--- title: "SFC's 2025: The Year in Review" description: SFC's 2025 review highlights record investments, major exits, prestigious awards, and the continued growth of innovative UK companies across various sectors. image: https://sfccapital.com/hubfs/2025.12.29%20-%20News%20-%202025%20recap.png --- Disclaimer Please note, company introductions through SFC Capital Ltd ('SFC') are only suitable for ‘High Net Worth Individuals’, or ‘Sophisticated Investors’ as defined by the Financial Services & Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) who are familiar with and willing to accept the high risk associated with private investments. Any investor requesting to contact a company through SFC Capital does so at his/her own risk and is solely responsible for conducting any legal, accounting or due diligence review. There has been no investigation to the accuracy of any information or terms contained herein and we strongly suggest that you seek advice from a person authorised under the FSMA who specialises in advising on investments of this kind prior to commencement of any potential transaction. All content provided by SFC Capital is strictly for informational purpose only and does not constitute business, financial, investment, hedging, trading, legal, regulatory, tax or accounting advice or services. SFC Capital is an appointed representative of SFC Capital Partners Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (‘FCA’) in the United Kingdom (FRN 736284). This website is intended for professional investors only; any reproduction of this information, in whole, or part, is prohibited. SFC Capital does not sell or offer to sell any securities and no information provided by SFC Capital is intended to constitute or to be interpreted as any such offer. SFC Capital simply provides an introductory service where potential partners of all sorts can meet. The SFC Angel Fund is managed by SFC Capital Partners Ltd (‘SFCCP’) which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, firm reference number 736284. Information on the Fund is intended for professional investors only; any reproduction of this information, in whole, or part, is prohibited. The content is for information purposes only and should not be used or considered as an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell the securities mentioned herein. The SFC Angel Fund (the ‘SFC Fund’ or the ‘Fund’) is defined as an ‘unregulated collective investment scheme’ (‘UCIS’) and the promotion of a UCIS either within the UK or from the UK is severely restricted by statute. Consequently, this document is only directed at professional clients and eligible counterparties as defined by the FCA and also to persons of a kind to whom the Fund may lawfully be promoted by an authorised person by virtue of Section 238(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and COBS 4.12.4R. Any decision by an investor to buy shares in a fund must be made solely on the basis of the information and terms contained within the Fund’s offering memorandum. Investment in the Fund is made entirely at the investor’s own risk and professional advice should be sought in case of doubt. SFC Capital Partners Ltd (‘SFC’) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (‘FCA’) in the United Kingdom, firm reference number 736284. This document is intended for professional investors only; any reproduction of this information, in whole, or part, is prohibited. The content is for information purposes only and should not be used or considered as an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell the securities mentioned herein. The SFC Angel Fund (the ‘SFC Fund’ or the ‘Fund’) is defined as an ‘unregulated collective investment scheme’ (‘UCIS’) and the promotion of a UCIS either within the UK or from the UK is severely restricted by statute. Consequently, this document is only directed at professional clients and eligible counterparties as defined by the FCA and also to persons of a kind to whom the Fund may lawfully be promoted by an authorised person by virtue of Section 238(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and COBS 4.12.4R. The SFC Angel Fund is managed by SFC Capital Partners Ltd (‘SFCCP’) which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, firm reference number 736284. Information on the Fund is intended for professional investors only; any reproduction of this information, in whole, or part, is prohibited. The content is for information purposes only and should not be used or considered as an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell the securities mentioned herein. The SFC Angel Fund (the ‘SFC Fund’ or the ‘Fund’) is defined as an ‘unregulated collective investment scheme’ (‘UCIS’) and the promotion of a UCIS either within the UK or from the UK is severely restricted by statute. Consequently, this document is only directed at professional clients and eligible counterparties as defined by the FCA and also to persons of a kind to whom the Fund may lawfully be promoted by an authorised person by virtue of Section 238(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and COBS 4.12.4R. Any decision by an investor to buy shares in a fund must be made solely on the basis of the information and terms contained within the Fund’s offering memorandum. Investment in the Fund is made entirely at the investor’s own risk and professional advice should be sought in case of doubt. The SFC Angel Fund is an SEIS/EIS fund which raises money for early-stage businesses by investing in SEIS and EIS eligible ventures with the aim of returning a profit for investors in the fund. Investment in early-stage companies involves risks such as illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution. Investment in SEIS/EIS funds should be considered as part of a diversified portfolio. The availability of tax relief depends on individual circumstances and may change in the future. The availability of tax relief depends on the company invested in maintaining its SEIS/EIS qualifying status. There is no assurance that the investment objectives of any investment product will be achieved or that the strategies and methods described herein will be successful. