John Glencross has been at the forefront of the EIS and VCT world for over two decades, co-launching the first approved EIS fund in 1999. We take advantage of this to get a long-term perspective on how the market and the Calculus investment process has changed over time.

We start at the launch of their first fund, with the challenges of a product that was even less well known that it is now. John talks about how they found an investor base and avoided the worst of the bursting of the internet bubble.

The areas that Calculus invest in have evolved over this period. We discuss how these change, the challenge of choosing areas that will be do well over the next few years. We also discuss how economic cycles interact with this, including the financial crisis in 2008 and the more recent pandemic. We also chat about the evolution of the EIS & VCT market, how it has got better and what problems still need addressed.

Website: https://www.calculuscapital.com/

Suggested books:

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran

Memoirs of an Infantry Officer by Siegfried Sassoon

Crisis Deluxe by Chris Coffman