New fund offers innovative route for pension investment into UK high growth businesses

British pension savers will be given a new and innovative route to invest in private high growth UK companies through the British Co-Investment Fund (BCF), announced today by impact-led venture capital firm Future Planet Capital (FPC). In partnership with pension solutions provider Mobius Life, the Fund will channel pension investment into the UK’s most innovative and impactful businesses.  

The Fund  will allow pension scheme managers to allocate capital to UK venture investment across the whole of the UK, with the potential for higher long-term returns for savers. This will deliver one of the few routes for corporate, Local Government and Defined Contribution Pension Schemes to support some of the UK’s most significant fast-growing, privately held businesses, in a direct response to government calls to unlock pension capital to invest in UK private markets. The Fund will aim to direct up to £1bn of pension investment into these companies. 

Pensions managers currently face significant barriers to venture investment in UK businesses, including fee and liquidity restrictions, and resource and time constraints. FPC has engaged extensively across the pensions industry and, alongside Mobius Life, has developed a new and effective route for pension investment that addresses these issues and can help achieve the objectives of the Mansion House Compact.  

Mobius Life will offer its pension trustees, advisers and asset managers access to venture capital investments, managed by FPC, through a blended feeder fund structure on its platform. This will include venture capital investment alongside liquid listed assets, to enable pension managers to meet their fee and liquidity requirements.   

The scheme will be the first of its kind in the venture capital space, and with more than 700 UK pension clients and £26bn in assets, Mobius Life is ideally positioned to support Future Planet Capital deploying significant capital into UK high growth businesses. 

The BCF intends to launch with £150mn of capital in Q1 2025, of which up to £50mn will come from existing FPC clients, including both local government pension funding and further capital from the investment arm of the retailer Timpson Group. There will also be an opportunity for sovereign wealth funds and corporate venture capital investors to provide additional investment.  

Deal opportunities will be sourced via leading universities and government research centres across the UK, targeting breakthrough sectors like artificial intelligence, engineering biology, quantum computing and semiconductors, as well as climate technologies and wider impact-led areas.  

The Fund’s advisory board will be chaired by Future Planet Capital’s co-founder, Lord Norman Foster of Thames Bank.  

Commenting on the launch of the BCF, Future Planet Capital’s Executive Chairman and Founder, Douglas Hansen-Luke, said: 

“The British Co-Investment Fund is a much-needed solution to support pension managers in meeting the objectives of the Mansion House Compact whilst also helping British pension savers benefit from the opportunities presented by the UK’s most exciting private companies. Future Planet Capital already works with the country’s top universities and research centres, to invest in some of the UK’s most promising impact-led business. By democratising access to venture investments for pension savers, we can channel further capital into these businesses, and ensure the UK remains at the forefront of global innovation.” 

Director, Asset Manager Solutions at Mobius Life, Joshun Sandhu, added: 

“We are excited to partner with Future Planet Capital, harnessing our technology and expertise to connect UK high growth companies and pension schemes. Our priority is to improve member outcomes through a wide range of solutions, and as part of that we recognise our responsibility to offer a credible means of access to venture capital in the UK.” 

Independent strategist Julius Pursaill, who is an advisor to organisations including the Cushon Master Trust, said:  

“There are a number of good reasons to support the UK Growth agenda and innovations like the British Co-Investment Fund, play an important role in delivering on this objective, driving financial growth, whilst also offering access to innovative, impact-focused sectors such as climate technology and artificial intelligence, which can help secure the future for pension savers and broader society." 

Reflections on COP28

Reflections on COP28

By Douglas Hansen-Luke, Executive Chairman

COP28 deserves to be looked back on with positivity and promise. The conference was a significant success, in large part due to the vast number of enthusiastic and passionate people that I met there. 

From global leaders and delegates, to leading scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs, alongside the world’s most active investors, everybody was in tune with a collective purpose: to engage in the necessary conversations that will, we hope, prompt real action against climate change.  

What better culmination, then, that on the final morning of the year’s most significant climate conference, a historic deal was signed which signals the end of the fossil fuel era and is underpinned by pledges for deep emissions cuts and scaled-up financing. I, for one, commend the near-200 nations that were able to reach this collective agreement, in a turn of genuine solidarity and ambition to keep our climate targets alive.  

The climate crisis is one of the greatest global challenges we face and, as such, warrants a global response. We must all take responsibility, and work together, if we are to deliver real change; an attitude embodied by the deadline day pledge.  

We must not forget, also, that the largest producers of hydrocarbons, be that nations or businesses, are often also the largest investors in renewables. It is, therefore, important that we work with the largest carbon emitters to transition to a net zero world, rather than abandoning and isolating them.    

Such a result couldn’t have come at a better time. Hopes and expectations in the lead-up to COP28 were particularly high, not least because the need for the conference to deliver a substantive change in direction for climate action was, arguably, more stark than ever. 

Approximately 3.6 billion people already live in areas at significant risk of climate change; a number that is only expected to rise. More than that, on our current trajectory, Earth’s most crucial ecosystems – coral reefs, ice sheets and tropical rainforests, to name a few – have reached a tipping point, past which they are exposed to irreversible disruption. Let us not forget the record temperatures and numerous critical weather events the world over has endured, too. These challenges each demonstrate that more needs to be done, fast.  

Future Planet Capital is proud and determined to be a part of the efforts to protect our planet, through our long-term investments in some of the most innovative and exciting technologies designed to present viable solutions to the climate crisis. Take Captura and its new methods of carbon capture, for example, or Regent Craft and its novel hybrid technology that could revolutionise coastal travel. 

I was encouraged to see first-hand the positive and widespread impact of the work of our partners and portfolio companies within our network. For example, on OceanX’s state-of-the-art marine vessel, which makes use of some of the most advanced gene-sequencing equipment from Oxford Nanopore. Or at the many Blue Ocean-focused events held by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, our partners in managing the Blue Ocean Mandate. 

I also witnessed the extensive work of Barclays, another partner, in the climate startup space, and saw the likes of NutriSan and Roslin Technologies, two more portfolio companies, championing their biotechnological solutions to environmental and agricultural exploitation. 