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance and the value of an investment may go down as well as up. Investors may not get back the full amount invested. No warranties or representations of any kind are expressed or implied on this website. I Accept The Terms ## FCA Mandatory Risk Warning & Risk Summary > ## Risk Warning > > **Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment, and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.** ## Risk Summary **Estimated reading time: 2 min** Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) considers this investment to be high risk.   What are the key risks? 1\. You could lose all the money you invest. Investments made by the SFC Angel Fund SEIS (the “Fund”) will be in shares in early-stage businesses. Investors in these shares often lose 100% of the money they invested, as many early-stage businesses fail. 2\. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker here: [https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker/](https://sfccapital.com/fca-mandatory-risk-warning-and-risk-summary/%20https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker/)    Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here: [https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers](https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers) 3\. You won’t get your money back quickly Even if the businesses the Fund invests your money in are successful, it may take several years to get your money back. The most likely way to get your money back is if the businesses invested in by the Fund are bought by another business or list their shares on an exchange such as the London Stock Exchange. These events are not common. 4\. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.  A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments.  [https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest](https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest) 5\. The value of your investment can be reduced The percentage of each investee company that the Fund owns will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment in each investee company reduces, depending on how much the business grows. Most start-up businesses issue multiple rounds of shares.  These new shares could have additional rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, which could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment. 6\. S/EIS tax reliefs are not guaranteed Whilst it is the Fund's intention to invest mostly in companies qualifying under SEIS legislation, SFC cannot guarantee that all investments will qualify for S/EIS relief (or IHT relief) or, indeed, if they do initially, that they will continue to do so throughout the life of the investment. The tax advantages of investing through the Fund are therefore not guaranteed.  If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here: [https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart](https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart)  Close Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 minutes to learn more. [![SFC Logo + Title x web](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SFC%20Logo%20+%20Title%20x%20web.png?width=2000&name=SFC%20Logo%20+%20Title%20x%20web.png)](https://sfccapital.com) - [Startups](https://sfccapital.com/raise) - Investors - [SEIS Fund](https://sfccapital.com/seis-funds) - [EIS Fund](https://sfccapital.com/eis-funds) - [SEIS Explained](https://sfccapital.com/seis-explained) - [EIS Explained](https://sfccapital.com/eis-explained) - [Angel House](https://sfccapital.com/angel-house) - [Advisors](https://sfccapital.com/advisors) - [Portfolio](https://portal.sfccapital.com/portfolio) - [About Us](https://sfccapital.com/about-us) - [Blog](https://sfccapital.com/blog) - [Login](https://portal.sfccapital.com/login) # SFC's 2025: The Year in Review [Joseph Zipfel, Chief Investment Officer](https://sfccapital.com/blog/author/joseph-zipfel-chief-investment-officer) With a background in investment banking and a Master's from ESCP Europe, Joseph manages SFC Capital's investments, investor relations, and portfolio company fundraising strategies since 2014. 30 Dec 2025 [Investors](https://sfccapital.com/blog/tag/investors) ##### Share on - - - It’s that time of year when you pause and look back at what’s been achieved over the past 12 months, and 2025 has been full of incredible milestones. We began the year celebrating our **500th investment**, an achievement that was 11 years in the making. We’ve now got our sights on reaching 1,000 investments by 2030. It was also our first year deploying over **£25m across our SEIS, EIS and British Business Bank funds**, a 25%+ growth vs 2024. These numbers show the scale of our growth since starting as a small angel group just a decade ago. We’re deeply grateful to our 2,000+ individual investors and to the British Business Bank for your continued backing, year after year. In 2025, we invested in **106 companies** across B2B Software, Life Sciences, Deep Tech, Fintech and Consumer. 