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Seedcorn Finance: £50k to £500k

Iceotope Ltd

South Yorkshire Investment Fund has given its support to Iceotope Ltd with a £300,000 Seedcorn Fund investment.

The Seedcorn Fund aimed to back early stage technology-based ventures which have the potential to become “beacon companies” for the region.

The fund filled a gap in the local finance market for ventures that were often seen as too risky for mainstream providers or which require more hands-on support from a specialist investor.

Clients were companies that were based on new and innovative technology with ideas that had strong potential and once in the market, were capable of rapid growth and returns of many multiples of their original investment.

The fund  provided investment from £50k to £500k over the lifetime of those companies that show the most commercial potential. We also provided specialist support to those growing businesses in return for a share of the eventual returns.

We could help your business if you were:

  • Pre-revenue, start up or early stage technology business
  • Based on strong and unique technological or 'know-how' content that will be usually be protectable by a patent or copyright
  • Probably beyond the research stage
  • Have potential for rapid growth and returns of many multiples of the original investment
  • Based in or have significant activity in South Yorkshire

We invested in proposals we believe had: 

  • The chance to create a valuable defensible position in a major market, whether that defensibility will be provided by future patents, proprietary software, customer lock-in or contractual relationships.
  • An ambitious, enthusiastic and capable founder(s), who understands the problems that their offering can solve
  • Where the company has the potential to be achieve a strategic exit to a major company looking to acquire the defensible market position in 3-4 years

Seedcorn Fund Details:

Convertible loans and/or equity: £50k to £500k
Stake Sought: Significant minority stake in the Ordinary Shareholding
Exit: Exit targeted between 3 - 6 years

Seedcorn Fund investments receive intensive support from their allocated Investment Manager who is likely to attend most board meetings and can provide:

  • Help with recruiting senior team members
  • Help on financing and market entry strategy
  • Introductions to future investors and partners
  • Access to a network of professionals and advisors experienced in exactly the issues that early-stage technology companies face

Together the technology team have more than 200 board-years of experience in early-stage technology companies

How to Apply

Finance Yorkshire has now taken on responsibility for providing gap finance in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Please click here to be redirected to the Finance Yorkshire website where you can complete a seedcorn online enquiry form.

http://www.finance-yorkshire.com

If you have any questions or wish to talk to someone about making an application phone 0845 649 0000 or email info@finance-yorkshire.com