My time at COP28 served as a welcome and heartening reminder that the work we’re doing is driving real change and making a significant impact in our efforts to solve one the world’s most important challenges.  

It is clearer than ever that venture capital has a crucial role to play in financing solutions to the climate crisis. Before the world’s governments and multinational companies invest billions into proven technologies, venture capital companies like ours must identify at an early stage those technologies which are likely to have the biggest impact in their fields. We must then support founders as they commercialise the work they have conducted in their universities and research labs and help them scale up and provide their solutions to the world. 

There is no doubt that more work must be done, but we must use the progress made at COP28 as a foundation on which we can continue to work together to deliver real change when it’s needed most.  

Future Planet Capital Makes Strategic Investment in Nutri-San

Future Planet Capital is thrilled to announce that it has made a strategic pre-seed investment into Nutri-San, an innovative bio-technology company specialising in sustainable solutions for the animal feed and livestock farming industries.

The capital injection will help scale the scientific and commercial trials of Nutri-San's natural animal feed supplements, which are made from a blend of sustainable seaweeds. The company is planning to undertake trials in a range of priority markets, including New Zealand, Australia and Southeast Asia.

“The strategic backing is testament to our vision to connect the world’s largest investors with innovative, high-growth companies. We believe Nutri-San’s sustainable animal feed is a game changer for the global agricultural industry. The company has produced a high-quality, cost-effective product that can transform livestock practices, build a genuinely sustainable ecosystem for the sector and generate much needed investment in developing markets”

— Guy Pengelley, Portfolio Manager at Future Planet Capital

Nutri-San's supplements promote the health, performance and condition of livestock and companion animals and reduce the need for antibiotics and other synthetic ingredients in their feed. With a price point set to maximise adoption, Nutri-San’s product range is manufactured in regional processing hubs in Vietnam (serving Southeast Asia) and Zanzibar (serving Africa and Europe).

The firm also retains operations in the UK, working in close conjunction with the University of Kent to develop the product range and leveraging its scientific partnerships globally with the likes of Chiang Mai University, the Royal Agricultural University and RMIT University.

 “We are very pleased to have received this strategic capital backing from Future Planet Capital,” said San Chau, founder & CEO of Nutri-San. “FPC’s impact-led investment approach converges with Nutri-San’s aim of reducing the global carbon footprint by developing safe, sustainable solutions for the animal feed and livestock farming industries globally.”

Backing the UK’s top Life Science companies

The UK has one of the most vibrant and diverse life science sectors in the world, underpinned by the academic excellence of its universities and centres of innovation. This environment has enabled our scientists to push the boundaries of research and develop scientific breakthroughs in a range of sectors from biopharmaceuticals to medical devices.

Future Planet Capital is committed to using its investment expertise, data analysis and unrivalled access to the world’s top academic institutions to identify and support those companies set to have the biggest impact in a range of critical areas including health and biotechnology. 

So, it’s particularly gratifying to see PwC’s renowned UK Life Sciences Future50 list of the top companies in this sector feature five companies that we are proud to support – Ultromics, ONI, Synthace, Nanosyrinx and Crescendo Biologics.

“Our portfolio consists of some of the best university spinouts, startups and growth companies tackling global issues. It’s great to see our portfolio companies making up 10% of PwC’s top 50 list, demonstrating our drive to support companies developing cutting-edge and innovative technology.”

— Lyle Pentith, Portfolio Manager

Importantly, the list was endorsed by George Freeman MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

“Our £94 billion life sciences sector is critical to our plans to grow the economy, improve public health and cement the UK’s status as a science superpower,” said Freeman. “These 50 companies exemplify how the sector delivers highly skilled jobs and drives investment into clusters right across the country, from Bristol to Belfast.”

PWC says its list is compiled by analysing over 500 innovative UK-based life sciences companies with the potential to deliver breakthrough solutions, addressing unmet needs and improving access to advanced technologies in research, clinical and healthcare settings.

The consultancy company has also concluded that for the UK life sciences sector to become a true global superpower there needs to be more domestic investment and, like Future Planet Capital, welcomes the Mansion House reforms which are designed to channel pension fund money into the UK’s startup ecosystem.

PWC adds that the UK life sciences sector also needs more infrastructure in the form of laboratories, clinical trial and manufacturing facilities to allow it to reach its full potential.  

Here are more details on the five companies we have invested in:

Ultromics is the leader in artificial intelligence for echocardiography, enabling earlier detection and risk stratification of heart failure for better outcomes, lower costs, and improved patient care. It is developing an AI-based platform for the prediction and detection of heart failure and its phenotypes.

ONI, which has developed its flagship product, The Nanoimager, a desktop-compatible, compact super-resolution microscope that can visualise, track and image individual molecules in cells or tissues for biomedical research and development.

Synthace has built a digital experiment platform for high-performance life science R&D teams to help them run more powerful experiments and accelerate scientific progress. The cloud-based, no-code digital experiment platform allows biologists to design, plan, and automate experiments in a single place, then automatically gather structured experiment data and metadata in a unified environment.

NanoSyrinx is creating the next generation of targeted drug delivery systems to address challenges in the biological delivery sector. It has developed a platform for the targeted intracellular delivery of protein payloads,. NanoSyrinx is built around an entirely genetically encoded drug delivery system, making use of naturally occurring ‘nanosyringes’.

Crescendo Biologics is a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing novel, targeted T cell enhancing Humabody® therapeutics, which harness the body’s natural immune response to treat cancer.

If you are a founder of a life sciences company and would like to discuss how we may be able to help you, please contact us at:  info@futureplanetcapital.com

Find PwC’s Life Sciences Future50 list here.

Inspired? Get in touch with us here and share your pitch deck.   

Future Planet Capital partners with REGENT to define new era of sustainable transportation

We are thrilled to have partnered with REGENT, joining their $60M Series A, alongside 8090 Industries, Founders Fund, Mark Cuban, Point72 and Lockheed Martin. The new money will help Co-Founders, Billy Thalheimer and Mike Klinker, deliver a full-scale seaglider prototype, bringing us one step closer to a new, 100% electric mode of transportation.

