Finance Yorkshire Update

RNS Number : 2194V

Braveheart Investment Group plc

11 December 2013

 



11 December 2013

Braveheart Investment Group plc

Finance Yorkshire Equity Linked Fund Update

Braveheart Investment Group plc, the AIM-listed investment management group providing debt/equity and advisory services to SMEs and servicing the investment requirements of business angels, high net worth individuals, family offices, and public sector organisations, is pleased to announce that during the quarter ended 30 September 2013 the Finance Yorkshire Equity Linked Fund concluded 13 investments totalling £4.27 million.

Finance Yorkshire's Equity Linked Fund invests in SMEs across the Yorkshire and Humber region and is managed by Viking Fund Managers, a wholly owned subsidiary of Braveheart Investment Group.

Since its launch in 2010, the Equity Linked Fund has made 56 investments in 34 companies totaling £23.9 million; a cumulative investment total of over 50% of the original £43 million fund. As at 30 September 2013, the investments have safeguarded a total of 308 jobs, created another 266, and encouraged a total of almost £10 million in private sector leverage.

Investments of note in the past quarter have included low energy lighting company Loxa which received £500,000 in equity and debt funding; follow-on funding for Damson Ltd, a company supplying portable audio speakers; and £750,000 of equity and debt funding for Chameleon Technology, a provider of home energy management products.

Further information:

Braveheart Investment Group plc

Geoffrey Thomson, Chief Executive [e-mail]

Tel: [phone]

Sanlam Securities UK Limited (Nominated Adviser and Broker to Braveheart)

Lindsay Mair Catherine Miles

Tel: [phone]

Viking Fund Managers

Andrew Burton, Managing Director [e-mail]

Tel: [phone]

Media Enquiries:

Allerton Communications

Peter Curtain [e-mail]

Tel: [phone]

Notes to Editors

Braveheart Investment Group plc

Braveheart provides financing and associated advisory services for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) as follows:

For the company looking to raise money, we provide:

·     Equity Capital. This form of financing is typically long term and is usually appropriate for fast growing businesses or early stage companies. We will consider equity financing where our individual investment, or the investment we arrange, would normally be a maximum of £2m although we are happy to participate in larger financing as part of a syndicate;

·     Debt Finance. Short to medium term and for companies with cash flow to service the loan. Our unit size for this type of finance is up to £1m and we will usually provide junior debt which is unsecured but linked to an equity instrument;

·     Corporate finance advice on all aspects of raising money, strategic development and corporate governance.

The money we invest comes from a variety of sources (see below) and is sometimes linked to particular geographical locations.

To the investor, we provide a one-stop shop service to those in one of the following groups who are looking for exposure to SME investments:

·     High net worth (HNW) individuals looking to build tax efficient Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed EIS portfolios;

·     Family offices and private sector institutions;

·     The Public sector.

Investors can choose between investment types ranging from self-build portfolios, to a full fund management service.

www.braveheartgroup.co.uk

Viking Fund Managers

Viking Fund Managers is based in Yorkshire and manages the Finance Yorkshire Equity Fund, the Viking Fund and the Viking Loan Fund, all of which provide funding for SMEs in Yorkshire and Humber regions.

Finance Yorkshire

Finance Yorkshire can provide seedcorn, loan and equity linked investments, ranging from £15,000 to £2million, specifically to help small and medium sized businesses meet the gaps in the market for the funding they need for growth and development.

Finance Yorkshire has been developed as a European JEREMIE*  initiative and is capitalised by grants from UK Government(£15m), European Regional Development Fund (£30m) and finance from the European Investment Bank (£45m).  (*JEREMIE stands for Joint European Resources for Micro to medium Enterprises)

Finance Yorkshire invests in businesses based in, or moving to, areas within Yorkshire, the Humber, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.

www.finance-yorkshire.com

 

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