Growing Up

Autumn 2018

eTickets please eTicketing is a rapidly growing sector with particular emphasis on the popularity of local attractions. Read about our latest opportunity.

Wheels of opportunity Cycling to work in urban areas is gaining serious political and commercial support. The City Cycle Hub is looking to provide the perfect package for green commuters.

Moving on up

growing up We’ve been on the move – from a new office in Mayfair, to a full trade mission to China.

Find out more inside.

an occasional magazine for the sophisticated growth investor

Issue One – Autumn 2018 an occasional magazine for the sophisticated growth investor

Welcome!

Growthdeck 59 Grosvenor Street Mayfair London W1K 3HZ

growthdeck.com

504–506 Elder House Elder Gate Milton Keynes MK9 1LR

Contents Moving on up We’ve moved offices in Milton Keynes

Welcome to the first edition of Growing Up, our new occasional magazine covering all things Growthdeck. 2018 has been an extremely busy year for us, with more deals, a growing team, two new offices, a trade mission to China, and a number of very exciting developments in the pipeline. In addition, the experience and industry knowledge we can tap into has been extended with the arrival of several new board and advisory members.

and opened a new office in London.

CFP Composites A record raise, in just 3 weeks, saw CFP Composites smash through its initial target.

The rise of eticketing Growthdeck continues to pioneer a new model of private equity investment, combining the flexibility and accessibility of online– sourced capital, with the professional due diligence and support typical of larger private equity deals. Our network is attracting an increasing number of sophisticated private investors looking for high quality, tax–efficient opportunities. As a result, we are also attracting increasingly impressive businesses looking to raise capital from a network that can also provide expertise and ongoing support.

We always welcome input and involvement from our network, so please feel free to email me with suggestions and comments on the contents of this issue, and any other element of our service.

I look forward to seeing you at one of our regular networking events in the future.

eTicketing is growing fast, and we have an exciting opportunity to hitch a ride.

Fast boat to China Growthdeck is very much open for business in Asia, following our first trade visit to China.

EIS – a quick guide Many investors either aren’t aware of the benefits of EIS or just don’t take advantage.

Pinkster revisited One of our first fundraises, back in 2016, we make a quick (re)visit to Pinkster Gin.

Ian Zant–Boer

Wheels of opportunity Cycling is good for you and quicker in

CEO, Growthdeck

cities than most public transport. But

ian.zant–boer@growthdeck.com

where do you leave your bike?

Get involved Calling all investors, entrepreneurs and industry experts. We need you.

Moving on up

(and moving offices, too) It’s all change here at Growthdeck – new website, new team members… and now a new office, too. We have moved from our Craven Street address to our new home in the West End:

As well as our London move, we have also relocated from our existing Milton Keynes base. We are still in the same building as before, but we have upgraded to a much larger space:

59 Grosvenor Street Mayfair London W1K 3HZ

504–506 Elder House Elder Gate Milton Keynes MK9 1LR

Our new office is nestled in the heart of Mayfair, just a couple of minutes’ walk from Claridge’s and the lovely Grosvenor Square.

For us, Milton Keynes is where it all began – it’s where our largest office, and a lot of our team, are based.

This will serve as a new, larger hub for our London based team as the business continues to grow. The move also means that we are closer to the venues where we hold our popular ‘Meet the Management’ lunches and drinks events, generally within Mayfair or the wider West End. London is central to our business – many of our registered investors are based here, as are a number of our portfolio companies, meaning our team spends a lot of time here. Our London location and links are also key factors in attracting overseas investors who are interested in taking stakes in UK businesses.

If you are in the area, why not get in touch to talk about meeting up with one of the team or find out what events we have coming up?

We’re situated directly beside Milton Keynes Central railway station, providing quick and easy access to/from London Euston. We’re right in the heart of this thriving town, which has a lot more to offer than roundabouts and (the infamous) concrete cows – including gigabit broadband, driverless cars and delivery robots. Santander has also recently announced that it is investing £150m in MK, with its state–of–the–art UK technology hub due to be built, and Goldman Sachs will be opening its first location outside London in the town as well.

As with our London office, if you would like to meet any of our team in or near our MK location, simply get in touch.