65% of those investments were made outside of London, reinforcing our commitment to backing talent across the UK. AI was of course the main trend to watch. Rather than a category of its own, it’s fast becoming the foundation layer of every business being built. We’re focused on backing founders who truly understand these tools and are building AI-first companies from day one.   Our work also received some fantastic recognition this year: - Beauhurst named SFC the UK’s most active Deep Tech VC of the past decade and highlighted us as one of the most active investors in university spinouts in the UK - TechCrunch ranked SFC the 10th most active AI investor globally - We won a few Awards: - **SEIS Fund of the Year 2025 TWICE** at the EIS Association Awards and the Growth Investor Awards - **Most Active Investor in the Regions** at the UK Business Angels Association Awards But most importantly, this year was full of highlights from our portfolio companies. There are way too many to mention, but a few standouts include:   ##### **Exits** - **ScreenCloud** generated a full investor exit, following a strategic investment from Tenzing in May. The SFC Angel Syndicate led the company’s first SEIS round back in 2015. This marks **our third \>50x exit** following Onfido and Cognism. One time might be luck, twice can be a coincidence - but three times suggests we’re doing something right… - **Ryft** delivered a 6.2x secondary exit for SEIS investors as part of their Series A round. That was the 19th exit from our SEIS/EIS funds, with the 20th being announced very soon…   ##### **Awards & Recognition** - **Winefi** was named Startup of the Year at the Seedlegals Awards, while Varun Bhanot of **Magic AI** was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. Not bad to be backing the best startup AND the best entrepreneur of 2025. - **Hunter & Gather**, **Magic AI**, **Furbnow**, **Veremark**, and **Strolll** were amongst those featured in prestigious startup rankings such as the Sunday Times 100 as well as the Sifted 250, and Future 50 lists.   ##### **Major Company Milestones** - **Transcend Packaging** launched a world first compostable and recyclable version of the iconic Starbucks white coffee cup, across Europe - **Blue Skies Space** successfully launched its Mauve satellite in partnership with SpaceX, the world’s first private space-science satellite dedicated to studying stellar flares. - **Carbon Neutral Fuels** was awarded £6 million by the UK Department for Transport to accelerate the development of its commercial-scale facility producing sustainable aviation fuel using captured CO₂ and low-carbon electricity - Our consumer stars **Fussy**, **Free Soul**, **Magic AI**, and **Hunter & Gather** continue to rank among the fastest-growing brands in the UK   These achievements reflect the diversity, resilience and technical brilliance across our portfolio. There are major milestones to be announced in the coming months and we can’t wait to celebrate them in 2026. All of this gives us **real optimism going into 2026**. The recent reinforcement of EIS in the Budget shows a rare cross-party consensus around the importance of early-stage investment, and we’re pleased to welcome ever more new investors and advisors into our SEIS and EIS fund community. The team at SFC is always available to answer any queries you may have. We aim to be platform offering the best experience to investors looking to access SEIS and EIS benefits, and we work continuously to improve our level of service to our clients. Here’s to 2026 - and to supporting another 100+ UK innovators next year. *Capital at risk. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. *Tax advantages dependent on individual circumstances.** ## Related Articles 10 Aug 2026 [Investors](https://sfccapital.com/blog/tag/investors) ##### [How SFC structures its SEIS funds through the tax year](https://sfccapital.com/blog/how-sfc-structures-its-seis-funds) One of the great advantages of investing through an SEIS fund is the ability to build a genuinely br... [Read More](https://sfccapital.com/blog/how-sfc-structures-its-seis-funds) 30 Jan 2025 [News](https://sfccapital.com/blog/tag/news) ##### [SFC 500 Roundtable: History of SFC Capital, Lessons Learned & SEIS/EIS Investing](https://sfccapital.com/blog/sfc-500-roundtable) SFC Capital is celebrating 500 portfolio companies. As part of this series, we have sat down our lea... [Read More](https://sfccapital.com/blog/sfc-500-roundtable) 23 Apr 2020 [News](https://sfccapital.com/blog/tag/news) ##### [British Business Investments commits £10m to SFC](https://sfccapital.com/blog/british-business-investments-commits-10m-sfc) SFC has already completed investment of £5m into 28 companies, with £1.6m coming from British Busine... [Read More](https://sfccapital.com/blog/british-business-investments-commits-10m-sfc) [![SFC Logo + Title x web (white)](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SFC%20Logo%20+%20Title%20x%20web%20(white).png?width=2000&height=318&name=SFC%20Logo%20+%20Title%20x%20web%20(white).png)](https://sfccapital.com) - [Startups](https://sfccapital.com/raise) - [About Us](https://sfccapital.com/about-us) - [Blog](https://sfccapital.com/blog) - [Terms of Use](https://sfccapital.com/terms) - [Press](https://sfccapital.com/press) - [EIS Fund](https://sfccapital.com/eis-funds) - [SEIS Fund](https://sfccapital.com/seis-funds) - [SEIS Explained](https://sfccapital.com/seis-explained) - [EIS Explained](https://sfccapital.com/eis-explained) - [Advisors](https://sfccapital.com/advisors) - [Anti-Slavery Policy](https://sfccapital.com/anti-slavery-policy-statement) - [Privacy Policy](https://sfccapital.com/privacy) - [ESG Statement](https://sfccapital.com/esg-statement) - [Complaints