Early stage investment specialist makes its 500th portfolio company investment
SFC Capital, the Northwich-based firm which claims to be the UK’s most active early-stage investor, has made its 500th portfolio company investment.
Founded in 2012 as the ‘Startup Funding Club’ angel network, SFC Capital was an early adopter of the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS), establishing one of the first SEIS funds.
This pioneering approach laid the groundwork for more than a decade of success in early-stage investment.
SFC Capital founder and CEO, Stephen Page, said: “It’s quite astonishing to see the immense progress we have made over the last decade.
“Never would I have imagined that we would end up investing in more than 500 companies.
“We are determined to continue growing, reaching more founders, and contributing to the success of the early-stage innovation ecosystem in the UK.”
SFC’s diverse portfolio includes companies across technology, life sciences, green energy, and consumer innovation sectors.
Notable success stories include Onfido, which achieved the UK’s largest tech exit in recent years, and Cognism, a global leader in B2B sales transformation.
Joseph Zipfel, SFC Chief Investment Officer, said: “From the start, our strategy has been to invest at an early stage in a large number of innovative companies, in order to maximise the probability of highly successful outcomes.
“The main challenge was to execute a large volume of deals while maintaining a high standard of quality in every investment.”
He added: “I believe that we have managed to achieve this by partnering with the best start-up organisations in the UK, and by developing a unique decision making system looking at over 50 data points and informed by the learnings from the hundreds of start-up investments that we have been involved in.”
SFC Capital said it attributes this achievement to the collective efforts of its community – visionary founders, forward-thinking investors, and strategic partners. Their contributions have been instrumental in driving SFC’s mission to back innovative businesses and deliver impactful change.
While celebrating this landmark achievement, SFC Capital said it remains focused on the future. With a portfolio exceeding 500 start-ups and more than 20 successful exits delivering strong returns to investors, SFC is determined for continued growth, it says.
Page added: “Our commitment to backing the businesses of tomorrow is stronger than ever. We look forward to shaping the UK’s early stage ecosystem for many years to come.”