ÂŁ1,078,000 raised | EIS qualifying Please contact us if you would like further information on raising capital with Growthdeck

CFP Composites Growthdeck recently raised over £1m for CFP Composites (“CFP”). The company, formerly known as Carbon Fibre Preforms, has developed a patented new form of carbon fibre composite which could revolutionise the train, aeronautical, shipbuilding, and oil and gas drilling industries worldwide.

A viable alternative to the use of far heavier and poorer performing metals, CFP’s unique and revolutionary manufacturing process produces high performance, heat resistant carbon fibre components quickly, efficiently and at a c.50% lower cost.

Original fundraise exceeded and funded in just three weeks CFP raced past its initial target of £778,000 and quickly hit the maximum limit of £1.078m before closing. It has been Growthdeck’s quickest raise to date, and demonstrates the potential of our fast– growing network. After circulating the opportunity to our registered investors, it exceeded 50% of the final fundraise amount in just over 7 days.

“

“

We are excited and privileged to have

As soon as I visited their West

received this investment from both Midven

Midlands production facility I

and Growthdeck. This funding will have

could see CFP had the potential to

a vast impact on the business, giving

become a great British engineering

us continuing capacity to take ground–

success story. This investment was

breaking products to market. I was really

also a first for us, co–investing with

impressed with Growthdeck’s professional

the Midven VC team who have also

and rigorous approach – mirroring that of

bought into the potential markets for

the VC fund Midven.

CFP’s revolutionary material.

Simon Price

Simon Emary

Managing Director, CFP Composites

COO, Growthdeck

our investors

Neil Reynolds I am a consulting actuary and have been involved in the financial services sector for over 30 years.

My investment experience used to be limited to fairly vanilla products, such as ISAs, until the pension lifetime allowance meant I had to leave my company pension scheme and look to fund my own retirement rather than rely on my employer to do so.

I invest through Growthdeck because I like the team’s professional approach to investing, and particularly the level and efficiency of the investor support.

I mainly invest in growth companies in order to generate attractive returns for my investment portfolio. The tax relief and other advantages of the EIS structure are important additional features which encourage you to invest in younger enterprises whilst providing some downside protection.

I have about 30% of my portfolio invested in private companies.

I’m relatively sector agnostic, but tend to favour firms with a unique feature that makes it difficult for new entrants to compete with them. Consequently, this often leads me to opportunities in the technology sector which are based on specific R&D. My biggest recommendation to aspiring investors would be to pay attention to the specifics of a company’s business plan. Understand their key risks and what barriers to entry they possess.

Another important consideration is the likely level, and timing, of expected future funding requirements. If you don’t take part in these, you could suffer dilution of your ownership share or even imperil the success of the company; if you do, you must ensure you are happy with the eventual level of exposure you have to the organisation.

While I’m not investing, my spare time is largely spent playing in various orchestras and maintaining our 500 year old Surrey farmhouse.

“

I like GD’s professional approach to investing which covers everything from its easy–to–use, intuitive website to the way it sources, researches and communicates the various investment opportunities.

eTickets, please Long gone are the days when queueing around the block for a ticket to your favourite band was as familiar as nipping to the local telephone box to announce that you’d managed to bag the last two. We now expect digital convenience more than ever before, which is why the humble paper ticket will soon be shown the back door, while the eTicketing market receives VIP treatment – making now the perfect time to get front row seats.

Tickets coming soon Buying tickets online isn’t anything new. We’ve been booking event, travel and sport tickets online since the ‘90s and that isn’t set to change. What is changing is how those tickets are delivered.

Traditionally, those wanting to attend a local festival, visit a museum or stroll around grand properties, would buy and be sent a paper ticket. A ticket easily lost, often forgotten and regularly, and illegally, copied. The other option has been to turn up and hope there’s still space, and in many cases, pay a premium for the privilege of queueing.

Technology now offers us an attractive alternative to scrambling around trying to remember where that “I’ll keep it safe” place was, while also being a powerful step towards combating ticket fraud: the eTicket. eTickets are purchased online via a mobile phone, tablet or desktop and downloaded into a smartphone eWallet. There they stay safe until scanned upon entry into an event or attraction. Aside from making ticketing easier, eTickets offer significant marketing, cost and security benefits and they are fast becoming the expected entry pass everywhere.

