The Conduit EIS Impact Fund has been launched for firms with targets that are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Created by Conduit Connect, Conduit Capital and Ascension Capital, the fund aims to support and scale impact-driven companies and to enable investors to build diverse portfolios, with the added benefits of EIS tax reliefs.
The fund will target a portfolio of eight to ten Seed to Series A investments across four key impact themes:
- Climate
- Health and wellbeing
- Education and financial inclusion
- Economy opportunity
These four themes have been selected as they represent the greatest challenges and the sectors with the fastest growing innovations and scalable impact solutions.
Companies will go through a screening process and an impact framework designed in collaboration with Deloitte to ensure all companies in the pipeline and portfolio have an impact on sustainable development at the heart of their business models.
With a proven track record of sourcing and vetting high-impact investment opportunities, this unique partnership will enable scale by leveraging the deep EIS Ascension Ventures, the Fund Manager and the impact investing knowledge and networks and the networks of Conduit Capital and Conduit Capital.
The fund will invest in high-growth impact investing opportunities sourced by the Conduit Connect, while the Conduit Capital will leverage its investment expertise and ecosystem of impact investors and partners to create value for the Fund’s portfolio companies.
The target first close is £3m on April 5 with a target fund size of £5m. The minimum ticket per investor is £25,000, available to both retail and professional investors and partners to create value for the fund’s portfolio companies. The fund will be distributed over 2011-2022 tax year.
Asha Lad, head of investment partnerships at Conduit Capital, said: “Through listening to our ecosystem, Conduit Capital understands impact businesses are in different stages and have varying needs of growth capital, which is why we are proud to help scale up the next generation of companies achieving impact throughout their investment lifecycle.
“We believe social entrepreneurs need more than just capital to be successful, they also need access to knowledge and networks, which we will enable through our global ecosystem of mission aligned communities. We also recognise options to invest in impact funds are scarce for retail investors, especially for those who are new to the space, so we are excited to provide this opportunity for them.”
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