What The Ingenious Group does

The Ingenious Group is a privately held British financial services group founded in 1998 and 100% owned by founder Patrick McKenna, operating through Ingenious Capital Management Limited (FCA-authorised under FRN 562563) with approximately 80 employees based at its London headquarters. The group runs two integrated business lines: Ingenious Estate Planning (IEP), which provides tax-efficient investment services — IEP Apex, IEP Classic, and IEP Private Real Estate — designed primarily for Inheritance Tax mitigation via Business Relief qualification and targeting 3-5% net annual returns; and Ingenious Real Estate, a specialist development and bridging finance lender to UK property developers offering £3m-£30m loans over 12-30 month terms. Since 2014, Ingenious Real Estate has deployed over £1 billion in development finance and funded the construction of 4,000+ residential units across England and Wales, while the group has invested more than £10 billion cumulatively across media, infrastructure, and real estate sectors since inception.

Revenue is generated through transaction-based fees on real estate lending (1% entry and exit fees, monthly interest from 0.85%) and a layered fee structure on IEP services (1.5% investment fee, 1% dealing fee, 1% ongoing management fee, 0.25% administration fee, 0.1% custodian charge). Distribution is primarily adviser-led: all private investor applications must pass through regulated financial advisers, supported by a dedicated Business Development team, the myIngenious investor portal, and the IEP Investor Illustration Tool; developer/borrower relationships are managed directly by the Real Estate team. Value-added services include the IEP Care Service (delivered via partner Grace Consulting) and the Carbon Impact initiative launched in 2023, which offers up to 1% loan-amount rebates for developers meeting embodied carbon targets. The group is structured around multiple wholly-owned subsidiaries covering real estate finance, estate planning, collections, and security services, with no external institutional or private equity ownership.

Name

The Ingenious Group

Legal name

Ingenious Capital Management Limited

Website

https://theingeniousgroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Ingenious Group is a privately held, FCA-regulated UK financial services firm founded in 1998 that provides Inheritance Tax-mitigation investment products to private investors (via financial advisers) and development/bridging finance to UK property developers, with over £1bn lent in real estate since 2014.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Estate Planning and Real Estate Lending Services

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), Other Insurance Funds (52519)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Investors, Nec (6799), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Estate & Legacy Planning Advisory (FSAEAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Wealth Planning (Tax, Estate & Succession) (FSAAABAE), Estate Planning, Trust Structuring & Governance (FSAAADAF)

Keywords

• Estate planning services
• Development finance lending
• Inheritance tax solutions
• Business relief investments
• Property bridging loans

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Development and Bridging Finance Lending: Ingenious Real Estate provides development and bridging finance to UK property developers, generating revenue through interest on loans, entry fees, exit fees, and monthly interest payments. Loans range from £3m to £30m with typical terms of 12-30 months.
2. Ingenious Investment Fee: One-off charge of 1.5% paid to the Manager upon investment in IEP services.
3. Ingenious Dealing Fee: One-off dealing fee of 1% in IEP services.
4. Management and Administration Fees: Ongoing charges including Ingenious Management Fee (1%), Administration Fee (0.25%), and Custodian charge (0.1%) paid to Manager and Custodian.
5. IEP Care Service Revenue: The IEP Care Service provides care advisory services to clients, delivered through third-party provider Grace Consulting. While the service is complimentary to IEP investors, it represents a value-added service within the investment proposition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Ingenious Group operates two core divisions. Ingenious Estate Planning (IEP) provides Business Relief-qualifying investment services (IEP Apex, IEP Classic, IEP Private Real Estate) that help individual investors mitigate Inheritance Tax while targeting steady returns. Ingenious Real Estate offers bespoke development and bridging finance to UK property developers, with loans ranging from £3m to £30m over 12–30 month terms.

Product overview

The Ingenious Group operates as a multi-product financial services platform centered on two core divisions: Ingenious Estate Planning (IEP) and Ingenious Real Estate. The IEP division offers a family of investment services including IEP Apex (later life planning with IHT cover from day one), IEP Classic (tax-efficient investment with real estate focus), and IEP Private Real Estate (direct real estate lending investments), all bundled with access to the IEP Care Service for later-life care planning. These are complemented by the IEP Investor Illustration Tool for advisers. The Real Estate division provides bespoke development and bridging finance to UK property developers (£3m-£30m loan range). The myIngenious online portal serves as the unified access point for investors and advisers to manage accounts, access documents, and receive communications. The group also operates the Carbon Impact environmental initiative supporting low-carbon development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ingenious Estate Planning (IEP): Estate planning investment service offering Inheritance Tax relief through Business Relief-qualifying investments
• IEP Apex
• IEP Private Real Estate
• IEP Classic
• IEP Care Service
• Ingenious Real Estate

Products and services

• IEP Apex Comprehensive later life investment service providing Inheritance Tax cover from day one, steady growth targets, and care planning access. Includes complimentary insurance cover during years one and two.
• IEP Classic Tax-efficient investment service focused on Real Estate investments with some historic TMT and Infrastructure exposure, delivering financial and well-being benefits.
• IEP Private Real Estate Real estate-focused investment service targeting 3-5% steady long-term return per annum, invested via portfolio companies providing lending to experienced UK developers.
• IEP Care Service Care advisory service providing expert guidance on long-term care decisions, delivered by independent consultants from Grace Consulting and bundled with IEP investment services.
• Ingenious Real Estate Bespoke development and bridging finance solutions for UK property developers, with loans from £3m to £30m over 12-30 month terms, decisions typically within 48-72 hours and completion within 8-12 weeks.
• myIngenious Investor Portal Online portal providing investors and advisers with unified access to reporting, documents, distribution communications, and account management functionality.
• IEP Investor Illustration Tool Online tool for regulated financial advisers to produce personalised investment illustrations covering IEP Apex, IEP Classic, and IEP Private Real Estate services.
• Carbon Impact Initiative Environmental initiative launched in 2023 providing loan rebates of up to 1% to real estate developers whose eligible schemes meet embodied carbon targets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average net return of 3.97% per annum over past 5 years with no capital losses across all exited positions
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Specialist Environmental ConsultantsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2023Ingenious works with a specialist environmental consultant for its Carbon Impact initiative. The consultant monitors eligible development schemes to verify they meet embodied carbon targets, enabling developers to receive rebates of up to 1% of loan amounts.
• Grace ConsultingcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGrace Consulting provides the IEP Care Service, an independent care advisory service for IEP investors. Consultants have medical backgrounds and expert knowledge of later-life care. The service is complimentary to IEP investors and covers care planning, hospital communication, assessment processes, and long-term care options.
• GBG GroupsupportingTechnology or IntegrationGBG Group is a market-leading identity verification provider used for regulatory Know Your Customer (KYC) checks. Investors are required to confirm identity and address through GBG's platform when prompted for regulatory compliance purposes.
• UK Green Building CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIngenious is a member of the UK Green Building Council. Tom Brown, Managing Director of Real Estate, is the lead contact as part of Ingenious' membership, demonstrating the team's commitment to supporting a sustainable built environment.
• Thompson Taraz Depositary LimitedsupportingOthersThird-party depositary services provider referenced in investor agreements and complaints procedures. Handles aspects of service related to investor holdings.
• Woodside Corporate Services LimitedsupportingOthersCorporate services provider referenced in investor agreements. Involved in aspects of service provided to investors.
• Howden Insurance Brokers LimitedsupportingOthersInsurance broker providing the insurance policy within IEP Apex investment service. Located at One Creechurch Place, London. Complaints related to insurance policy administration can be directed to their compliance officer.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Shawbrook Bank: Specialist UK challenger bank active in development finance, bridging, and specialist mortgages, with substantially larger scale than Ingenious Real Estate but overlapping customer base of UK property developers.
• Evelyn Partners (formerly Tilney): UK wealth manager that acquired Ingenious' prior asset management business in 2016, providing a direct reference point for valuation and indicating the strategic exit option available to Ingenious as a wealth-management consolidator.
• OakNorth Bank: UK specialist bank providing development and bridging loans to property developers; overlaps with Ingenious Real Estate on customer profile but operates at significantly larger scale and balance sheet.
• Brooks Macdonald: Listed UK wealth manager serving HNW individuals through financial advisers — comparable in adviser-led distribution model and HNW client base to Ingenious' IEP, though with a broader product set and significantly larger AUM.
• St. James's Place: Largest UK adviser-led wealth manager with substantial IHT, BR, and tax-efficient product offerings; serves as the scale benchmark for adviser-distributed HNW investment platforms and a competitive threat to Ingenious' IEP business.

Direct peers

• TIME Investments: Specialist UK provider of Inheritance Tax planning and BR-qualifying investment services for HNW investors and advisers — a near-direct competitor in the same BR/IHT wrapper category as Ingenious' IEP range.
• Puma Investments: UK investment manager offering BR-qualifying, IHT-mitigation products (Puma Heritage, Puma AIM), with a real estate lending heritage (Puma Property Finance) — directly comparable to Ingenious' IEP and real estate lending franchises.
• Downing LLP: UK fund manager with property lending (Downing Property Finance) and tax-efficient investment products (Downing Estate Planning, EIS, BR), operating an integrated model directly comparable to Ingenious' IEP + Real Estate combination.
• Assetz Capital: UK-based property development and bridging finance lender offering £3m–£30m+ facilities to residential and commercial developers — a directly comparable counterparty in the same development finance niche as Ingenious Real Estate.
• Octopus Investments: One of the largest UK tax-efficient investment platforms, with a broad BR-qualifying product range (Octopus Inheritance Tax Service, EIS, VCT) targeted at the same financial-adviser-led HNW investor base that Ingenious serves via IEP.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/helloingenious

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments9 records

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

Frequently asked questions about The Ingenious Group