Tickets now available

Selling where the customers are

Not surprisingly, the eTicket market is now booming.

eTickets allow customers to buy tickets when and where they want. POS, social media, tourist information websites or directly: eTicketing is the key to transforming the exclusive and elusive ticket image into something that is only a few taps away.

As a nation, we embrace ecommerce, spending on average £1.17 million per week, and we embrace our smartphones, with 41 million users.

Mobile and tablet internet usage surpassed desktop for the first time in 2016. Our phones are hubs for shopping, information, gym passes, photo albums, music and even our wallets – 48% have used a digital wallet.

The global transaction value for online and mobile payments in 2017 was an astonishing $2.1 trillion. Being able to run our lives from our smartphone is not only the norm, it’s expected.

Meanwhile, the events industry is also seeing a resurgence. More brands are putting on more events and attractions, appealing to wide ranges of audiences.

Gin festivals, Comi–Cons, scavenger hunts – there are over 6,000 visitor attractions in the UK and thousands upon thousands of events. 57% of event professionals said that they plan to hold more events this year than they did last year and 31% said that increased competition would have the biggest impact upon their events this year.

Combined, these two industries offer an attractive partnership. People are attending more events and are increasingly using their smartphone to do so – two–thirds of people have looked at an event on their phone in the past six months. Plus, with some SaaS ticketing solution companies now offering technology that is free to set up and simple to use, eTicketing is accessible to small and medium–sized businesses to advance from.

LIMITED TICKETS REMAINING eTickets have benefits for attendees, venues and organisers, which is why event planners and venues are increasingly turning to SaaS ticketing software.

End–to–end customer experience A seamless mobile experience increases customer happiness, spend and ratings.

Venues and organisers can incorporate their eTicketing solution into an end– to–end mobile experience, including ticket purchase, merchandise sales, pre–event information, venue maps, live event updates, food & drink purchases and post–event hype. All from the attendee’s smartphone. It makes the experience enjoyable, spending money easier, queues smaller and event management smoother.

No more lost (or forgotten) tickets The dreaded “I’m sure I gave the tickets to you” will be no more. eTickets are safely stored on user’s smartphones and, with people checking their phones, on average, 80 times per day, they’re hard to lose. Not only that, but smartphones have the cunning ability to remind us when we’ve got an event coming up.

Marketing opportunities The promotional opportunities that come with eTickets are phenomenal.

From buyers ‘sharing’ their ticket purchase with like–minded friends on social media, to the ability to upsell VIP packages and merchandise. Push alerts, pre–event information, live event coverage and post–event memories – welcoming the smartphones into events with open arms offers marketing levels never seen before. Digital sales also provide a wealth of data to use, analyse and benefit from.

Cross–promotion The flexibility of eTicketing makes cross–promotion easy. Tickets are linked on tourist information sites, similar event pages and local websites; different ticket packages can be sold, including parking, food and drinks; and users can be rewarded via loyalty programmes and discount coupons.

•

Wearable ticketing – smartwatches, clothes, implants – the options are endless but not unforeseeable, with these eTicket purchases expected to exceed 14 billion by the end of the year, accounting for 54% of ticket sales.

•

Chatbot integration and voice search – it’s estimated that tickets bought via a chatbot service will reach $6 billion by 2022, and with consumers already au fait asking Alexa to turn on the lights, it won’t be long before she’s buying our eTickets, too.

•

Beacon technology – bringing eTickets onto the lock screen when attendees are within a certain proximity of the venue will reduce queues and place less pressure on event staff.

•

AR and VR integration – experiencing the venue before picking your seats and attending an event when you’re in a different country: it’s coming.

Costs eTickets also offer significant cost savings. No more printing and mailing.

Instead, that money can be invested in improving customer experience, venue, acts and promotion, as well as saving the trees.

Tickets to buy, tickets to sell Ticket touting is nothing new, with the secondary ticket market worth an estimated £1 billion. But pressure on industry professionals to tackle this problem is forever mounting, especially given the recent press coverage. eTickets that cannot be printed are a powerful step towards fighting illegal ticket sales and protecting consumers from fake or inflated tickets. eTickets also provide increased security at events – with real–time information on attendance numbers and which seats are empty, as well as offering a better chance to identify and locate previously misbehaved attendees.

More tickets released By the end of next year, mobile tickets are expected to account for more than half of ticket transactions on digital platforms, making the eTicketing market extremely lucrative. Plus, with the following areas of expansion, eTicketing software providers definitely won’t be quiet:

Niki Tibble Growthdeck Contributor

Sold out Experts anticipate that the number of digital ticket users will exceed 1.8 billion by 2020, with mobile near–field communication accounting for 215 million. And with the wealth of benefits attached to eTicketing, it’s not hard to see why eTickets will become the standard, simple and obvious way to attend events, venues and attractions of all sizes. Goodbye paper tickets and lighters, hello smartphones.

Web Ticket Manager

A recent addition to the Growthdeck platform is WebTicketManager (“WTM”).

WTM has developed a white label software platform that provides its customers, independent attractions and events organisers, with a unique and comprehensive ticketing solution.

Current customers include The Cavern Club, The Beatles Story museum and stadium tours at Twickenham and Chelsea FC, together with more than 250 other users. Ease of implementation and a flexible charging structure makes the solution ideal for its target market. WTM is seeking £557,000 of development capital to increase market penetration of its now proven offering.

Management are targeting an exit valuation of £13.8m in 2021. This is dependent on their meeting combined earnings projections and assumed exit multiples. If this exit is achieved it could deliver investors a 5.7 money return – increasing to 8.2 for those who qualify for EIS income tax relief.

£557,000 being raised | EIS qualifying Please contact us for further information, or visit www.growthdeck.com/wtm

Fast boat to China Our Overseas team has recently returned from a successful trade trip to mainland China, visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. The team arrived armed with enthusiasm, but not with all their luggage.

The highlight of the trip was an event hosted by the Shanghai Entrepreneurs Association. Growthdeck was invited to participate by the Department for International Trade (DIT).

overseas clients with diverse backgrounds.

Samuel and Allyson work with overseas investors who want to take a stake in growing UK businesses, where individuals are generally applying for Tier 1 Investor visas. These visa programmes attract wealth–creators and expand the UK’s business links around the world, through enabling HNW and UHNW foreign nationals to stay in the UK for up to three years, provided they invest £2 million in the UK.

Hosted by DIT in Shanghai, the event promoted investing in the UK, with our Overseas team presenting alongside representatives from the British Consulate General in Shanghai and the London Stock Exchange Group.

These visas are popular in China – in 2017, mainland Chinese took 116 of the 355 Investor visas granted by the UK government, up 56 per cent from the previous year, according to official statistics from LJ Partnership, a London–based private wealth partnership. Chinese individuals were so dominant in the investor visa scheme last year that they outnumbered Russians, the next biggest recipients by country, by 250 per cent.

Our Overseas team/department consists of Samuel Hu (Head of Overseas Investors) and Allyson Clarke (Business Development Executive), who are experienced in addressing the investment needs of

The UK has long been considered attractive to foreign investors – many see our financial and investment opportunities, plus the cultural appeal of the UK and London, as huge factors behind

the number of HNWs investing here. Whilst Brexit has brought some uncertainty, it has also brought opportunities for investors, and the UK continues to be a prime destination for inward investment.

Our network now comprises a growing number of overseas investors, from countries such as China, Malaysia, India and the US, who are able to invest directly in exciting UK private companies through our model, and we look forward to welcoming more as we continue to grow.

“

The reception we received in China was amazing. There seems to be a genuine demand for investing in UK businesses and the investors we met were very interested in the range of opportunities Growthdeck provides.

We’re excited about expanding our connections in Asia and look forward to working with our partners.

Samuel Hu Head of Overseas Investors

Meet the team

Paul Boon

Graham Brown

Investment Director

Allyson Clarke

Chairman

Business Development Executive

Jane Cook

Andrea Eklund

Simon Emary

Relationship Director

Relationship Director

COO

Sylvia Fanning

Layla Howse

Samuel Hu

Relationship Director

Office Manager & Client Services

Head of Overseas Investors

Growthdeck has grown somewhat in 2018, with an expanded Business Development team, and a new chairman and chief executive. Our focus on building strong relationships with our investors means we place a lot of emphasis on client–facing staff. Our team operates from both the London and Milton Keynes offices.

