What Foresight VCT plc does

Foresight VCT plc is a UK Venture Capital Trust listed on the London Stock Exchange (ticker: FVT) and managed by Foresight Group LLP, an investment manager established in 1984. The trust invests in unquoted UK companies across multiple sectors, providing investors with a diversified portfolio of growth-stage businesses that would otherwise be inaccessible to retail participants. As at 31 March 2026, the unaudited Net Asset Value was 69.3p per share, with approximately 350 million ordinary shares in issue.

The trust's economic engine is portfolio investing: deploying capital into new and follow-on UK private company investments, harvesting returns through capital gains on exits, and distributing those returns to shareholders. In 2025 the trust made six new investments totalling £7.8 million and twelve follow-on investments totalling £7.7 million, while exiting Hospital Services Group Limited for £24.3 million (an 8.3x cash-on-cash return on the £3.3 million initial investment). New capital is raised through periodic Offer for Subscription rounds at NAV-based prices — the most recent (January–February 2026) raised £38.6 million after expenses. The trust paid 10.5p per share in dividends for the year ended 31 December 2025, totalling approximately £31.7 million.

The customer base is UK retail investors and their financial advisers, attracted primarily by the VCT scheme's tax advantages — currently 30% income tax relief on investments up to £200,000 per year (reducing to 20% from April 2026), alongside tax-free dividends and capital gains. Distribution runs through FCA-authorised advisers using Foresight's adviser portal, direct shareholder subscriptions, and secondary market trading on the London Stock Exchange. The trust is part of a broader Foresight Group ecosystem that includes sister VCTs (Foresight Enterprise VCT, Foresight Technology VCT, Foresight Ventures VCT), EIS products, and Business Relief solutions. Governance is overseen by a board including Chairman Michael Gray and Directors Denise Hadgill and Gaynor Coley, with day-to-day management delegated to Foresight Group LLP.

Name

Foresight VCT plc

Legal name

Foresight Group LLP

Website

https://foresightgroup.eu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Foresight VCT plc is a London-listed UK Venture Capital Trust that invests in unquoted UK growth companies on behalf of retail investors, offering tax-efficient returns through capital gains and tax-free dividends. It is managed by Foresight Group LLP.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital Trust (Tax-Efficient Investment Trust)

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)

akta.pro primary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAAAJ)

Keywords

• Venture capital trust
• Tax-efficient investing
• Unquoted UK companies
• Retail investment trust
• Venture capital investments

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns and Capital Gains: Foresight VCT generates returns through capital appreciation and gains from its portfolio of unquoted UK company investments. The company exited Hospital Services Group Limited for £24.3 million, generating an 8.3x cash-on-cash return on its £3.3 million initial investment. The trust writes off underperforming portfolio companies when necessary.
2. Dividend Distributions: The company distributes dividends to shareholders from investment returns and realized gains. A final dividend of 3.6p per ordinary share was approved for the financial year ended 31 December 2025, totalling approximately £31.7 million in annual dividends (10.5p per share).
3. Share Capital Raises: The company raises capital through periodic share subscription offers. In January-February 2026, the company raised £38.6 million after expenses through a share offer. Additional allotments are made throughout the year at prices based on NAV.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Foresight VCT plc is a UK-listed Venture Capital Trust that raises capital from retail investors through periodic share subscription offers and invests it in unquoted UK companies across multiple sectors. The trust provides investors with tax-efficient exposure to private growth-stage UK businesses, offering income tax relief, tax-free dividends, and exemption from capital gains tax on share disposals, managed by Foresight Group LLP.

Product overview

Foresight VCT plc is a Venture Capital Trust (VCT) managed by Foresight Group LLP. The company raises capital through share offers and invests in unquoted UK companies across various sectors. The VCT provides tax-efficient investment opportunities to shareholders, offering dividends and NAV growth. As an investment trust, its 'products' are its investment offerings rather than technology products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foresight VCT Ordinary Shares Ordinary shares in Foresight VCT plc, a UK-listed Venture Capital Trust that provides retail investors with tax-efficient exposure to a diversified portfolio of unquoted UK companies, offering 30% income tax relief (reducing to 20% from April 2026) on investments up to £200,000 per year, tax-free dividends, and exemption from capital gains tax on share disposals.
• Offer for Subscription (Share Capital Raise) Periodic share subscription offers through which new ordinary shares of Foresight VCT plc are allotted to new and existing investors at prices based on the unaudited Net Asset Value per share, used by the trust to raise fresh capital for investment into unquoted UK companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8.3x cash-on-cash return on Hospital Services Group Limited investment
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Foresight Group LLPcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerForesight Group LLP serves as the investment manager, Company Secretary, and Investor Relations contact for Foresight VCT plc. All corporate announcements are published through Foresight Group LLP, which has managed investments since 1984 and manages multiple VCT products including Foresight Enterprise VCT, Foresight Technology VCT, and Foresight Ventures VCT.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Octopus Titan VCT: One of the largest UK VCTs, managed by Octopus Investments, investing in a diversified portfolio of unquoted UK growth companies with similar tax-advantaged structure and retail-investor focus.
• ProVen Growth and Income VCT: UK-listed VCT (formerly Beringea-managed) investing in unquoted UK growth companies, with comparable dividend distribution policy and adviser-distributed subscription model.
• Maven Income and Growth VCT: UK-listed VCT investing in unquoted UK SMEs across regions and sectors, with similar subscription-based capital raises and tax-advantaged retail proposition.
• British Smaller Companies VCT: Yale-noted UK VCT investing in smaller unquoted UK companies, providing a directly comparable tax-efficient retail vehicle with similar offer-for-subscription mechanics.
• Pembroke VCT: UK-listed VCT managed by Oakley Capital, investing in unquoted UK growth companies across consumer, technology, and services sectors with similar retail investor distribution.
• Northern Venture Trust: UK-listed VCT managed by Mercia Asset Management, focused on unquoted UK growth companies with comparable tax-relief structure and retail investor distribution via advisers.
• Albion Capital VCT: Long-established London-listed VCT investing in unquoted UK companies across technology, healthcare, and services, with comparable dividend distribution and capital appreciation objectives.
• Downing FOUR VCT: Downing's flagship VCT investing in unquoted UK growth companies across sectors, with comparable subscription-based fundraise mechanics and adviser-led distribution.
• Calculus VCT: London-listed VCT focused on EIS-qualifying and VCT-qualifying unquoted UK growth companies, with comparable subscription offers and dividend distribution policies.
• Foresight Enterprise VCT: Sister VCT managed by Foresight Group LLP under the same investment manager, with parallel structure, distribution channels, and underlying portfolio universe as Foresight VCT.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/foresightgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foresight-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/foresightgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Foresight VCT plc