Seagliders are a new mode of transportation that enables fast, affordable, zero-emission travel along coastal routes. Coupling several advanced technologies, seagliders operate like a boat that takes off from wave-tolerant hydrofoils and flies within one wing-span of the surface over open water. They reach cruise speeds of up to 180 mph while traveling up to 180 miles on a single charge.

REGENT demonstrated this unique “float, foil, fly” mission with a subscale prototype in 2022, marking the first time a vehicle has successfully combined the wave tolerance of a foil with the speed of a wing. The company’s next major milestone will be to achieve crewed flight with its full-scale prototype, which it plans to do next year.

“Decarbonisation of regional transport is critical in combatting climate change, but it’s not easy. You need founders and engineers with the vision and execution to build real hardware solutions capable of changing how we live. That’s why Alex Shadbolt and I are excited to come on board with Billy [Thalmeier, Co-Founder] and Mike [Klinker, Co-Founder] to transform our coastal communities and redefine marine transport.”

— Ed Phillips, Partner at Future Planet Capital

This marks the 6th investment from Future Planet Capitals’s Blue Economy strategy. We look forward to working with REGENT to achieve crewed flight in 2024 and certifying, manufacturing and delivering seagliders to customers by mid-decade.

As seen in TechCrunch.

Saving lives through drug discovery

Last week, we saw once again how our universities and academic institutions are leading the way in drug discovery and research. The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday announced its recommendation for the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine to be rolled out on a large scale.

Research for the vaccine, developed in Oxford, was led by Professor Adrian Hill, Director of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford. Since its inception, Future Planet Capital has been an avid backer of Professor Hill’s drug discovery work, backing two companies he has co-founded: Vaccitech and NeoVac.

This week’s announcement marks a significant milestone in tackling malaria, one of the world’s most deadly diseases. In 2021, according to the WHO, almost half of the world’s population was at risk of malaria. This vaccine will help to significantly reduce deaths caused by malaria, which claims over 600,000 lives each year.

Created for the prevention of malaria in children, the R21/Matrix-M vaccine is noted by the WHO as being a safe, cost-effective vaccine with high efficacy; in regions where malaria transmission is highly seasonal, symptomatic cases of malaria were reduced by 75% following a 3-dose series.

“The vaccine is easily deployable, cost-effective and affordable, ready for distribution in areas where it is needed most, with the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives a year.”

— Professor Adrian Hill, Director of the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford

Drug discovery innovation is a key part of Future Planet Capital’s investment strategy. Vaccitech’s help in developing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine led to over 3 billion vaccines being delivered across more than 180 countries, saving 6.3 million lives in the first year of its roll-out during the pandemic.

NeoVac is working to develop revolutionary next-generation lipid nanoparticles to facilitate better mRNA vaccines and treatments for a range of deadly diseases.

Through our continued work with these companies, we have fostered a strong partnership with Professor Hill and we are delighted to see his work once again receive such impressive accreditation in solving global health challenges.

The R21/Matrix-M vaccine is expected to become available to countries mid-2024. Find out more about the malaria vaccine programme from the WHO here.

£102m UK Innovation Science and Seed Fund prioritises Defence and Security Investment into UK-based startups

The UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund (UKI2S), independently managed by Future Planet Capital (Ventures), is unleashing support for defence, security and cyber startups through its Defence & Security Seed portfolio (“D2S").

This pioneering initiative was launched in 2022 and has recently received a further injection of capital from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as the UKI2S fund tops £102m. D2S looks across a broad range of technologies with dual use applications including cybersecurity, hardware, internet of things, robotics and sensors. D2S works closely with the Ministry of Defence (MOD), including the department’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).

D2S has already invested £2m across five defence and security startups since its launch and is actively looking to deploy the remaining £16m.

D2S follows the same model as the main UKI2S Fund, investing in startups and spinouts at the Pre-Seed and Seed stage. The overall aim of D2S is to invest using public money to help catalyse private sector investment, strengthen national security, foster innovation, and protect sovereign capability.

“The D2S portfolio is an important initiative by MOD sigalling an increasing recognition of the role of innovation in the next generation of technologies for our defence and security services while propelling the UK’s economic growth and global influence. National security is a top priority for the UK government, and innovation plays a crucial role in enabling the military and security agencies to counter evolving threats effectively. D2S seeks to tap into the potential of startups, exploiting technologies from the UK’s strong research base to bring innovation to defence.””

— Mark White, Lead for Defence and Security for UKI2S at Future Planet Capital

“There is a clear need for UK companies to research, develop, commercialise and manufacture sensitive and nationally-important defence and security technologies. The D2S funding aims to deliver dual-use innovations that ensure the security of our citizens and businesses and give the defence and security services the tools they need to stay safe.”

— John Ridge, Director of the Defence Innovation Directorate at the MOD

Silicon Microgravity (SMG), a University of Cambridge spinout, has already received £500,000 D2S funding from UKI2S, which, in turn, unlocked a Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) Innovation Loan, showcasing the strength of the partnerships and ability to unlock further investment. 

“UKI2S have been more than just an investor to us. The team were fundamental in helping to get our Seed funding round away and have continued to provide valuable input and support, particularly with strategic advice and links into the defence ecosystem. 

Any startup working in the security, defence or cyber sectors really needs to think about their scalability, how their businesses can be useful to the commercial sector as well as international security - and it’s these areas that UKI2S really helped us develop as we looked to start our investment journey.”

— Francis Neill, CEO of SMG

Our goal is to deliver a return of £25 in private sector investment for every £1 invested by UKI2S public partners which, if achieved, would mean total leverage of £450 million for D2S portfolio companies.

To date, UKI2S has invested in defence and security-focused startups such as Halo X-Ray in Nottingham, which aims to improve security in aviation; Honuworx in Aberdeen who are focused on sustainable subsea operations; and Bristol-based Q5D, a company enabling new and more efficient manufacturing of both power and electronic circuits for everything from flight controls to washing machines. 

