I‘m delighted to welcome you to the latest issue of GB Investments magazine. It’s been a busy time for us and set to get even busier as we move into the New Year and towards TYE, and we have a packed issue for you to read. I was delighted to attend the EISA awards in October and even more delighted to win a highly commended award along with our friends and colleagues at the SidebySide Partnership, in the Spirit of EIS category. Congratulations is shared with the whole GBI Team.
Our feature article this month is focused on a webinar we hosted for the EIS New Entrant Network, in partnership with Hardman & Co and Martin Fox. In conversation with the founding partners of four already successful companies three of them may be launching new EIS funds but they are no strangers to success, proving the old adage that experience really does count. We opted for ‘the virtual world’ as our strapline this month but we could just as easily have used ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ given the press coverage around facebook’s founder’s move to rebrand the parent company as Meta reflecting the latest virtual ‘metaverse’. You will find an explanation of the metaverse in our feature article, as one of the founders of VGC Partners explains this new world of twinned avatars, traded merchandise and a rapidly growing virtual economy. Alongside Eos Advisory and 24Haymarket both launching innovative and exciting EIS funds into the investment world, we also spoke to Haatch Ventures to find out how they are doing three years later.
You will find a fascinating interview with Par Equity’s Andrew Noble on their remarkable track record in delivering returns to investors, Nick Britton of the AIC talks about the role of VCTs in creating positive social impact and Mark Bower-Easton of Oxford Capital tells us how to give early-stage companies the very best start. Kirsty Greenwood of Arie Capital’s tech fund took time out to talk to Peter Wilson about her new role and why she is excited for the future of the fund.
If you haven’t had an opportunity to browse our new look open offers section on the website you can take a look at the investment opportunities here https://staging.ifamagazine.com/open-offers
Enjoy the read!
Alex Sullivan
Publishing Director
