--- title: Startup Funding Club takes part in the Asian Productivity Organisation’s Study Mission | SFC Capital description: Startup Funding Club was invited to present its company and four of its funded Internet-of-Things startups to delegates from the Asian Productivity Organis image: https://sfccapital.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/banner_1520348976.webp --- 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) # Startup Funding Club takes part in the Asian Productivity Organisation’s Study Mission [SFC Team](https://sfccapital.com/blog/author/sfc) 22 Apr 2017 [News](https://sfccapital.com/blog/tag/news) ##### Share on - - - Startup Funding Club was invited to present its company and four of its funded Internet-of-Things startups to delegates from the Asian Productivity Organisation In the early-stage investment world, the weeks leading up to April 6th are the busiest ones. At [Startup Funding Club](https://startupfundingclub.com/) we are no strangers to that. To the already hectic close of the tax year, which has coincided with the close of the first tranche of the 2017 Startup Funding Club SEIS/EIS Funds, we have added a month of – almost – weekly events. One of these events was part of the Asian Productivity Organisation’s Study Mission, where SFC was invited to do a presentation for the project’s participants. This Study Mission, aimed at studying the development of knowledge-based businesses and Industry 4.0 in non-APO countries, took place in early April in various UK locations and gathered 19 delegates from several APO member countries. The project is one of the many that the Asian Productivity Organisation has been coordinating since its establishment in 1961. The regional intergovernmental organisation’s mission is to contribute to the sustainable socioeconomic development of Asia and the Pacific. To achieve this, APO enhances productivity in a spirit of mutual cooperation among its members with programs such as this one. On this project, participants were asked to assess the programs and roles of accelerators and incubation and innovation centres in the development of knowledge-based start-up businesses. To do so, the group, lead by Knowledge Associates’ founder and CEO Ron Young, visited accelerators and incubation centres in the UK as well as met with knowledge-based companies and attended the Industry 4.0 Summit and Exhibition in Manchester. On their stop in London, they had the chance to meet with Startup Funding Club and four of the companies the group has supported. The meeting took place near SFC’s headquarters, at the British Library. Once all attendants took their seats, each of them introduced themselves to the group. Following this initial introduction by Young and the participants, Stephen Page, founder and CEO of Startup Funding Club, began his presentation. Page acquainted the audience with the exciting current startup scene in the UK and where SFC stands in it. The founder also talked about his background and how SFC was born and has grown. The delegates showed a great interest for Startup Funding Club’s worked, and had many questions for Page. After the Q&A, attendants were able to enjoy a short break in which they further enquired about SFC before meeting the other presenters. The first startup to be showcased was AgsenZe, an AgriTech company that has received funding from SFC’s latest SEIS/EIS Fund. The smart agriculture startup generated lots of enthusiasm among the APO participants, who were then very eager to meet the other companies Startup Funding Club was showcasing. Lokcom, also part of the 2017 SFC SEIS/EIS Fund as well as a previous one, presented their highly secure remote access to properties, which is already used internationally. After [Lokcom](http://www.lokcom.net/) came [Onfido](https://onfido.com/gb/), one of SFC’s earliest investments and probably its greatest success story to date. The Intelligent Background Checking company, which first came to SFC as a three-men team, has over 100 employees and works with over 1,000 clients globally. The last company presented was [Stablepharma](https://stablepharma.com/), a technology that revolutionises the process for vaccine stabilisation. Following the presentations, participants had the opportunity to learn more about the companies’s technologies and business models during the Q&A session. APO’s Study Mission in the UK might have concluded, but all its participants will now need to apply the knowledge acquired to prepare follow-up action plans to then share them with their respective NPO (National Productivity Organisation). The APO delegates were not the only ones to learn from the project, Startup Funding Club and the four companies it showcased – AgsenZe, Lokcom, Onfido, and Stablepharma – had also a great opportunity to learn from it and its participants. The engaged audience’s enthusiasm also proved the importance of SFC’s work. On the one hand, it is a reassurance that the companies SFC has chosen to support are indeed relevant. And on the other hand, by supporting innovative startups as the ones showcased, SFC can not only help them succeed, but can also help them make an impact internationally. ## Related Articles 28 Mar 2017 [Events](https://sfccapital.com/blog/tag/events) ##### [Startup Funding Club holds its last Investor Event before closing this year’s SEIS/EIS Fund](https://sfccapital.com/blog/startup-funding-club-holds-its-last-investor-event-before-closing-this-years-seis-eis-fund) Startup Funding Club showcased five promising startups in its last Investor Event before closing thi... [Read More](https://sfccapital.com/blog/startup-funding-club-holds-its-last-investor-event-before-closing-this-years-seis-eis-fund) 24 May 2017 [News](https://sfccapital.com/blog/tag/news) ##### [Startup Funding Club announces the launch of its new Investor Platform at its latest event](https://sfccapital.com/blog/startup-funding-club-launch-investor-platform-event) Startup Funding Club announced the launch of its new Investor Platform at its latest Pitching & Netw... [Read More](https://sfccapital.com/blog/startup-funding-club-launch-investor-platform-event) 19 Apr 2017 [Events](https://sfccapital.com/blog/tag/events) ##### [Startup Funding Club holds its first Investor Event after the first close of the 2017 SFC Funds at The Ivy](https://sfccapital.com/blog/startup-funding-club-holds-investor-event-after-first-close-of-2017-sfc-funds-at-the-ivy) Startup Funding Club announces the close of the first tranche of the 2017 SFC SEIS/EIS Funds at its ... 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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. 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