This D2S announcement follows further investment into the UKI2S Fund by the MOD.

For more information on UKI2S, visit the website.

TIMPSON GROUP PARTNERS WITH FUTURE PLANET CAPITAL TO BACK BRITISH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BUSINESSES

Future Planet Capital, together with the investment arm of Timpson Group, has submitted a joint proposal to establish a fund under the British Business Bank’s (BBB) Long-term Investment for Technology and Science (LIFTS) initiative.

The LIFTS scheme aims to unlock UK institutional investment, especially from defined contribution pension funds, into Britain’s most innovative science and technology companies. The BBB expects an initial government-funded commitment of up to £250m to be available to support successful proposals.

In partnership with Timpson Group, we will be using our existing relationships and new opportunities to partner with a range of pension funds and other investors in a fund that will be able to channel billions of pounds into venture capital on a rolling basis for many years to come.

In our joint proposal to the LIFTS initiative, we have outlined our plans to deploy capital to science and technology businesses solving global challenges in breakthrough fields such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, semi-conductors, bio-engineering and climate technologies.

““We are pleased to be partnering with one of the UK’s most respected household names which has a reputation for putting people at the heart of its business. We look forward to working with Timpson to build on our great track record in delivering returns for investors by marrying profit with purpose.””

— Douglas Hansen-Luke, Executive Chairman, Future Planet Capital

USING DATA-DRIVEN EXPERTISE TO IDENTIFY AND MANAGE IMPACTFUL INVESTMENTS

As part of this partnership, FPC will harness its global, data-driven expertise in identifying and managing the most impactful investments sourced from top universities and research centres. It also aims to strengthen Timpson’s exposure to an investment sector that has generated returns for leading pension funds of 23% per annum over the five years ending in 2021*. 

FPC has a long track record of managing deep tech funds on behalf of the government, The British Business Bank, sovereign wealth funds and local government pension funds. FPC (Ventures) Ltd currently manages the UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund (UKI2S), a national early-stage investor in the UK’s publicly funded science and knowledge base, which is backed by UKRI, MOD, DSIT, UKAEA and other public bodies.

““Key to the success of our business is putting our people first, whether they are with us, have retired, or moved on. We are pleased to be partnering with Future Planet Capital on this LIFTS proposal to support our colleagues. Impact-led venture capital has been instrumental in backing new, disruptive technologies and providing high returns for investors. FPC’s established track record in this area and its enviable portfolio will help to support British companies and build long-term value for Timpson and its people.””

— James Timpson, Group Chief Executive, Timpson Group

This partnership follows the government’s Mansion House Reforms, which aim to encourage pension fund investment into assets that support UK growth. These game-changing reforms are set to unlock £75 billion of pension fund money for this purpose.

  *Source: CEM Benchmarking data

Future Planet Capital invests into Direct Ocean Capture firm Captura as part of $12M Series A raise

Global investors, including Future Planet Capital, are supporting the development of Captura’s scalable and cost-effective Direct Ocean Capture technology.

Captura Corporation, a California-based carbon removal company, today announced the closing of a $12 million Series A financing round which targeted the firm’s Direct Ocean Capture technology offering.

The raise was led by Equinor Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of multinational energy company Equinor, and was joined by Future Planet Capital, Aramco Ventures, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Hitachi Ventures, and mTerra Ventures. Following this investment, Ed Philips, Partner and Head of Origination at Future Planet Capital, is taking a seat on the company’s board.

““We are very excited to have this diverse cohort of investors join the Captura team. We’re now poised to combine technical innovation borne at Caltech with the proven experience of our global industry and financial partners to make low-cost carbon removal at scale a reality.””

— Harry Atwater, Co-Founder at Captura

Future Planet Capital is backing Captura’s Caltech-developed Direct Ocean Capture technology, as it has significant potential as a low-cost and highly scalable carbon removal solution. Future Planet Capital has identified carbon removal technology as a key sector to support in efforts to tackle climate change. The group of investors bring extensive experience and expertise across the energy and engineering sectors, including large-scale project delivery and building out ocean-based infrastructure, helping to support Captura to scale rapidly to meet growing customer demand.

Future Planet Capital has identified carbon removal technology as a key sector to support in efforts to tackle climate change

Using only renewable electricity and ocean water as inputs, Captura’s Direct Ocean Capture technology removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the ocean and delivers a measurable and verifiable stream of CO2 that can be permanently locked away, or used as an input for in low carbon products, such as sustainable aviation fuel. The CO2-depleted water returned to the oceans then draws down an equivalent quantity of CO2 from the atmosphere, harnessing the ocean’s natural capacity as one of the world’s largest carbon sinks.

““Captura has fast become one of the most promising carbon removal companies on the market by leveraging the world’s greatest natural carbon sink, the ocean. Of all the solutions we’ve seen, Captura stood out, both on technology and track record of delivery. We are thrilled to partner with Steve, CX, Harry and the Captura team as they build commercial, gigaton scale, sub-$100 carbon removal solutions at a fraction of the capital cost of competing approaches.””

— Ed Phillips, Partner at Future Planet Capital

Captura’s approach is highly scalable and cost-effective. By leveraging the ocean’s ability to remove atmospheric CO2, Direct Ocean Capture avoids many of the technical engineering challenges that face land-based Direct Air Capture technologies. The process requires no rare earth elements, produces no by-products, and can take advantage of existing ocean-based infrastructure for large-scale deployments, such as desalination plants or retired oil and gas platforms. By reducing emissions, Direct Ocean Capture also has the potential to assist in addressing ocean acidification.

The Series A funding will allow Captura to accelerate its piloting programme, while simultaneously continuing to improve Direct Ocean Capture technology.

In 2022, Captura began ocean trials of its first pilot system that is capable of capturing one ton of CO2 annually in Newport Beach, California. Captura is currently building its next-generation pilot system that will have 100x the capacity of the first. This next-generation Direct Ocean Capture system is expected to be installed at a desalination plant in early 2023. In parallel, Captura’s engineers and scientists are developing proprietary optimized membranes to increase electrical efficiency, and further reduce carbon removal costs of using the company’s technology.

