- MMC Ventures up against Calculus Capital, Parkwalk Advisors, Puma Investments and TIME Investments for Best EIS Investment Manager
- Award presented by Stephen Geddes of Mainspring Fund Services
Last night, MMC Ventures was named Best EIS Investment Manager at the inaugural Growth Investor Awards, which recognises impact beyond investment in the UK SME finance industry.
The Best EIS Investment Manager award, sponsored by Mainspring, recognises a top performing fund manager specialising in Enterprise Investment Schemes. This award is judged on investment volume, impact on the investee company, product development and adviser outreach.
MMC Ventures triumphed against Parkwalk Advisors, Puma Investments, TIME Investments, and runner up Calculus Capital. The Award was presented at a black tie dinner attended by 300 guests at the Marriott Grosvenor Square in Mayfair by Stephen Geddes, CEO of Mainspring Fund Services.
Stephen said: “We are delighted that MMC Ventures have won this award, in the face of stiff competition. They will undoubtedly continue to go from strength to strength. Mainspring is proud to have been sponsors of this years’ event and we look forward to supporting Intelligent Partnership in more industry awards in the future.”
The Awards are organised by Intelligent Partnership (IP), the UK’s leading provider of research and education on alternative investment, as part of a national campaign to raise awareness of impact and innovation in growth capital.
Opening the ceremony, IP’s Managing Director Guy Tolhurst said: “Tonight we honour those innovating in financial services and putting investment to work in SME’s. They do things differently. They don’t see venture capital schemes as just a way to save their clients’ tax. They see businesses that can innovate, grow and create new jobs – and in doing so they make us all more prosperous.”
A two stage judging process to identify 12 winners from 36 finalists was supported by a panel of 35 independent judges. Daniel Kiernan, IP’s Research Director who headed up the shortlist, commented: “By designing a judging process around impact beyond investment on investee companies, the Growth Investor Awards enables the industry to demonstrate its unique contribution while differentiating its leading players. The credibility and prestige of these awards comes from an influential Advisory Board and an eminent panel of independent judges.”
Daniel Kiernan added: “Judges praised MMC for its ongoing support of portfolio companies and were impressed with its Growth Generation Fund – which demonstrates real innovation in making the asset class more accessible to younger investors.”
The economic importance of tax advantaged venture capital schemes was a theme for two keynote speeches at the ceremony. The Financial Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke MP, highlighted the broader economic impact of the billions that have been invested in SMEs through EIS, SEIS and VCT in terms of employment and tax contributions.
David Gauke, said: “It’s important to acknowledge the key role played by growth investors in helping small businesses start, expand, and reach their full potential. The government provides a range of support to encourage this type of investment, including through the tax-advantaged venture capital schemes which have supported more than 22,000 companies to access over £17.5 billion of investment. Without access to the finance they need to develop their vision, companies with great ideas would struggle to fulfil their potential, and Britain would lose out.”
About the Growth Investor Awards
The Growth Investor Awards were created to recognise all those involved in putting investment to work in SMEs – with a judging process designed around impact on investee companies. These stories of impact beyond investment bring to life a national campaign – to highlight the importance of venture capital schemes and the industry’s contribution to job and wealth creation. Find out more at www.growthinvestorawards.com.
About Intelligent Partnership
The Growth Investor Awards are organised by Intelligent Partnership, the UK’s leading provider of education and insights on alternative investments. Its aim is to bring about a future where alternative investments are as understandable and accessible as mainstream assets – thus creating a more open and efficient market for everyone. We engage our 5,000+ subscriber community of advisers, wealth managers and financial services professionals through a year-round programme of content that includes award-winning digital and printed reports, video content, and live events – accredited for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), Institute of Financial Planning (IFP) and Personal Finance Society (PFS). Find out more at www.intelligent-partnership.com.
ENDS
[/cs_text][/cs_column][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/2″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h5″ accent=”false” class=”cs-ta-left” style=”margin-top: 0;”]Growth Investor Awards 2015 Winners & Runners up[/x_custom_headline][x_gap size=”10px”][cs_text]
EXIT OF THE YEAR
- Winner – Parkwalk Advisors – Tracsis
- Runner up – Elderstreet for Wessex Advanced Switching Products (WASP)
INDUSTRY GAME-CHANGER, sponsored by MICAP
- Winner – Mercia Technologies
- Runner up – Lawson Conner
BEST BPR INVESTMENT MANAGER, sponsored by Reyker Securities
- Winner – TIME Investments
- Runner up – Octopus Investments
INDUSTRY CHAMPION AWARD, sponsored by Intelligent Partnership
- Winner – Kathryn Robertson
BEST SEIS INVESTMENT MANAGER, sponsored by RW Blears
- Winner – Daedalus Partners LLP
- Runner up – Jenson Funding Partners
FINANCIAL ADVISER OF THE YEAR, sponsored by LGBR Capital
- Winner – Carl Lamb, Managing Director, Almary Green
- Runner up – Jonothan McColgan, Chartered Financial Planner, Combined Financial Strate-gies
BEST VCT INVESTMENT MANAGER, sponsored by DWF LLP
- Winner – Octopus Investments
- Runner up – Puma Investments
WEALTH MANAGER OF THE YEAR, sponsored by RAM Capital
- Winner – Barclays Wealth
- Runner up – UBS
BEST INVESTMENT PLATFORM, sponsored by Bovill
- Winner – SyndicateRoom
- Runner up – Seedrs
BEST EIS INVESTMENT MANAGER, sponsored by Mainspring
- Winner – MMC Ventures
- Runner up – Calculus Capital
MOST IMPACTFUL INVESTMENT
- Winner – Deepbridge Capital
- Runner up – Mercia Technologies
GROWTH INVESTOR OF THE YEAR, sponsored by Matrix Solutions
- Winner – Octopus Investments
- Runner up – Calculus Capital