Sigrida Petkeviciute

Carolyn Robertson

Sophie Robertson

Marketing Executive

Head of Client Services

PA to Executive Directors

Emma Robins

Gary Robins

Yuan Sun

Head of Communications

Head of Business Development

Director

Steve Talbot

James Wrighton

Ian Zant–Boer

Investment Director

CTO & CMO

CEO

Serious Relief The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) can help investors boost their returns and reduce their risk. up to

30% rebate

45% loss relief

Invest in a qualifying company, and you can immediately claim back 30% of your investment, offset against your income tax bill for the current or previous tax year. If you relinquish the shares within three years, then you will have to repay the 30%.

If you realise any loss on your investment, either on sale or liquidation, then you can claim income tax relief against the loss at your highest rate of tax. So, if you are a higher rate tax payer, then you can claim 45% of a loss back – net of the initial income tax rebate.

0% capital gains tax 100% IHT relief Any gain you make on exit will be entirely free of tax, providing you have held the shares for at least three years. Even if you don’t hold the shares for long enough, you can defer any CGT liability by reinvesting the disposal proceeds into a different EIS opportunity.

Invest up to £1 million per tax year into EIS opportunities. You can invest up to £2 million per tax year, if at least £1m of that is in ‘knowledge intensive’ companies.

s r o

r o f

t s e v in

EIS–qualifying shares that are passed on to dependents will fall outside an investor’s estate for IHT purposes, providing they have been held for at least two years.

es i n

pa

r o f

m o c

Up to £5m per year Qualifying companies can raise up to £5m under EIS per year, with a maximum of £12m during their lifetime (including other venture capital).

A ‘knowledge intensive’ company can raise £10m per year, with a maximum of £20m.

Qualifying criteria: • • • • • • •

A permanent UK establishment Not trading on a recognised stock exchange Not controlled by another company Less than seven years old or have raised EIS before Fewer than 250 employees Gross assets of less than £15m Not involved in: • • • • • • •

coal or steel production farming or market gardening leasing activities legal or financial services property development running a hotel or nursing home generation of electricity, heat, gas or fuel

Find out more at growthdeck.com/eis

A guaranteed seat, fresh air, zero pushing, invigorating, no polite conversation and free – that doesn’t sound like your typical daily commute in the UK, but it can be and people are catching on.

Cycling and running to work are fast becoming preferred commuting options in the UK, and with the bicycle market worth a significant £1.07 billion (a 5% gear change from last year) and the UK’s running population reaching an astonishing 10.5 million, it’s also becoming an attractive industry for entrepreneurs and investors alike. We’re here to explain why active commuting is receiving a lot of hype and how you can ride along with it.

Wheels of opportunity On your marks, get set, go – why commuters are getting hooked Approximately 1.5 million Brits are embracing lycra and cycling at least five days a week. Here’s why active commuting is proving so popular: It lowers your risk of an early death It’s no secret that physical exercise reduces the risk of death. One hour’s worth of cycling can add one hour’s worth of life onto your years, as well as resulting in less sick days, less stress and significant NHS savings. If every Londoner walked or cycled for 20 minutes a day, it would save the NHS a significant £1.7 billion over the next 25 years. With people becoming increasingly aware of their physical health (thanks to health apps, smart watches and Jamie Oliver), cycling and running to work is naturally becoming fashionable.

It’s cheap Rail commuters spend a fifth of their salary on season tickets and car owners splash out £3,727 per year on their daily commute. Meanwhile, cyclists are spending only £396 per year and runners, even less. Not only is running or biking to work great for the wallet, but it is also great for those cashing in on this extra disposable income. The bicycle parts and accessories market alone is worth £750 million, as cyclists invest in the latest tech and newest gadgets.