Policy](https://sfccapital.com/complaints-procedure) - [FAQ's](https://sfccapital.com/faq) - - - [Login](https://portal.sfccapital.com/login) #### Partners: [![mayor of london logo](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/mayor%20of%20london.png?width=564&height=247&name=mayor%20of%20london.png)](https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/shaping-local-places/funding-opportunities/london-co-investment-fund-lcif) [![london coinvestment fund logo](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SFC_Capital_Theme/Image/london%20coinvestment%20fund.png?width=564&height=247&name=london%20coinvestment%20fund.png)](https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/shaping-local-places/funding-opportunities/london-co-investment-fund-lcif) [![smb logo](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SFC_Capital_Theme/Image/smb.png?width=564&height=247&name=smb.png)](https://www.smb.london/) [![Young talent logo](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SFC_Capital_Theme/Image/Young%20talent%20(1).png?width=600&height=296&name=Young%20talent%20(1).png)](https://yourtalentsolutions.co.uk/) [![eisa logo](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/eisa.png?width=564&height=247&name=eisa.png)](https://www.eisa.org.uk/) [![Bennet brooks logo](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SFC_Capital_Theme/Image/Bennet%20brooks.png?width=564&height=272&name=Bennet%20brooks.png)](http://www.bennettbrooks.co.uk/) [![SFC Web - HP - Partner Logos - British Business Bank (BBB BBI) (white; 104 x 50px)](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SFC%20Web%20-%20HP%20-%20Partner%20Logos%20-%20British%20Business%20Bank%20(BBB%20BBI)%20(white%3B%20104%20x%2050px).webp?width=520&height=250&name=SFC%20Web%20-%20HP%20-%20Partner%20Logos%20-%20British%20Business%20Bank%20(BBB%20BBI)%20(white%3B%20104%20x%2050px).webp)](https://www.bbinv.co.uk/) [![ukri - innovate uk logo](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SFC_Capital_Theme/Image/ukri%20-%20innovate%20uk.png?width=564&height=248&name=ukri%20-%20innovate%20uk.png)](https://www.ukri.org/councils/innovate-uk/) [![investing in women code logo](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SFC_Capital_Theme/Image/investing%20in%20women%20code.png?width=564&height=248&name=investing%20in%20women%20code.png)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/investing-in-women-code) [![uk business angels logo](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SFC_Capital_Theme/Image/uk%20business%20angels.png?width=564&height=247&name=uk%20business%20angels.png)](https://www.ukbaa.org.uk/) [![SFC Web - HP - Partner Logo (white; 104 x 50px) - Home Grown](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SFC%20Web%20-%20HP%20-%20Partner%20Logo%20(white%3B%20104%20x%2050px)%20-%20Home%20Grown.webp?width=520&height=250&name=SFC%20Web%20-%20HP%20-%20Partner%20Logo%20(white%3B%20104%20x%2050px)%20-%20Home%20Grown.webp)](https://homegrownclub.co.uk/) [![SFC Web - HP - Partner Logo (white; 104 x 50px) - Markel](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SFC%20Web%20-%20HP%20-%20Partner%20Logo%20(white%3B%20104%20x%2050px)%20-%20Markel.webp?width=520&height=250&name=SFC%20Web%20-%20HP%20-%20Partner%20Logo%20(white%3B%20104%20x%2050px)%20-%20Markel.webp)](http://www.markelinternational.com/) DISCLAIMER: SFC Capital Ltd (SFC) is an appointed representative of SFC Capital Partners Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (‘FCA’) in the United Kingdom (FRN 736284). This website is intended for  professional investors, high net worth investor or certified sophisticated investors only for the purposes of the FCA's Conduct of Business Sourcebook.; any reproduction of this information, in whole, or part, is prohibited. The content is for information purposes only and should not be used or considered as an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any securities. Investment in early-stage companies involves risks such as illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution. Investment in SEIS/EIS eligible companies should be considered as part of a diversified portfolio. The availability of tax relief depends on individual circumstances and may change in the future. The availability of tax relief depends on the company invested in maintaining its SEIS/EIS qualifying status. There is no assurance that the investment objectives of any investment opportunity will be achieved or that the strategies and methods described herein will be successful. The investment products cited herein may place capital at risk and therefore investors may not get back the full amount invested. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance and the value of an investment may go down as well as up. Investors may not get back the full amount invested. Companies’ pitches for investment are not offers to the public and investments can only be made by members of SFC Capital. SFC Capital takes no responsibility for this information or for any recommendations or opinions made by the companies. Neither SFC Capital nor any of its employees provide any financial or tax advice in relation to the investments and investors are recommended to seek independent financial and tax advice before committing. This website is not directed at or intended for publication or distribution to any person (natural or legal) in any jurisdiction where doing so would result in contravention of any applicable laws or regulations. No warranties or representations of any kind are expressed or implied herein. 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