Investing Policy

The Board proposes to invest in companies to which, in normal circumstances, individual investors may have limited access.

Investments sought will be in sectors which have, or have the potential for, significant intellectual property, principally in the wellness and life sciences sectors (including biotech, longevity of life and pharmaceuticals) along with aligned technology sectors (including artificial intelligence and digital delivery). Equally the Board will consider investments in established industries where the business is applying new technologies and/or ‘know how’ to enhance its offering or taking established business models or products to new markets. In keeping with its desire to provide its shareholders with access to investments they may otherwise not be able to participate in, the Board also intends to apply a portion of the portfolio to opportunistic investments which may, by exception, fall outside the above criteria but represent good potential for short term returns. Such investments will be limited at 15% of the Company’s NAV and would typically be in fundraisings by listed companies or as part of an IPO.

Initially the geographical focus will be North America and Europe but investments may also be considered in other regions to the extent that the Board considers that valuable opportunities exist and positive returns can be achieved.

In selecting investment opportunities, the Board will focus on businesses, assets and/or projects that are available at attractive valuations and hold opportunities to unlock embedded value. In line with the existing portfolio it is expected that investments will be in SMEs with sub £100m valuations but with the potential for significant growth. Where appropriate, the Board may seek to invest in businesses where it may influence the business at a board level, add its expertise to the management of the business, and utilise its industry relationships and access to finance. The extent that the Company will be a passive or active shareholder will depend on the interest held and the maturity of the investee company.

The Company's interests in a proposed investment and/or acquisition will range from minority positions to full ownership and will comprise multiple investments. The proposed investments may be in either quoted or unquoted companies; are likely to be made by direct acquisitions or investments; and may be in companies, partnerships, earn-in joint ventures, debt or other loan structures, joint ventures or direct or indirect interests in assets or businesses.

The Company will pursue a balanced portfolio of an even mixture of early stage, pre-liquidity event and liquid investments which it will aim to hold within the portfolio for 2-4 years, 6-24 months and up to 12 months respectively. Whilst the target is to have the portfolio split fairly evenly between the different stages of liquidity there will be no set criteria for which the Company will hold an investment and the proportion of the portfolio which will be represented by each investment type.

There is no limit on the number of projects into which the Company may invest. The Directors intend to mitigate risk by appropriate due diligence and transaction analysis. The Board considers that as investments are made, and new promising investment opportunities arise, further funding of the Company may also be required.

Where the Company builds a portfolio of related assets it is possible that there may be cross holdings between such assets. The Company does not currently intend to fund any investments with debt or other borrowings but may do so if appropriate. Investments are expected to be mainly in the form of equity, with debt potentially being raised later to fund the development of such assets. Investments in later stage assets are more likely to include an element of debt to equity gearing. The Board may also offer new Ordinary Shares by way of consideration as well as or in lieu of cash, thereby helping to preserve the Company's cash for working capital and as a reserve against unforeseen contingencies including, for example, delays in collecting accounts receivable, unexpected changes in the economic environment and operational problems.

The Board will conduct initial due diligence appraisals of potential businesses or projects and, where it believes that further investigation is warranted, it intends to appoint appropriately qualified persons to assist. The Board believes it has a broad range of contacts through which it is likely to identify various opportunities which may prove suitable. The Board believes its expertise will enable it to determine quickly which opportunities could be viable and so progress quickly to formal due diligence. The Company will not have a separate investment manager. The Board proposes to carry out a comprehensive and thorough project review process in which all material aspects of a potential project or business will be subject to rigorous due diligence, as appropriate. Due to the nature of the sectors in which the Company is focused it is unlikely that cash returns will be made in the short to medium term on the majority of its portfolio; rather the Company expects a focus on capital returns over the medium to long term.