It’s environmentally friendly The push to reduce our carbon emissions is on, as the government works hard to reach its 2050 carbon emission targets. Cars are at the forefront of the blame game when it comes to our carbon emissions, emitting on average 271g of CO 2 per passenger, per kilometre. Many are feeling the pressure to switch to a

more environmentally friendly mode of commute, and cycling and running are the natural, and cheap, solutions.

It’s quick You might not think that running and cycling could be described as faster than road or rail, but when it comes to the daily commute, they are. We’re wasting more than one day per year sitting in traffic and using an average of £1,168 in fuel while we’re at it. Nearly half of London car trips can be cycled in under 11 minutes, and one–third could be walked in under 25. Not only that but combining commuting with exercise negates the gym visit after work.

Double–win.

And there’s more; with reduced congestion, lower noise pollution and less stress, active commuting really is the magic pill, bringing plenty of growth opportunities with it.

Keep pedalling – opportunities This year we saw London appoint its first Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, tasked with making walking and cycling in the capital healthier, safer and more welcoming.

Cycling and walking to work is not only here to stay, it’s here to grow, as is consumer spend in the industry. The bicycle and components market alone is expected to achieve a CAGR of 3.51% between 2017 and 2026, providing significant investment opportunities in:

Commuter hubs 38% of British office workers would commute by bike if there were adequate changing facilities. Many businesses lack the space or money to facilitate this, which is why commuters are turning to cycling and running commuter hubs, such as City Cycle Hub. Providing somewhere to store clothes, take a shower, get dry, dress into

something more appropriate and securely lock up your bike, they are the premium commuter service set to pop up over our towns and cities in the coming years.

From that day on, if I was going somewhere, I was running – the future

Smart clothing

Cycling activity is set to double by 2025, with the government opening up £1 billion worth of cycling and walking investment funds to local authorities over the next five years. During this time, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged to spend a record £154 million per year on cycling – putting the city on par with Denmark and the Netherlands, where 62% and 44% respectively cycle to work and school.

As smart clothing becomes more comfortable to wear, affordable and stylish, runners and cyclists can ditch the watch in favour of apparel that can monitor heart rate, speed, breathing and more.

We are also seeing thermally controlled smart clothing enter the market – maintaining optimum work–out temperatures by heating up or cooling down, making even winter commutes enjoyable.

Electric bikes Electric bikes aren’t new but the technology that’s coming onto the market is. Sleek frames, integrated lights, better batteries – they make cycling for longer easier and are an attractive option for many. An annual growth rate of over 6% up to 2025 is predicted for this lucrative industry.

Niki Tibble Growthdeck Contributor

The bicycle market has already grown 22% over the past five years, and with this investment, cycle hub facilities, improved cycle lanes and the latest gadgets entering the market, it’s an industry we will be keeping a very close foot on.

The City Cycle Hub The City Cycle Hub Limited (“City Cycle”) has been established to provide the rapidly growing number of active commuters with a secure location to store their bikes, together with shower, changing and other related services required by these commuters but currently subject to considerable undersupply.

Management are targeting an exit valuation of £17m in 2022. This is dependent on their meeting combined earnings projections and assumed exit multiples. If this exit is achieved it could deliver investors a 6.6x money return – increasing to 9.4x for those who qualify for EIS income tax relief. Such returns are also dependent on management’s working assumption that a second equity funding round of £750,000 in 2019 can be raised for no more than a 12.5% holding.

£810,000 being raised | EIS qualifying Please contact us for further information, or visit www.growthdeck.com/citycyclehub

“

The Active City Network supports employers across the Square Mile who are encouraging and catering for safe, active commuting.

The City Cycle Hub will provide secure cycle storage for City commuters, which is a service many City cyclists request, and therefore we support their activity.

Behaviour Change & Campaigns Officer, City of London

The Bull pub and restaurant in Limpsfield was recently put up for sale, and a small group of residents decided to take on a new challenge. Sensing the opportunity to transform the imposing 16th Century inn, they formed Enterprising Limpsfield, a company that aims to create a gastronomic community hub, promoting entrepreneurship, local supply chains, and creating jobs. In order to purchase and refurbish the pub, the company raised capital by engaging the village and wider communities.