Since its inception, Captura has secured funding from a combination of private investment, government funds, and innovation awards, including the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E SEED fund and support from SoCalGas. Captura was named one of 15 Milestone Award winners in the Musk Foundation’s Carbon Removal XPRIZE competition and secured its first carbon removal pre-purchase from the corporates Stripe and Shopify, facilitated by the Frontier Climate initiative.

Captura’s team combines expertise from the carbon removal industry, large-scale engineering experience and world class researchers, and is led by Steve Oldham, former CEO of Direct Air Capture company Carbon Engineering.

““Captura is thrilled to welcome investment from this group of industry-leading companies. Our investors are not only providing the funding to accelerate our technology development efforts, but also bring the global reach and expertise to help drive our business to the next level. Combined with our unique technology and world class team, Captura is now well positioned to become a major player in the growing carbon removal field.”  ”

— Steve Oldham, CEO of Captura

Priya Guha joins Future Planet Capital's Investment Governance Board

Future Planet Capital, the international impact-led venture capital firm, is pleased to announce the appointment of Priya Guha to its Investment Governance Board (IGB).

Future Planet’s IGB consists of leading advisors from around the world. The Board provides investment oversight and drives sustainable growth to ultimately build better and stronger businesses.

Priya brings with her a wealth of experience. She is currently Venture Partner at Merian Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in women-led innovation and is a non-executive director at the UK Research & Innovation body. She was awarded an MBE in 2021 for her services to international trade and women in innovation and was recently named in the 2022 Inspiring Fifty’s Top Fifty Women in European Tech.

Throughout her career, Priya has championed positive social change including through her work as a Trustee of Tech She Can, a not-for-profit charity focused on ensuring women play an equal role in creating and developing technology businesses. In addition, she has proven success helping high-growth startups to launch UK operations, including San Francisco HQ-ed RocketSpace. Prior to RocketSpace, Priya was a career diplomat for the UK Government posted as British Consul General to San Francisco and previously in India and Spain.

Priya joins existing Future Planet Capital Investment Governance Board members Paul Abberley, CEO of Charles Stanley, Professor Jerome S Engel, the international renowned expert and academic from UC Berkeley, Elias Masilela, Executive Chair of DNA Economics and former CEO of South Africa’s Public Investment Corporation, and David Knox, ex-head of research at JP Morgan Cazenove.

Douglas Hansen-Luke, CEO of Future Planet Capital, said: “I am delighted to welcome Priya to our Investment Governance Board, as we continue our mission to build robust, impactful and truly innovative businesses. It is more important than ever to identify and deliver solutions to the problems our society faces, and today’s announcement helps us to better achieve this goal. Priya, welcome to the team!”

Commenting on her appointment, Priya Guha, said: “Over the years I have watched and admired the impact of Future Planet Capital’s work. I am excited to be joining the team and to have the opportunity to combine my experience building disruptive businesses, with my passion for bringing about positive change.”

Talking Tech Transfer Podcast featuring Douglas Hansen-Luke

Talking Tech Transfer Podcast featuring Douglas Hansen-Luke

Future Planet Capital was hosted on Talking Tech Transfer podcast, published by Global University Venturing. Executive Chairman, Douglas Hansen-Luke, was interviewed by Thierry Heles.

Together they discuss Future Planet Capital’s focus on investments in ecosystems around institutions such as MIT, Stanford University and the University of Oxford, and partnering with the likes of Berkley Skydeck and Xfund, and the impact of these partnerships.

 “We operate with a global vision – connecting the biggest investors to the brightest minds”

Douglas also explores the work that Future Planet Capital is doing on a global, national and regional scale and how this all fits together, as well as our key areas of investment - Climate Change, Education, Health, Security and Sustainable Growth – the five greatest challenges we’re facing on a global scale. 

Listen to the podcast here

Future Planet Capital backs Roslin Tech’s momentum with further investment

03 November 2022 - Future Planet Capital (“FPC”), the international venture capital and impact investor, is pleased to announce its participation in Edinburgh-based food & ag tech company Roslin Technologies’s latest £11m funding round, helping to fuel the company’s next wave of growth in its mission to become the leading provider of animal cell lines to the emerging cultivated meat sector.

Cultivated meat is meat grown directly from animal cells without the need to raise animals. Cultivated meat offers a promise to improve animal welfare, lower antibiotics use, and reduce the environmental footprint of meat production. The cultivated meat sector is rapidly growing with billions of dollars invested to date, in over 100 active companies including global meat producers. To make cultivated meat viable, production cost needs to come down and products need to create great consumer satisfaction. High quality cell lines are required to make cultivated meat safe, affordable and nutritious.

Having made an initial investment of £10m in 2017, FPC has supported Roslin as it has grown from an intial concept to the revenue generating commercial enterprise it is today through board representation, funding and strategic commercial introductions. FPC was also honoured to facilitate an introduction to the now King Charles at its leadership event at COP 26. As a long term partner looking to profitably solve the world’s greatest challenges, FPC is now pleased to be making a substantial contribution to this latest round via its Blue Ocean mandate and its Challenge Response II (CRII) strategy.

This new funding will allow Roslin Tech to invest in expanding its cell line portfolio and further developing the protocols for scale up of its cells into competitive cell biomass for meat production. It will do so jointly with its customers, development collaborators, and the University of Edinburgh with which Roslin Tech has a privileged relationship. It will also invest in its insect venture which focuses on breeding better insects for the emerging insect protein sector, a promising regenerative agricultural technique.

Guy Pengelley, Investment Director at Future Planet Capital, said: “Roslin’s ambitions to create disruptive biotechnologies to improve how proteins are made, very much aligns with FPC’s mission to deliver returns while tackling the world’s greatest challenges. As an early investor, we’re delighted to be in the position to continue to back their both their momentum and continued growth and are excited to see what more we can achieve together over the longer term.”

