The UK’s youngest Venture Capital Trust, 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗩𝗖𝗧 launched last year and is now deploying the capital raised in 2022/23 and raising further funds in 2023/24. We talk to manager Shane Gallwey, who set up Guinness Ventures within Guinness Global Investors, about the kind of investments they’ve made to date, how they differ from other VCT managers, how they’re approaching the current economic environment, and why experienced investors should consider their VCT. Listen now… In this interview:

‣ Why did Guinness launch a Venture Capital Trust?

‣ What is a typical Guinness Ventures company?

‣ What is their “most important thing” when choosing companies to invest in?

‣ Examples: investing in Fable Data (consumer spending insights), MORI (organic baby clothes), PlotBox (software for cemeteries) and Dragonfly AI (marketing optimisation)

‣ High interest rates and inflation – how has this changed Guinness’s approach?

‣ Risks of the VCT

‣ Exit track record: Imagen (acq. by Thomson Reuters), ContentCal (Adobe), Pasta Evangelists (Barilla), Jones Food Company (Ocado)

For more details on Guinness VCT, experienced investors can head to https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/venture-capital-trusts/guinness-vct/.

IMPORTANT: The opinions expressed 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. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.

The Northern VCTs are among the longest-standing Venture Capital Trusts, with a loyal following. Focusing on the regions of the UK, the manager Mercia seeks investee companies in healthcare, technology, software, and consumer brands. We talk to Peter Dines of Mercia about how they're investing this year, how the portfolio is doing generally, and examples of companies that sum up what they are trying to achieve. Listen now to learn more…

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We talk to Rupert West, head of private equity at Puma Investments, about its flagship Venture Capital Trust, Puma VCT 13 – its current portfolio, recent investments, headwinds, exits and more. What kind of businesses does Puma prefer to invest in? What are the risks of early-stage investment and how does it seek to manage them? And what makes Puma VCT 13 different from other venture capital trusts? Watch the interview to find out…

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Joshua Northrop and Sean O’Flanagan explain Whitman Asset Management’s approach to building an AIM portfolio for experienced investors wishing to protect their estates from Inheritance Tax.

In this episode:

• Who are Whitman Asset Management?

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For more details on Whitman AIM IHT Portfolio, including documents and how to invest, experienced investors can head to https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/aim-iht-isas/whitman-aim-iht-portfolio/.

Molten Ventures may be best known for its investments in fintech and deep tech unicorns such as Wise, Graphcore and Thought Machine. It also manages a Venture Capital Trust – the Molten Ventures VCT, which has invested alongside the plc since 2017. We talk to manager William Horlick about the VCT’s recent investments, exits, and what differentiates their investment strategy. Listen now…

Listen now to learn more.

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. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.

For more details on the VCT, experienced investors can head to https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/venture-capital-trusts/molten-ventures-vct/.

To begin our 2023/24 “Meet the Manager” series: David Hall is partner and executive chair at YFM Equity Partners, a 40-year old investment business that has been managing British Smaller Companies Venture Capital Trusts for over 25 years now. What do the VCTs aim to do for investors? What effect is 2023’s economic environment having on companies and investors? And what is the hardest conversation they have with entrepreneurs? Listen now to learn more. In this interview:

• What are the British Smaller Companies VCTs and what kind of companies do they invest in?

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For more details on British Smaller Companies VCTs, including documents & how to invest, experienced investors should head to https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/british-smaller-companies/.

And please subscribe to the podcast for more Meet The Manager video interviews.

Interest rates – the highest for 15 years – are having profound implications for investors. Which companies or sectors might be most vulnerable to higher rates? Could they be a blessing in disguise for others? How might investors position themselves for this new environment? We discuss this with Charlie Huggins (CFA) – listen now…

IMPORTANT: This video is for experienced investors. It represents the views of the portfolio manager and is not a personal recommendation to buy, sell or hold shares in any company. Investments can go down as well as up in value and past performance is not a guide to the future. Charlie holds shares in Diploma, Roper Technologies and RELX.

We sit down with David Hall of YFM Equity Partners to talk Venture Capital Trusts, the economy, fast-growing businesses, interest rates, labour shortages and 40 years of investing in small but growing UK companies. In this interview:

For more details on British Smaller Companies VCTs, including documents & how to invest, see https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/british-smaller-companies/.

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How does the manager of UK’s largest Venture Capital Trust view the current economic landscape? How do moves in the main stock market affect VCTs and their portfolio? And where is one of Europe’s biggest venture capital teams seeing opportunity currently? We spoke to Malcolm Ferguson of Octopus Ventures – the backer of Depop, Zoopla, Graze, Cazoo and ManyPets – about Octopus Titan VCT and the companies in its portfolio. In this interview:

IMPORTANT: The opinions expressed in this podcast 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.

Charlie Huggins talks to founder Alex Davies about the new Wealth Club Quality Shares Portfolio – a discretionary share portfolio managed by Charlie exclusively for Wealth Club investors. In this interview:

Why might experienced investors consider the Quality Shares Portfolio as part of their overall strategy? Watch the video now to learn more…

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