The business was established with the express intention of opening up the world of investing in early stage companies, which has historically been the domain of institutions and business angels, to the private investor.
The Directors of Sentient have access to a wide variety of companies in most sectors and with no geographic or demographic boundaries. They have, over more than 40 years cumulatively in the city, built up vast networks of contacts. It is from these networks that we source our corporate clients but are selective to the point of normally only offering an average of four opportunities per year. We are independent and thus free to choose opportunities based on nothing more than their potential.
Jim is a fully qualified Chartered Wealth Manager with the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investments. After starting out with Friends Provident in 1991 he has worked for a number of private client Stockbrokers, including a three year period trading commodities (base and precious metals and currencies). Jim is well versed in multiple trading techniques and strategies across a variety of products. He has been a main board Director for one of the UK’s leading independent private client investment houses and currently sits on the board of a Buckinghamshire based independent financial advisor.
He worked overseas twice, firstly with an American commodity brokerage and then with a European equity company before returning to the UK and becoming a founding member of a private equity company in London that opened up the world of private equity deals to the private investor. He has been involved in numerous private equity deals over the last 20 years and has acted as both a client advisor and corporate consultant. He has worked in commodities, equities and structured investments however he has predominantly been involved in tax efficient and private equity investments. He has worked with EIS qualifying companies throughout his career and considers this and pre IPO situations his area of expertise. He also runs his own marketing company.
Gradually the focus shifted to corporate finance. During this time, he became the Founder-Chairman of the South African Business Chamber in Korea, where he engaged initiatives with various key industries and government. He remained with the chamber for several years. Since moving to the UK in 2008, Kobus has been in corporate finance full time, advising on M&A, listings and international transactions and projects. He holds a Bachelors in Law; Honours in Management and a MBA (Finance) and a Diploma in Risk, Governance and Compliance.
The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) is a tax-efficient way to invest in the new shares of small businesses, as well as giving much-needed capital to businesses that cannot get funding from traditional methods such as banks and venture capitalists. The UK Government introduced the scheme over 20 years ago to encourage domestic investors to support entrepreneurial UK companies whilst offering significant tax breaks to offset the generic high risk nature of early stage investing. The scheme, in recent years, has been relaxed to allow overseas businesses to qualify as long as they meet the qualifying conditions.
It’s important to realise that the benefits that investing in an Enterprise Investment Scheme could bring are in exchange for the generic high risk nature of this type of investment. Enterprise Investment Schemes should be viewed as high risk and are not suitable for everyone. Please remember that your capital is at risk, the value of an investment in these products may fall as well as rise and you may not get back the full amount invested. These products will invest in small companies which, by their nature, will be more likely to fluctuate in value and may be more difficult to sell than larger companies.
Remember that a taxed treatment is dependent on individual circumstances and may be subject to change in the future. The availability of tax reliefs also depends on the portfolio companies maintaining their qualifying status. We strongly recommend that you seek independent financial advice before making an investment.
This occurs when a portion of the share capital in a company is placed with private investors before the IPO (Initial Public Offering) is scheduled to hit the market. Typically, these private investors in a pre-IPO placement are large private equity or hedge funds that are willing to buy a large stake in the company. The size of the investment means the price paid for shares in a pre-IPO placement is usually less than the prospective IPO price. The pre-IPO round will normally cover the listing costs of the IPO but may also provide working or expansion capital to strengthen the business prior to the listing.
These are investments that are at a stage where they will be ready to list on a market within a 3-12 month period normally. They are by definition later stage and should be far more developed but not necessarily producing revenue. Sometimes a company may use an IPO to raise funds that takes them to revenue production.
We can structure your company and
“We provide investors with the opportunity to participate in one of the most rewarding and tax-efficient market sectors in the UK investment arena”
Sentient Capital London – Tax Efficient Investments
Sentient Capital London Ltd was formed with the dual purpose of opening up the world of high quality private equity deals to suitable investors and to provide funding options to high quality growth opportunities that meet our stringent requirements. Therefore becoming a ‘one stop shop’ matching Corporate clients with like minded investors and vice versa.
Sentient Capital London Limited is authorised and regulated by Financial Conduct Authority No. 679298
Registered in England and Wales Company No. 09438213