Ernst van Orsouw, CEO of Roslin Tech, says: “The closing of this series A round is a real milestone for Roslin Tech as we look to commercialise our ground-breaking stem cell technologies. The trust from the new investors is a testament to the platform and team that we have built with support from Future Planet Capital and our other founding shareholders. We are very pleased that Future Planet Capital continues to support us both financially and strategically. Their networks are incredibly valuable to continue to grow our business and have an impact on society”.

Future Planet Capital launches new €20m Blue Ocean mandate

Future Planet Capital, the international venture capital and impact investor, is pleased to announce the close of a new €20m Blue Ocean mandate aimed at tackling key issues affecting the world’s oceans.

The mandate, which Barclays Private Bank helped implement, will be partnered with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the Monaco Government in the context of the Monaco Blue Initiative (MBI) and in the framework of the Monaco Ocean Week, at the end of March.

Managed by Future Planet Capital’s experienced investment team, including Ed Phillips, Partner and Head of Origination, and Lyle Pentith, Portfolio Manager, the Blue Ocean mandate will aim to invest in a portfolio of ten to fifteen high-growth and high-impact companies that are profitably tackling key issues within the Blue Economy. 

This targeted investment strategy will focus on three areas within the Blue Economy: preventing pollution, preservation of marine environments and ecosystems and sustainable marine productivity. The vehicle will make investments predominantly at the Series A and B stage in companies creating scalable solutions to challenges such as overfishing, biodiversity loss and pollution, in addition to opportunities within clean energy, green protein, shipping and carbon capture. These companies will be carefully selected from the world’s leading innovation ecosystems and partner venture funds with whom Future Planet Capital has a connection.

Douglas Hansen-Luke, Executive Chairman at Future Planet Capital, said: “I am excited to announce the launch of the Future Planet Blue Ocean mandate and we are delighted to partner with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which has a  deep commitment to protection of the world’s oceans. This is a critical task if we are to mitigate the increasing challenge the planet faces today including the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. Future Planet Capital was an early mover in the impact investing space and with our track record of challenging global issues we look forward to seeing the impact of the Future Planet Blue Ocean.”

The Wei Report: In the Press

On Monday, we released “The Wei Forward “ Report, a practitioner’s guide to impact investing in a post-pandemic world. The report, written by Lord Wei of Shoreditch, the social entrepreneur and Conservative peer, and commissioned by Future Planet Capital, the international impact investment group, sets out how venture capital can provide the solution to harnessing university-originated innovation, enabling a next generation of entrepreneurs to supercharge efforts to solve the biggest problems like climate change, health, educations, and security issues, whilst still delivering profits for investors.

Read more coverage here:

New report by Lord Wei calls on investors and governments to support impactful investing

New report by Lord Wei calls on investors and governments to support impactful investing

Lord Wei of Shoreditch, Future Planet Capital Advisory Board Member

Many of the challenges we face require levels of innovation that only impact investing can foster and provide. To keep taxes low and come through the ongoing energy crisis, we need breakthroughs in tackling climate change. To ride through the current and any future pandemic, we need to future proof and decentralise our healthcare system through technology. To prepare for a huge shift in our labour force, for automation and its impact on skills requirements, and for supply chain disruption – we need new technology to enable training and education.

Lord Nat Wei of Shoreditch, Future Planet Capital Advisory Board Member

“The Wei Forward Report”, written by Lord Wei of Shoreditch, the social entrepreneur and Conservative peer, and commissioned by Future Planet Capital, the international impact investment group, sets out how venture capital can provide the solution to harnessing university-originated innovation, enabling a next generation of entrepreneurs to supercharge efforts to solve the biggest problems like climate change, health, educations, and security issues, whilst still delivering profits for investors.

Backing innovative solutions to solve pressing issues does however require collective action, the report calls for a concerted effort to be made by all stakeholders to unlock venture’s potential and proposes a series of policy measures, including:

• Governments must play a larger role as a procurer of innovation and encourage impactful venture investing with green and impact-oriented tax breaks, rewarding the next generation of young savers to back impactful investing

• Pensions industry regulators should take a more balanced risk approach and favour impactful investing. To not do so, given the societal and planetary risks we face, is a risk itself; one that the regulatory system should be accountable for, alongside protecting the immediate financial returns and assets of members.

• Society and the general consumer must play a more active role in holding legislative, ruling and regulatory bodies to account, using tools such as the Companies Act 2006, Section 172.

Lord Wei of Shoreditch, Member of the Future Planet Capital Advisory Board, commented: “We have come a long way in reversing the crises of our age, but to secure this progress for future generations requires us to go further; to not just talk green but act green. The technologies needed to achieve Net Zero simply do not exist today, nor do the tools to protect us against the next pandemic. To secure these, there needs to be a dramatic increase in the flow of capital to the world’s best scientists and engineers.”

“While much of the responsibility for expanding impact investing rests with VC investors and founders, policy makers, regulators, LPs, pension funds and consumers must all play a critical role in bringing impact to mainstream adoption must be recognised and harnessed. Through this report, I hope to kickstart a practical conversation as to how we can all endeavour to deliver positive change.”

Douglas Hansen-Luke, Chair of Future Planet Capital, added: “We at Future Planet Capital have always believed in the power of profit and purpose; creating channels for large scale investment to back the best brains tackling the biggest global issues. There is now a general recognition that science and centres of innovation have a fundamental role in addressing global challenges and that the government and private sectors can materially accelerate and scale the impact of their work. We grew out of that desire to make difference, and I look forward to working with many likeminded stakeholders to help put this report’s ideas into practice.”

COP26, Future Planet and Terra Carta

Future Planet's Climate Change Showcase #COP26 🌍🚨 We are delighted that at the COP26 - UN Climate Change Conference, we were able to showcase some of the most impactful climate change linked companies, where we introduced them to His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales.

While our companies were showcased at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, the #terracartaseal, a new sustainability award spearheaded by Prince Charles’ The Sustainable Markets Initiative, was unveiled among many industry leaders.

