At Blackfinch, we’re passionate about championing the cause of the venture capital industry in the UK. That’s why we’ve joined the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA).
The British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) is widely recognised as the voice of private capital in the UK. Over four decades, it has supported the private capital community, connecting institutional investors, fund managers, portfolio companies, advisers and service providers. It represents this diverse community of long-term investors by speaking with one clear and consistent voice that speaks up on behalf of the private equity and venture capital industry to wider society, including the Government, media and MPs.
Why Blackfinch has joined the BVCA
Blackfinch has been going from strength to strength in the venture capital sector. In fact, in November 2024, the Blackfinch Spring VCT will celebrate the fifth anniversary of the launch of its first share offer to investors. As a leading investor in technology-enabled companies, we know how important scale-up businesses are to the UK economy in terms of employment, tax revenue and productivity. We also know the important role that the BVCA plays in relaying these messages to the Government and the wider economic ecosystem. Membership means we can support the BVCA in its work, and play our part in engaging more widely with the venture capital industry, government, and society as a whole.
Blackfinch is always looking at innovative new ways to grow and expand, and we believe becoming BVCA members opens a number of potential doors both with entrepreneurs and institutional investors. The BVCA offers an array of networking, conferences and connection opportunities, particularly in the institutional landscape with General Partners (GPs) and Limited Partners (LPs), and as we seek to increase our footprint in the venture capital sector, these opportunities should help offer us an accelerated pathway to achieving our goals.
We don’t intend to be a passive member of the BVCA, and will be looking to actively participate in the various committees on policy, regulation, fundraising and tax that the BVCA provides. We also plan to be involved in BVCA’s Investment Compact working Groups, having a say in ongoing discussions and engagement with the major political parties.
BVCA for financial advisers
BVCA’s remit positions the venture capital and private equity industry as a “partner for growth” for the UK economy. We feel that is an important message that perhaps some advisers are not fully aware of. So, while UK advisers aren’t necessarily a key stakeholder group for BVCA, the data and research that the BVCA is able to tap into and organise can provide advisers with even more credible reasons for recommending venture capital investments for their clients.
We think this information will be extremely helpful in helping to move the narrative around VCTs and EIS away from being solely considered as tax-advantaged investments, and to shine a light on the strong investment case these investments present to investors. We’re looking forward to playing our part by amplifying the industry’s voice in the months and years to come.