Enterprising Limpsfield turned to Growthdeck to help facilitate the raise, by providing a private platform for securing investment, full client service support, custodial services and EIS certification. £1.25m was raised from local benefactors and the refurbishment is already underway. thebullinnlimpsfield.com

“

Growthdeck provided a seamless and professional service that enabled us to raise over £1m from our local network with minimal fuss. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to businesses or ventures looking to handle their own fundraise.

Adrienne Bloch Enterprising Limpsfield at The Bull Limpsfield, Oxted, Surrey

Do it yourself Raising capital Promote your own, private fundraise on the Growthdeck platform Growthdeck provides fast, convenient multi–channel access to tax–efficient investment opportunities.

Our FCA–regulated platform can be tailored to suit your precise requirements, whether you want to promote your own opportunities, or provide EIS deal flow from other sources.

End to End Solution You can pick and choose what you need – from sourcing deals and carrying out thorough due diligence, to processing investors’ EIS forms and holding funds.

Private deal page

Registration

Investment

Client services

Back–office

Reporting

our investors

Mike Molesworth I have been an EIS investor for a number of years and also have worked in private equity funded businesses.

My biggest failure was selling shares immediately after the crisis in 2008 – I sold at the bottom rather than stopping any further losses! Fortunately it was only a small % of my portfolio.

A Cambridge educated engineer, I spent the formative part of my career in manufacturing moving progressively into general management roles. Whilst enjoying director level roles since I was 30, I have been running businesses for over 25 years.

I like to have a broad mix, but my larger investments are in industrial businesses investing in new technologies to transform their business sectors.

Growthdeck’s personal contact and their rigorous approach to due diligence and reporting provides me with a unique and accessible way to build up my investment portfolio.

Their online platform gives me an easy way to invest but also a simple way to monitor performance and review new opportunities.

I invest in growth businesses to help support them and because of potentially attractive returns. The tax breaks enable me to invest more gross than I would otherwise, but it is not my main reason for investment.

In 2000 I joined an MBO as CEO and led the business through refinancing, a secondary MBO, trade sale and eventual merger. This was followed by my eventual semi–retirement four years ago.

I now have a number of advisory and non–exec roles, and am continuing to invest in growth businesses which I started over 10 years ago. I have been married almost 40 years, have three children and four grandchildren. My part time work allows me to find time to focus on my passions of playing golf, watching rugby and cooking!

My biggest success to date has been investing in a management buyout that achieved over 2000% return in five years.

“

Growthdeck’s personal approach to equity investing, rigorous due diligence and detailed reporting, all provide a unique and accessible way to build up an investment portfolio.

In the Pink We revisit Pinkster Gin, two years on from their Growthdeck fundraise Launched in 2013, Pinkster is celebrating its fifth year in business. In 2016, the company raised £1 million from Growthdeck investors, and since then has seen sales double year–on–year, with its trademark bottle now stocked in over 5,000 UK outlets. These include major wholesalers, such as Matthew Clark, Bibendum and Enotria&Coe as well as Majestic and in regional Marks & Spencer stores.

The £1 million raised (having initially set a target of £600,000) has helped the company to pay for production costs and the hiring of additional sales staff. Which is just as well, given the unprecedented boom in gin sales, and in particular those of pink gin. Sales have exploded in the UK, with a near 2,000% increase in the year to Feb 2018.

Will Holt, co–founder of Pinkster, believes that pink gin has gained prominence and legitimacy from several high–profile brand launches.

“Thanks to the marketing muscle of Gordon’s and Beefeater, pink gin is a sub–category in its own right now – and one that’s rocketing along very nicely indeed. For sure, this is benefiting us at Pinkster, with demand rising month by month as more outlets look for a premium option.”

And it looks set to continue, at least for the time being. But Pinkster isn’t resting on its laurels, having diversified its product range, to include a gin jam, Boozy Berries and Pinkster Royale (all cleverly using the gin’s leftover raspberries), and a series of fruit gin liqueurs, separately branded as Hedgepig.

The business also has plenty of further product launches in the pipeline.

“We’ve just unveiled several Pinkster gift sets for Christmas. And on the Hedgepig front, there are three new drinks to be launched in the next few weeks”, says Will.

The product innovation seems to be reaping dividends, as more and more distributors and retailers have chosen Pinkster as a flagship pink gin brand. As a result, UK trade sales are exceeding forecasts on a regular basis.

