIM companies that can be held in an ISA and provide IHT relief. Where are they currently finding good opportunities on AIM? What are some examples of recent investments, and maturing ones from years past? And could 2025 be a good time to invest? Hear from seasoned stock picker Oliver Brown.
In this episode:
For more information on the RC Brown AIM Inheritance Tax Service, please see https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/aim-iht-isas/rc-brown-aim-iht-isa/.
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. AIM portfolios are higher risk and less liquid than main stock market investments. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
“We are at the dawn of almost a new industrial revolution, where these very intelligent machines, powered by AI, are able to do almost unimaginable tasks in the real world, and that will transform the global economy.” – Dominic Keen explains why he invests in robotics, AI, automation and energy transition companies, and what the Britbots funds aim to do for their investors – with examples of the technologies they’ve backed to date. In this interview:
For more details on the Britbots funds, including documents & how to invest, see
https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/britbots-seis/ or
https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/britbots-eis/
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this episode are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. EIS and SEIS investments are high risk and illiquid. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
Haatch’s team has invested in approaching 100 early stage companies. What have they learned to date? What business models and sectors do they specialise in? Where do they now focus their efforts when it comes to helping companies post-investment? We meet Fred Soneya to talk through their approach to SEIS investing. In this interview:
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. EIS and SEIS investments are high risk and illiquid compared to mainstream investments. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
What are the lessons from backing 500+ startups? Meet Ed Prior of SFC Capital – hear how they find and work with investee companies, some examples of their recent investments, some successes to date. In this interview:
For more details on Startup Funding Club’s SEIS and EIS funds, including documents & how to invest, see:
https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/startup-funding-club-seis-fund
https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/startup-funding-club-eis-fund
Please Subscribe (+ 🔔 ) for more Meet The Manager interviews.
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. SEIS and EIS investments are high risk and illiquid compared to mainstream investments. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
One of Europe’s largest venture capital teams, Octopus Ventures has been investing in ambitious early-stage companies for 15+ years. With the Octopus Future Generations VCT they have a Venture Capital Trust dedicated to three themes: building a sustainable planet, empowering people and revitalising healthcare. Watch this interview with deep tech investor Simon King to find out how they invest and some examples of portfolio companies to date. In this interview:
For more on Octopus Future Generations VCT, including documents and how to invest, please see
https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/octopus-future-generations.
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. VCTs are higher risk and less liquid than mainstream investments. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
What is special about university spinout companies? Why should investors consider backing them via an EIS fund? Veteran spinout investor Anne Dobrée, of Parkwalk Advisors and former head of ventures at the University of Cambridge, talks to us about:
For more details, including documents & how to invest, see https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/parkwalk-eis.
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this episode are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. EIS investments are high risk and illiquid. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
“The returns profile of those businesses reflects better, we believe, on the way the UK works.” Why does Triple Point Venture VCT focus on early-stage B2B companies? Watch the interview to find out… Here’s what we cover:
What sort of companies does the VCT invest in and why? Recent investment Treefera (monitoring carbon sequestration of forests) and Heat Geek (scaling up the installation of heat pumps) Maturing investment Scan.com (medical imaging inventory) and Modo Energy (monitor batteries for renewable energy storage) Who are Triple Point’s entrepreneur advisors and how do they help early stage companies? Exits, risks and failuresFor more details on Triple Point Venture VCT, including documents & how to invest, see
https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/triple-point-vct.
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. VCTs are higher risk and less liquid than mainstream investments. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
“In the conventional VC space you’re looking for a small number of outlier returns to generate the majority of the fund’s performance. What I think makes [Octopus Apollo] a little bit different is…” Hear the views of Paul Davidson of Octopus Ventures, promoted last year to lead fund manager of Octopus Apollo VCT. Paul explains what is behind the B2B-focused Venture Capital Trust’s recent performance and what the investment strategy seeks to deliver. In this interview:
What is Octopus Apollo VCT and what makes it different?Investing in Definely (AI legal document software)Investing in Semble (“the operating system for a private hospital”)Maturing investment Natterbox (cloud telephony)How does Octopus Ventures support investee companies?Exits, including Countrywide Healthcare Supplies (sold to PHS Group)How risky is Apollo VCT? How does Octopus Ventures seek to manage the risks?For more details on Octopus Apollo VCT, including documents & how to invest, see https://www.youtube.com/y/octopus-apollo-vct. And please Subscribe (+ 🔔 ) for more Meet The Manager interviews.
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this episode are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. VCTs are higher risk and less liquid than mainstream investments. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
“We’re probably one of the only Venture Capital Trusts that has that 100% risk exposure to technology.” Meet Will Horlick of Molten Ventures, whose Venture Capital Trust (VCT) recently exited surgical device innovator Endomag. The portfolio also includes fintech ‘unicorn’ Thought Machine. What is the VCT’s investment approach in 2025? Has the challenging economic environment turned a corner? This 13-minute episode will tell you more…
For more details on Molten Ventures VCT, including documents & how to invest, see https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/molten-ventures-vct.
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. Venture Capital Trusts are higher risk and less liquid than mainstream investments. You could get back less than you invest. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
“When we think about diversity within the founding team, it’s not just ethnicity or gender – we’re really looking for diversity of thought, diversity of background, because studies show diverse teams outperform homogenous teams – and that’s what we’re trying to deliver back to our investors.” We talk to Jeffrey Faustin of Jenson Ventures about how they approach seed-stage investing. In this interview:
“Unique IP and specific founder sets” – what is a typical Jenson investee company? How and why Jenson looks for diverse founding teams Recent investment: Mangrove Energy (demand-side forecasting model for renewable energy) Maturing investment: Sküma (water filtration system) Success story: Voneus broadband (2022 exit to Macquarie) “A hands-on approach” – providing strategic financial and corporate governance support to companies Risk profile Ultimately, why should SEIS investors consider Jenson?For more details on Jenson SEIS fund, including documents & how to invest, see https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/jenson-seis.
Please Subscribe (+ 🔔 ) for more Meet The Manager video interviews.
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. SEIS investments are high risk and illiquid. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
Why are founders so important in Venture Capital? Who are some of the people and companies that Pembroke VCT has backed? Meet Andrew Wolfson (CEO) and Alicia Taylor (Investment Manager) of Pembroke Investment Managers, to find out what goes into their Venture Capital Trust (Pembroke VCT).
Featuring WNU (With Nothing Underneath), Transense, LYMA Life and Secret Food Tours.
For more details on Pembroke VCT, including documents & how to invest, see
https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/pembroke-vct
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. VCTs are higher risk and less liquid than mainstream investments. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.
How does Praetura select investments? How does it help founders? And what are some good reasons to consider investing in the North? Meet Dave Foreman, co-founder of Praetura Ventures, to find out what goes into their Venture Capital Trust and EIS Growth Fund.
For more details on the Praetura funds mentioned in the video, including documents & how to invest, see
https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/praetura-vct
https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/praetura-eis
IMPORTANT
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. VCTs and EIS investments are higher risk and less liquid than mainstream investments. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.