SEIS fund manager SFC Capital made a record-breaking 101 investments in the 2022-23 tax year, making it the UK’s most active venture capital investor.
According to a recent report by Beauhurst, the fund earned the title ‘Most Active VC in 2022’ with a staggering 52% more investments than the runner-up.
Diversity remained at the core of SFC’s investing strategy with investments spanning a huge range of innovation-led sectors, such as MedTech, EnviroTech, B2B software and AI.
“We grew in different ways this year,” said chief investment officer Joseph Zipfel. “It’s been our most exciting cohort of startups yet, and they join a growing portfolio delivering great value for our investors.”
ClimateTech was one of the most important trends of the past year. Recognising the urgency and commercial potential of the sector, it became SFC’s number 1 investment category last year for the first time. The fund was therefore thrilled to end the financial year being recognised as the UK’s Top ClimateTech Investor by Beauhurst.
Another major development was more gender equality with 45% of SFC Capital’s investments going to women-led companies, nearing the fund’s target of 50%. This increase in gender diversity indicates that more women are starting businesses, which will contribute to narrowing the gender gap in later-stage investments in the coming years.
Lastly, SFC Capital increased its focus on investing regionally throughout the UK. The fund made 60% of its investments in companies outside of London, with additional funding from British Business Investments.