The future looks bright. And it looks decidedly pink.

“

Latest data shows there’s now 2.2m pink gin drinkers in the UK, with still plenty of growth in the category.

We launched five years ago, which makes us a veritable pink pioneer.

Will Holt Co–founder, Pinkster

Gin

in numbers 55 million bottles

sold in the UK in 12 months to Mar 2018

ÂŁ1.5 billion

spent on Gin in the same period

49 new distilleries

opened in the UK in 2017 (total of 315)

1,779% increase

in annual sales of pink gin to Feb 2018

Sources: The Drinks Business, CGA

Get involved

Invest in EIS opportunities We present regular tax–efficient investment opportunities to our network of investors. Take a look at the latest open offers.

www.growthdeck.com/invest Raise capital for your business Growthdeck helps exciting growth businesses raise capital from our network of investors. If you are looking to raise finance for your business, or know of a business that is seeking growth capital, please let us know.

www.growthdeck.com/raise Become a Growthdeck shareholder Our business is supported by over 50 individual shareholders, many of whom play an active role. And we’re always interested to speak to potential investors that want to get involved in our business. The benefits of becoming a Growthdeck shareholder are significant, so please visit our website to find out more.

www.growthdeck.com/shareholders Become a sector expert Growthdeck has a dedicated panel of industry experts, all with many years of experience in building and managing successful businesses. The panel covers multiple industry sectors and exists to help Growthdeck provide the best level of service to our investors and fundraising businesses. If you are interest in joining the panel, please visit the link below.

www.growthdeck.com/experts Come to a Growthdeck event We host numerous networking events, from intimate ‘Meet the Management’ lunches at our regular private dining room in Mayfair, to larger, more informal drinks evenings. It’s a great chance to meet other investors, fundraising businesses and, of course, the Growthdeck team itself.

www.growthdeck.com/events

Call us on 0800 302 9444 or email info@growthdeck.com

About Growthdeck provides tax–efficient and growth investment opportunities to an expanding network of sophisticated private investors, partners and introducers. We carry out professional due diligence, provide ongoing and extensive business support and develop a close relationship with our investors. We also regularly host networking events that help connect growth businesses with sophisticated investors from across the world. ​

Growthdeck 59 Grosvenor Street Mayfair London W1K 3HZ

504–506 Elder House Elder Gate Milton Keynes MK9 1LR

IMPORTANT NOTE: Financial promotions are directed exclusively at and intended to be used only by those persons either categorised as a Certified or Self-certified as Sophisticated Investor or High Net Worth Investor for the purposes of FSMA 2000 or retail investors who are certified as “restricted investors” defined by the FCA as an individual who has not invested more than 10 per cent of their net assets in non-readily realisable securities. Please note that the content of this document is for general information only and should not be regarded as constituting an offer or a solicitation to buy or sell any securities, or investment advice. It is not directed to any person where (by reason of nationality, residence or otherwise) the availability of the www.growthdeck.com website is prohibited.

RISK WARNING: Your capital is at risk if you invest through Growthdeck Limited. Investing in start-ups and early stage businesses involves risks, including illiquidity (the inability to sell assets quickly or without substantial loss in value), lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution, and it should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio. There is no secondary market available meaning that these securities are illiquid. As a result, it is possible you may lose all of your capital. The tax treatment of our investment opportunities depends on the individual circumstances of each investor and may be subject to change. Past performance and forecasts are not indicative of future performance. To view the full risk warning, please visit www.growthdeck.com/risk.

ISSUED BY GROWTHDECK LIMITED (“Growthdeck”), A LIMITED COMPANY AND APPOINTED REPRESENTATIVE OF NASH & CO CAPITAL LIMITED WHICH IS AUTHORISED AND REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY. REGISTERED IN ENGLAND AND WALES (COMPANY NUMBER 09801754) REGISTERED OFFICE – SEEBECK HOUSE, 1 SEEBECK PLACE, KNOWLHILL, MILTON KEYNES, MK5 8FR. © Growthdeck Limited. All rights reserved. Any unauthorised use or distribution is strictly prohibited.