We would like to thank all the companies who joined us, and to everyone who played a part in bringing together such a fantastic reception, showcasing potential solutions, starting interesting discussions and leveraging private market resources to tackle #climatechange. 🌍

We were honoured to showcase 7 fantastic companies at The Sustainable Markets Initiative reception, and have the privilege to present these to HRH Prince Charles.

Vector Photonics - CSEL-based, semiconductor laser technology promises a major uplift in efficiency that would reduce the power consumption of data centres by 20-30%. They currently consume close to 10% of the world’s total power, meaning their applications could be key addressing global power usage and climate change.

PragmatIC - Ultra-low-cost flexible semiconductors thinner than a human hair, enabling IoT in trillions of low cost objects. Making these chips uses 100x less water, 100x less energy and have 1000x lower CO2 equivalent global warming impact. Enables more efficient supply chains in healthcare, a key source of waste and CO2, and enabling smart recycling for major tyre manufacturers and the 1.5Bn daily plastic bottles purchased each day.

Tokamak Energy Ltd - Pioneering commercial fusion energy: clean, economic and globally deployable. Global Energy demand will increase by 50% in 2030 and existing technologies have significant issues in cost, reliability and emissions. Fusion powers the sun, and if harnessed will provide a limitless source of clean, stable energy for the world, without waste products.

Nutri-San - A bio-technology company specialising in safe, sustainable, solutions for the animal feed and livestock farming industries. Methane emissions from cattle farming has 80x the global warming effect of CO2 over 20 years, and causes around 6% of global warming. Introducing just 1-2% seaweed to cattle feed can reduce these emissions by up to 90%.

Fera Science Ltd. - A socially responsible, responsive and market-led scientific expert services organisation with over 100 years’ of experience and leading research and development capabilities across agri-food science, with its “Forward Thinking for the Whole Food System” science strategy. Applies Original Thinking to support sustainable global food production, land management and the environment, and address the most key UNSDGs.

Solar Water Plc - Solving one of the world’s most pressing problems, sustainable and affordable access to fresh water, using technology to provide limitless supplies of fresh solar water in a carbon neutral, planet-friendly and cost effective manner. Its Concentrated Solar Power Desalination systems sustainably and affordably create freshwater from seawater on an industrial scale, with a carbon-neutral, zero greenhouse gas, planet-friendly and cost-effective solution.

Roslin Technologies - A biotech company pioneering sustainable solutions to support the food and agriculture sectors. Its mission is to advance disruptive innovations to improve how we produce proteins to feed the world’s increasing population. Its primary focus is on animal stem cells – and their huge potential as ingredients for supporting the global cultivated meat market.

Future Planet launch oversubscribed Series A following 3x Acquisitions

Future Planet Capital was the first institutional VC firm to open its doors to the crowd. Now we're back having acquired 3 other firms to reach $300M AUM, hit $6.5M in revenue, and 100 portfolio companies.

2021 was a pivotal growth year for the business. Revenues were increased 15x on 2020, assets 10x, and investments accelerated with three major exits, including two Nasdaq listings and one major acquisition.

This year also saw the completion of three venture capital firm acquisitions: Milltrust Agricultural Investments (“MAI”), RT Capital (“RT”) and Midven, manager of the Government backed UKI2S fund. The deals follow a pivotal year of growth for the Group, as it prepares to return to Seedrs following its successful £1.5m raise on the platform in 2020, the first of its kind for an institutional Venture Capital Firm. Launching to the public on 22nd November, the Group oversubscribed for it’s £2.5M round to build on its aims to connect global investors with the best and brightest start-ups from leading universities while growing its network to help these companies expand and globalise. This will build on its commitment to democratise venture capital investing, allowing the world’s largest investor “the crowd”, to participate in what has previously been a high returning, but inaccessible, asset class.

Allocating 10% of the Series A to Seedrs is part of the Groups long term commitment to democratizing venture, ensuring everyone can participate in what has been among the highest performing asset classes of the last 30 years.

PragmatIC raises $80M Series D

We are delighted to announce that our Portfolio company, PragmatIC Semiconductors has completed an $80M Series D.

CAMBRIDGE, England- (BUSINESS WIRE) -PragmatIC Semiconductor, a world leader in flexible electronics, is proud to announce that it has secured $80 million of Series C funding. This scale-up investment will be used to build a second FlexLogIC fab in the North East of England, to meet the growing demand for ultra-low-cost flexible integrated circuits (FlexICs) for the Internet of Everything, and strengthening the position of the UK in its ambition to be a leading designer and manufacturer of next generation semiconductors.

“This successful Series C round is a testament to the potential for our technology to enable trillions of smart items and address key UN sustainable development goals”

Tweet this

“This successful Series C round is a testament to the potential for our technology to enable trillions of smart items and address key UN sustainable development goals,” said Scott White, CEO of PragmatIC Semiconductor. “Our FlexLogIC-002 fab will deliver significantly higher capacity than our first line, whilst still maintaining our signature ultra-low capex, fast production cycle time and minimal carbon footprint. In addition to supporting our continued commercial ramp, it provides a template for rolling out a distributed global network of FlexLogIC systems, offering a Fab-as-a-Service (FaaS) for dedicated production on major customer sites to enable efficient and secure semiconductor supply chains.”

Erik Langaker, independent Chair of the Board, added: “This capital raise is a fantastic recognition of the achievements of Scott White, Richard Price and their team. The round has been subscribed by a highly qualified select group of industrial and individual investors with significant experience in the semiconductor industry. Their backing will enable the team to more than double in size over the next 12 months and expand capacity to fulfil the rapidly growing demand for electronics in everyday objects.

PragmatIC’s development over the past few years has seen the launch of its flagship ConnectIC® product line of ultra-low-cost RFID FlexICs, as well as its FlexIC Foundry® service enabling innovative designers to create more pioneering products and advance them rapidly from concept to reality. This year it has demonstrated an order-of-magnitude improvement in complexity and compute capability for non-silicon chips by producing flexible microprocessors. These include the iconic 6502 and PlasticArm, an ultra-minimalist Arm® Cortex®-M0 based system-on-a-chip which is 12 times more complex than previous state-of-the-art flexible electronics.

