What SFC Capital does

SFC Capital is a UK FCA-authorized seed-stage investment manager founded in 2012 (originally as Startup Funding Club, rebranded June 2020) and headquartered in Northwich, England. The firm operates a multi-fund platform centered on the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), running five SEIS funds per tax year and two EIS funds, alongside a direct angel network called Angel House and an All-Star EIS follow-on fund that re-invests in 10-15 of the strongest portfolio companies from the SEIS stage.

The firm invests £100,000 to £300,000 per deal across sectors including B2B software, FinTech, MedTech, CleanTech, Consumer Products, Hardware/Robotics, and increasingly AI and deep-tech. To date it has backed over 500 UK startups with £150m+ in assets under management from 2,000+ investors, making it the most active seed-stage investor in the UK by deal volume (Sifted, 2024). Its investor-facing technology stack centers on the SFC Investor Portal (portfolio tracking, tax certificate access, bi-annual reporting) and a public SEIS/EIS Tax Calculator.

SFC's revenue model is fee-based: investee companies pay a one-time fee per investment; investors pay an initial fee on SEIS funds and a success fee on realizations, with no ongoing annual management fee for SEIS investors. Capital is sourced from a mix of 2,000+ individual high-net-worth and sophisticated investors, a £25m institutional commitment from British Business Investments (a British Business Bank subsidiary), and co-investment partnerships with regional funds including Innovate UK, NPIF, Scottish Enterprise, and the Mayor of London's Co-Investment Fund.

Name

SFC Capital

Legal name

SFC Capital Ltd

Website

https://sfccapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SFC Capital is a UK FCA-authorized seed-stage investment manager running SEIS and EIS funds with £150m+ AUM and 500+ portfolio companies, serving 2,000+ high-net-worth and sophisticated investors seeking tax-efficient early-stage exposure to UK startups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seed-stage venture capital and SEIS/EIS fund management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

Keywords

• SEIS fund management
• EIS follow-on funds
• Seed-stage venture investing
• Angel network syndication
• UK startup tax relief investing

Headquarters

HQ city

Northwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SFC Capital is an FCA-authorised UK seed-stage investment manager that runs the SFC Angel Fund (SEIS Fund) investing in 15–20 early-stage UK startups per tax year, the All-Star EIS Fund providing follow-on capital into 10–15 of the best SEIS performers, and Angel House, a co-investment angel network. Investors access these via the SFC Investor Portal, gaining SEIS/EIS tax relief alongside diversified exposure to UK early-stage deals.

Product overview

SFC Capital operates as a multi-fund investment management platform offering three core investment products: the SEIS Fund (investing in 15-20 early-stage startups per fund with SEIS tax relief), the EIS Fund (a follow-on fund reinvesting in 10-15 of the strongest SEIS performers), and Angel House (a direct angel investment network). These are supported by the SFC Investor Portal, a secure online platform for investors to track portfolios, view performance, and access tax documentation. A SEIS/EIS Tax Calculator is also provided as a public-facing tool on the website. The platform is sector-agnostic, investing across B2B software, FinTech, MedTech, Green/CleanTech, Consumer Products, and Hardware & Robotics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SFC Angel Fund: The SEIS/EIS fund which raises money for early-stage businesses by investing in SEIS and EIS eligible ventures.
• All-Star EIS Fund
• Angel House

Products and services

• SEIS Fund (SFC Angel Fund) SFC's flagship Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme fund that invests in 15–20 early-stage UK companies per fund to build diversified portfolios of high-potential innovative startups, offering investors up to 50% income tax relief and 50% CGT re-investment relief on investments up to £200,000 per year. Targeted at UK High Net Worth Individuals and Sophisticated Investors.
• All-Star EIS Fund SFC's follow-on Enterprise Investment Scheme fund that reinvests in 10–15 of the best-performing portfolio companies from the SEIS stage, creating a concentrated group of companies with proven traction for EIS-eligible investors. Targeted at UK Sophisticated Investors.
• Angel House An angel investment network operated alongside SFC's SEIS and EIS funds, giving members the opportunity to invest with SFC as direct angel investors, combining professional fund management with direct deal access across multiple sectors.
• SFC Investor Portal A secure online portal for registered SFC investors to track SEIS/EIS portfolios, view real-time investment performance, access tax certificates and reports, and download documents. Provides bi-annual updates and portfolio management tools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 portfolio companies invested since inception in 2012
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Innovate UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFC Capital collaborates with Innovate UK as one of its key partners working with leading universities, spin-out organisations, accelerators, and incubators to back the UK's most exciting new innovations.
• EISA (Enterprise Investment Scheme Association)supportingOthersSFC Capital is a member and award recipient from EISA, the industry association for EIS and SEIS investment managers.
• UKBAA (UK Business Angels Association)supportingOthersSFC Capital is a member and award recipient from UKBAA, the UK's primary association for business angels and early-stage investors.
• PHTA (Precision Health Technology Accelerator)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFC Capital and PHTA agreed to an investment partnership in October 2024 to support Health and MedTech companies in the West Midlands, providing dedicated investment focus for this sector.
• MarkelminorOthersMarkel provides insurance services as part of SFC Capital's partner ecosystem for investor protection.
• Home GrownminorOthersHome Grown is a private members' club for entrepreneurs that partners with SFC Capital for investor networking.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• SeedLegals: UK legal-tech platform supporting SEIS/EIS fundraises and founder documentation; adjacent ecosystem partner that runs the SeedLegals Awards where SFC has won SEIS Fund of the Year, rather than a direct fund-management competitor.

Direct peers

• Haatch Ventures: UK-based early-stage fund manager running EIS-eligible vehicles targeting B2B SaaS and tech startups, increasingly active in SEIS/EIS syndicated rounds where SFC also leads.
• Episode 1 Ventures: UK seed-stage investor focused on pre-seed and seed rounds in software and consumer-tech startups, frequently co-investing in SEIS-qualifying rounds at the same entry stage as SFC Capital.
• SyndicateRoom: UK angel-led investment platform offering SEIS/EIS access through managed-fund and direct-deal models; a direct competitor to SFC's Angel House and SEIS Fund products.
• Octopus Investments: One of the UK's largest retail-facing investment managers running dedicated SEIS and EIS fund products with similar tax-relief-driven structures and broad sector mandates, competing head-to-head for UK HNW and sophisticated investor flows.
• Parkwalk Advisors: UK EIS technology investor specialising in university spinouts and deep-tech startups, regularly appearing in the same deal ecosystem (especially alongside British Business Bank co-investment) as SFC.
• Maven Capital Partners: UK regional early-stage investor operating EIS/SEIS-aligned funds targeting SMEs across the regions, frequently co-investing with British Business Bank-backed programmes — directly comparable to SFC's regional seed deployment model.
• Foresight Williams Technology EIS Fund: Joint EIS fund from Foresight Group and Williams Advanced Engineering backing UK early-stage technology companies, occupying the same EIS-managed-fund channel as SFC's EIS Fund product.
• Downing Ventures: Downing's venture arm runs EIS-aligned funds investing in UK early-stage technology and life sciences businesses, often appearing alongside SFC in syndicated rounds to UK startups.

Emerging players

• LocalGlobe: High-profile UK seed investor with broader reach than pure SEIS, but overlapping at the SEIS-eligible seed stage; comparable founder brand and lead-investor profile in UK startup ecosystem deals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sfccapital
• Xx.com/sfccapitaluk
• Facebookfacebook.com/sfccapital

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments814 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SFC Capital