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Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more

Powering Regional Growth: the Cambridge Cluster
Sep 5 2023

The original publication of this blog can be found on the Intelligent Partnership website. To read the full blog, please visit: o2h ventures (ceros.com) 

Our burgeoning life sciences sector contributes £94 billion to the UK’s economy each year and employs over 280,000 people. But did you know that Cambridge as a region is home to one of the world’s most successful life sciences and biotechnology hubs?

Otherwise known as the ‘Cambridge Cluster’, the region has evolved over time into a global hub for innovation that is recognised today to be on par with other world-leading biotech clusters, such as Boston and San Francisco. The region’s success can largely be attributed to an exceptional talent pipeline fed by the University of Cambridge, its abundance of science parks and incubators, university spin-outs, and a strong VC landscape that has created a thriving ecosystem for innovation.

Furthermore, Cambridge’s world class status is further enhanced by being part of the ‘Golden Triangle’, formed by the university cities of Oxford, London and Cambridge. According to a recent report by Beauhurst, an impressive 65% of high-growth life sciences companies are based within this specific region.

o2h Ventures is spearheading the charge for regional VC biotech investment into Cambridge, with a team at the helm collectively holding over 75 years of combined grassroots experience in the sector. Operating from The Mill SciTech Park in Cambridge, o2h Ventures has backed more than 60% of its portfolio into Cambridge-based biotech businesses or Cambridge University spin-outs. It was the first fund to obtain the coveted knowledge-intensive EIS approval status from HMRC, given the team’s presence in the sector.

What are knowledge-intensive EIS funds? 

Knowledge-intensive (KI) EIS funds specialise in investing in companies that prioritise research and development (R&D) and must allocate a significant portion of their costs to R&D. For a fund to qualify as a KI approved fund, it must meet specific conditions set out by HMRC and 80% of its investments must be in “knowledge-intensive” companies.

Operating in the same way as a usual EIS fund, investors are able to claim up to 30% income tax relief on KI EIS investments. The main attraction, however, is that a KI EIS fund is already HMRC-approved, meaning that the investment date for tax purposes is the tax year of the fund close, as opposed to the tax year in which funds are deployed. The advantage of this? Investors are not relying on the speed of deployment and can target a specific tax year to receive income tax year and carry back one year earlier than with a typical EIS.

In addition, investors in KI funds can expect to receive a single EIS5 certificate issued by the fund once it has invested 90% of its capital, which it is required to do within 24 months of fund close. This differs vastly for investors in non-approved funds who can expect to receive individual EIS3 certificates for each investee company as and when deployment of capital occurs.

Why invest in biotech?

The Covid-19 pandemic undeniably shone a light on the importance of biotech as a sector and how supporting investment into the field is crucial for the long-term success of bringing new drugs to the marketplace.

Record levels of investment into biotech were witnessed globally across 2020/2021 during the peak of the pandemic and this consequently dipped moving into 2022. This was not entirely unexpected as the world began to move away from the initial urgency the pandemic presented and the accompanying investor enthusiasm.

Taking a longer term view however, the sector has demonstrated extraordinary growth in the last 10 years and has outperformed other sectors, including pharmaceuticals and tech, in both venture capital and public markets. In addition, investment into the broader healthcare sector continues to present compelling growth opportunities and a report by PWC UK and BMS has revealed that increased investment into healthcare has the potential to add £45-90 billion to the UK economy.

This market sentiment has been mirrored by the government’s unwavering commitment to cement the UK’s place as a “global life sciences superpower” by 2030. In May earlier this year, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announced an ambitious ‘Life Sci for Growth’ package to shape policy and bring renewed funding to core areas of focus, such as £121 million to improve commercial clinical trials and bring new medicines to patients faster.

Sunil Shah shares his insights on biotech investingPowering regional investment

To position the UK as a global biotech leader, it is crucial to foster the growth and strength of the local biotech community. This begins at a grassroots level and entails building relationships with US investors, thereby facilitating collaboration and knowledge exchange.

By embracing these strategies and fuelling economic growth across the regions, the UK can unlock its biotech potential, drive innovation, and pave the way for a prosperous future as a prominent player in the global biotech landscape.

o2h Ventures is playing a vital role in this and according to recent data published by the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA) was recognised as one of the top 10 VC investors in UK biotech financing in 2022. The team has backed 28 early-stage biotech companies over the past three years, making investments into critical fields such as oncology, anti-ageing, genomics, neuroscience, and digital therapeutics.

The o2h human health EIS knowledge-intensive fund is currently open for investment which aims to build a diverse portfolio for investors with an initial portfolio of 5-10 unquoted and/or AIM-listed companies. Actively seeking out companies that operate at the forefront of innovation, the team strongly believes in the power of the life sciences industry to improve human health and help drive the UK’s economic growth.

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Please refer to the relevant fund’s full risk warnings contained in their Information Memorandums.
Your capital is at risk. Investing in early stage businesses involves risks, including illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution, and it should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio. o2h Ventures’ funds are targeted exclusively at sophisticated or high net worth investors who understand these risks and make their own investment decisions. Tax relief depends on an individual’s circumstances and may change in the future. In addition, the availability of tax relief depends on the company invested in maintaining its qualifying status. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. You should not rely on any past performance as a guarantee of future investment performance.
o2h ventures Limited is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 812245). Capital at risk, only suitable for high net worth and sophisticated investors
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Risk Information

Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk

What are the key risks?

1 – You could lose all the money you invest

• If the business you invest in fails, you are likely to lose 100% of the money you invest. Most start-up businesses fail.

2 – You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong

• Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker here. (https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker)

• Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here. (https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers)

3 – You won’t get your money back quickly

• Even if the business you invest in is successful, it may take several years to get your money back. You are unlikely to be able to sell your investment early.

• The most likely way to get your money back is if the business is bought by another business or lists its shares on an exchange such as the London Stock Exchange. These events are not common.

• If you are investing in a start-up business, you should not expect to get your money back through dividends. Start-up businesses rarely pay these.

4 – Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

• Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.

• A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments (https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest)

5 – The value of your investment can be reduced

• The percentage of the business that you own will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment reduces, depending on how much the business grows. Most start-up businesses issue multiple rounds of shares.

• These new shares could have addition rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, which could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment.

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here (https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart)