For Prospective Investors

If you are a prospective investor or represent one, please email contact@collegiate.capital and a member of our Investor Relations team will get in touch right away to discuss and initially send you our Investment Memorandum and any other details you might find helpful.

Applications to invest in our funds should only be made on the basis of the information set out in the relevant offering documentation, which contain the full details. This includes, among other things, details on returns as well as the full terms and legal and fee structures.

We have included a brief insight below of how we offer an attractive investment opportunity for prospective investors and a more flexible and efficient way of investing that can lead to excellent returns.

What we look for

We invest in the most pioneering, ambitious and impressive founders, ideas and companies that have the potential to change the world. We find the best recipe for potential success to be brilliant teams with complimentary skillsets, large markets with room for disruption and innovative scalable solutions (often technological) that are generating rapid growth. Ultimately, we invest where we find our expertise and the potential of a startup are symbiotic. Our usual investment criteria is below:

  • Who do we help? – Exceptional people, first and foremost. We always look for outstanding founding teams and believe that any company is only as good as its people. The same applies to us. Simple.
  • What do we look for? – Disruptive technologies targeting large markets (or even creating new ones) and companies with great potential and global ambitions. In particular we focus on eCommerce, SaaS/Digital Media, FinTech, Cyber Security, Gaming and Energy. We are able to work with hardware companies in particular with regards to AI/3D, robotics and connected devices.
  • When do we invest? – Focusing on pre-seed, seed and Series A stage companies with the ability to provide follow on later stage investments, we provide entrepreneurs with comprehensive support. We have full end to end capability, co-invest with our extensive network of partners and provide continuity from startup to scale up and beyond.
  • Where do we invest? – We are location agnostic and believe that successful companies can come from any region but are particularly keen to find the best opportunities in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. We have a global reach so can back companies regardless of where they are based. We have supported companies from across the world and we help companies expand internationally and also run our Unlocking the Asian and American markets schemes.

How we invest

  • When it comes to origination activities, our access to innovators is unique. We have a broad reach across startup communities and ‘best-in-class’ relationships with top universities, societies and research hubs. We have an extensive network of university relationships with the most forward thinking institutions to channel research led dealflow and an unparalleled pipeline of opportunities
  • We meticulously track progress by monitoring development, KPIs and milestones set at the initial investment stage
  • We conduct deep due diligence across the spectrum with a unique and extensive vetting and research process. This includes red flag scanning, tapping into our network of experts and reference gathering. We carefully look at the founders, their ideas and proposed business models, prototypes/minimum viable products, addressable markets, barriers to entry, products/services, competitive and industry landscapes, financial projections, sales, marketing and execution strategies as well as possible exit options
  • We are very thorough in our process of exploration, identification, analysis, evaluation and selection
  • We partner with other leading funds in order to access larger deals, and invest and co-invest in follow-on rounds of our investments that show the most progress, to maximise impact and returns
  • Investment committee decisions are unanimously agreed upon between our partners
  • We commit to personally investing in the initial round of prospective portfolio companies
  • We work to mitigate risk through thoughtful portfolio construction
  • We have established routines and policies as well as the highest ethical standards. We seek to protect and build our brand

How we add value to generate enhanced returns as well as helping our startups be more likely to succeed

  • Our team have significant operational experience with over 150 years of experience in building and managing companies, investing, advising and scaling businesses and helping entrepreneurs (particularly in the technology space) – we have a track record of having done it before, and we are doing it again
  • We give hands-on support to the earliest stage companies, from building teams, to business lead generation and development / operational expertise. This is in addition to introductions to Europe’s most prestigious mentors, investors and advisors
  • Our added value services help maximise the chances of success for the companies we work with and reduce the risk of failure. Our technical development, human resources, legal, financial and administration etc. teams (among others), our office space, experience, and corporate network will give our portfolio companies a significant head-start and help to super-charge growth
  • We provide entrepreneurs with access to a corporate network of advisors, technical staff and executive insight. We also partner with the leading and most influential incubators, accelerators, co-investors and co-­working spaces

Flexibility for investors in an inflexible world

  • Every investor has equal exposure to the investments made
  • Access to Series A and Series B technology investments – rounds typically inaccessible to most investors
  • You can gain access to the most cutting edge and innovative R&D with commercial potential that is coming out of universities
  • You can access investment opportunities that top-tier VCs and leading Angels are participating in. Get involved with deals that have been strictly vetted
  • Access to secondary capital markets for exits
  • SEIS/EIS benefits on certain eligible investments to minimise personal tax liabilities

Investor friendly fee structure and potential for early liquidity

  • On top of investor friendly fee structures and flexibility, we offer a wide range of services, providing investors, and where applicable their nominated advisors, with timely, targeted and transparent communication. This includes regular reports, analysis and performance breakdowns.