PlasticArm is the result of many years of collaboration between the two companies, a partnership that is set to continue long into the future with semiconductor IP leader Arm participating in this funding round.

“Billions of everyday objects could benefit from being part of the Internet of Things, but to continue to scale sustainably we need to explore new approaches for embedding intelligence into everyday objects,” said Dipesh Patel, chief technology officer at Arm. “Flexible electronics can extend the range and scope of what is possible today and we see massive potential for it to be creatively adopted by the Arm ecosystem, leading to innovation with global impact.

Future Planet acquires one of the UK’s oldest VC firms

Future Planet Capital (FPC) has announced its acquisition of one of Britain’s most respected venture capital firms, Midven Ltd. The deal will enable Future Planet to grow its extensive global innovation network, which includes Berkeley, Cambridge, Harvard, MIT and Oxford, by combining them with Midven’s access to top-ranked UK Government funded scientific research. FPC is already a leader in this sector and was one of the first to bring sovereign wealth fund investors to British university venture.

Future Planet Capital is unique in its impact led approach, built to invest in growth companies from the world's top universities. The firm has built a track record of catalysing growth to scale university spin-outs into nascent global players, demonstrated in its backing of 23andMe, Congenica and recently Vaccitech. Through its focus on companies emerging from the founders or science of the world’s leading universities, FPC has access to opportunities with long-term value and lasting impact.

Midven, which is supported by blue chip investors including the British Business Bank and European Investment Bank, manages the highly successful UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund (UKI2S) and the £35m MEIF West Midlands Growth Fund, part of the British Business Bank's £250m Midlands Engine Investment Fund.

Douglas Hansen-Luke, FPC Executive Chairman, said: "Midven’s exceptional 30-year track record, its strong capital base and the UKI2S Fund’s close relationship with some of Britain’s top research establishments will offer our investors, stakeholders and our portfolio companies greater opportunities. By incorporating Midven, Future Planet Capital will become an important player in the UK’s impact and university venture industry, with more reach, more investors and more capital to invest in companies working to tackle global challenges. The UK is the world’s 3rd most successful economy for innovation output1 and the ideal location to build a global impact fund."

Andrew Muir, Director, Midven, and Investment Director & Fund Principle, UKI2S, added: "FPC’s connections to leading universities around the world will enable us to connect and support the UK’s top scientific innovators to benchmark and nurture the best of British talent."

Tony Stott, CEO, Midven, commented: "Midven has a highly successful track record of investing government money through both UKI2S and its Midlands Engine fund. Future Planet’s relationships with global institutional investors should greatly assist all of Midven’s ambitious portfolio companies.

1. https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_gii_2020/gb.pdf

Notes to Editors

About Future Planet Capital

Future Planet Capital Limited is an international venture capital and impact investor, connecting the world's largest investors to the best minds in order to address global challenges. The firm is focused on providing growth capital to leading entrepreneurs and businesses from the world’s top universities and has deployed over $100M on behalf of institutional investors to date. Future Planet Capital’s goal is to profitably solve the world's greatest challenges in climate change, education, health, sustainable growth & security. This deal further strengthens our ability to deliver in these vital areas.

Midven

Midven was originally established as a venture capital firm by six Midlands based entrepreneurs over 30 years ago. The company then went through a management buy-out in 2007 when the current investment team acquired the business from the original founders. Since Midven became wholly owned by its management team, it has grown quickly and solidly, more than doubling the team size and increasing funds under management by over four-fold. Operating from offices in Birmingham, London and Oxfordshire, Midven invests on both a regional and national basis through a growing portfolio of funds.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210407005904/en/

Contacts

Future Planet Capital
Jessica Hill, Associate / Abigail Wye, Network Director
[e] j.hill@futureplanetcapital.com
[e] a.wye@futureplanetcapital.com

Sciad Communications
Richard Anderson / Emma Pickup
[e] richard@sciad.com
[e] emma@sciad.com

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/future-planet-capital-acquires-midven-063000653.html

Future Planet invests in Vaccitech's $168M Series B

London, UK – 17th March 2021: Future Planet Capital has invested in a $168m Series B financing announced today by Vaccitech Ltd.  Future Planet joins other leading investors including M&G Investment Management, Tencent, Gilead Sciences, Monaco Constitutional Reserve Fund and fellow existing investor, Oxford Sciences Innovation. As part of the Series B financing, $43 million in convertible loan notes previously issued by Vaccitech will convert into Series B shares, resulting in total gross proceeds to Vaccitech of $168 million before expenses.

Douglas Hansen-Luke Founder & EXec Chair

Future Planet Capital

Douglas Hansen-Luke, Executive Chairman of Future Planet Capital, explained:

"Our decision to support Vaccitech last year, before the results of the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca trials were known, has been vindicated by the vaccine’s approval for emergency use by national and international regulators. The success of the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has increased our confidence in Vaccitech’s immunotherapy platform and our continuing support is signalled by our investment today.”

Bill Enright, CEO

Vaccitech

Bill Enright, CEO of Vaccitech, said:

“We expect this financing to enable us to reach key value inflection points for our lead programs. We now look forward to advancing key programs towards generating proof-of-concept data in indications with significant need of effective new treatments.”

Ed Phillips, Deal Lead

Future Planet Capital

Ed Phillips, Head of Origination at Future Planet Capital, concluded:

“This is a concrete example of our vision in action – financing the best minds to address global challenges. We look forward to working with other entrepreneurs and businesses dedicated to solving global challenges in the future.”

Vaccitech is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel immunotherapeutics and vaccines for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases and cancer; in 2020 it co-invented a COVID-19 vaccine candidate with the University of Oxford, AZD1222, which is known as the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.

-ends-

For further information, please contact;

Future Planet Capital: Ed Philips, Head of Origination: e.phillips@futureplanetcapital.com

Sciad Communications: Richard Anderson: richard@sciad.com, Emma Pickup: emma@sciad.com