Mobeus VCTs raise £45 million within 24 hours

Mobeus VCTs raise £45 million within 24 hours

The four Mobeus VCTs launched at 9am on Monday 17th October seeking to raise £76m. They raised a staggering £45 million within the first 24 hours – with over £24 million raised in the first three hours alone.

Alex Davies, CEO and founder of Wealth Club says: “With a whopping £45 million raised in the first 24 hours, this is the fastest-selling VCT offer we have seen. Despite the gloomy economic outlook, investors are still exceptionally keen to invest and support early-stage businesses when the right opportunity is presented to them.

The demand for the Mobeus VCTs comes as no surprise. They have been the top four performing VCTs over both five and 10 years and have always had a hugely loyal following. Indeed, more than 1,500 of clients had registered their interest in the offer even before it opened.

That said, with tax rates back to their highest in 70 years and restrictions on the amount wealthier investors can hold in a pension showing no signs of abating, we expect demand for VCTs in general to remain strong this year.”

If you spot an offer you like act now

Davies continues: “VCTs have a finite capacity: an offer launches with a specific amount to raise and once that’s reached, the offer closes. The speed of the Mobeus raise shows demand is still strong despite the uncertainty. Therefore, if you spot a VCT you like, apply for it now or you could easily miss out.”

About the Mobeus VCTS:

The VCTs’ portfolios include around 41 companies, currently valued at £365.7 million (June 2022), including Virgin Wines and MPB, the world’s leading marketplace for used photo and video equipment.
The VCTs offer exposure to a diverse range of sectors, although technology-enabled investments are preferred – software and computer services represent the largest sector concentration at c.41%.
In the five years to September 2022, the four VCTs generated NAV total returns (including dividends reinvested) ranging from 74.8% (Mobeus Income & Growth 2 VCT) to 105.1% (Mobeus Income & Growth VCT), with the latter effectively doubling investors’ money.
About some of the holdings in the Mobeus VCTs

Preservica – largest holding: Preservica was spun out of a previous Mobeus investment, Tessella, in 2015, with Mobeus initially investing £3 million. The company had developed a digital preservation system in partnership with the National Archives to store crucial digital data and documents.

Effective storage for digital data is increasingly important as both the quantity of digital data produced increases and the speed of innovation renders old formats obsolete. That presents a challenge when data might need to be stored and accessed years later to protect intellectual property, meet regulatory requirements or preserve documents of cultural or academic significance.

Preservica continues to grow strongly and now works with four of the UK’s 10 largest businesses and 26 US State Archives, and more than 350 customers across more than 20 countries worldwide.

Mobeus has steadily supported that growth, investing a total of £15 million. The overall holding is now valued at £47.2 million and represents the largest growth capital investment across the four VCTs combined. Past performance is not a guide to the future.

FocalPoint Positioning – recent investment: Founded in 2015 by Dr Ramsey Faragher, FocalPoint Positioning aims to significantly improve the accuracy of positioning data for smartphones and autonomous platforms, indoors and out.
It is claimed over $1 trillion of the US economy, and €800 billion of the European economy depends on the Global Navigation Satellite System. Despite this, FocalPoint believes the accuracy of current receivers is a long way from where it needs to be.

FocalPoint believes its technology is up to 10x more accurate in urban areas and can significantly lower battery usage. The technology has several use cases including sports wearables, pedestrian navigation, and asset tracking.

The Mobeus VCTs initially invested £2.2 million in September 2022 as part of a larger $17 million funding round supported by existing investor Molten Ventures.

Three Wealth Club VCT picks

Albion VCTs – the six Albion VCTs give investors exposure to what the manager describes as an “all-weather portfolio”: c.70 companies in a broad spread of sectors, including healthcare, fintech, software, business services and renewable energy, across a range of maturity stages, from seed to Series B funding rounds. The VCTs target annual dividends of 5% of net assets, to be paid twice a year, each VCT in a different month. So, investors in all six VCTs could potentially receive tax-free dividends once a month throughout the year.
Pembroke VCT – this is a VCT that’s coming of age. Launched in 2013, it has now started to achieve exits: fresh pasta delivery service Pasta Evangelists, then organic plant-powered drinks brand Plenish and most recently women’s fashion retailer ME+EM. These have helped the VCT pay 12p in special dividends. The portfolio still looks very promising, with a good number of fast-growing companies.
Mobeus VCTs – these are some of the most popular VCTs and are likely to close soon. To date, the four VCTs have handsomely rewarded investors: they are the top four performing VCTs over both five and 10 years to September 2022. Over 10 years, they have on average trebled investors’ money. The current portfolio still looks promising, with most of the recent investments in technology-enabled companies.

Leicester TV

Education Technology Day must be extended to prisons

Education Technology Day must be extended to prisons

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Housing shortfall calls for public-private collaboration

Housing shortfall calls for public-private collaboration

Seven ways to decorate your home when renting

Seven ways to decorate your home when renting

65% of Brits are concerned about marine life

65% of Brits are concerned about marine life

Muntada Aid – Landmark 50th Mission to Take Place in Tunisia this September as Little Hearts nears 3,000 Lifesaving Operations

Muntada Aid – Landmark 50th Mission to Take Place in Tunisia this September as Little Hearts nears 3,000 Lifesaving Operations