Finalists 2022
ESG CHAMPION OF THE YEAR
sponsored by Shawbrook Bank
Open to entrants in all award categories that have placed a particular focus on ESG in their service or offering. The judges will assess certifications, transparency and disclosure, independent ratings, best practice, the sustainability of outcomes, delivery of ESG commitments and embedding ESG into company culture.
Finalists:
- Blackfinch Investments
- EMV Capital
- Marsham Investment Management
- Par Equity
- Triple Point
- Vala Capital
MOST IMPACTFUL INVESTMENT
Based on an investment made since 6th April 2021, the judges will be assessing the impact of the investment on the investee business, focusing on how funding has been deployed and how growth has been enabled by the fund manager during the investment term.
Finalists:
- Foresight Group
- Growthdeck
- Guinness Ventures
- Mercia Asset Management
- Symvan Capital
- Vala Capital
MOST IMPACTFUL REGIONAL INVESTMENT
Based on an investment made since 6th April 2021, the judges will be assessing the impact of the investment on the investee business and the region in which the investee business is based, focusing on how funding has been deployed and how growth has been enabled by the fund manager during the investment term.
Finalists:
- Downing
- OnePlanetCapital
- Par Equity
- Symvan Capital
BEST EIS INVESTMENT MANAGER
sponsored by Charles Russell Speechlys LLP
Open to any investment manager specialising in Enterprise Investment Schemes who have had a minimum of 3 EIS exits at or above par and have EIS AUM above £50million. The judges will be looking at the performance of your service since 6th April 2021, assessing your success across business performance, investment inflows, impact on the investee, adviser relations, customer feedback, and overall impact.
Finalists:
- Guinness Ventures
- Mercia Asset Management
- MMC Ventures
- Par Equity
- Parkwalk Advisors
- Seneca Partners
BEST EIS INVESTMENT MANAGER – UP AND COMING
Open to any investment manager specialising in Enterprise Investment Schemes which has not had sufficient exits to meet the criteria for our Best EIS Investment Manager category. The judges will be looking at the performance of your service since 6th April 2021, assessing your success across business performance, investment inflows, impact on the investee, adviser relations, customer feedback, and overall impact.
Finalists:
- Blackfinch Ventures
- Fuel Ventures
- Praetura Ventures
- Velocity Capital Partners
BEST EIS INVESTMENT MANAGER – NEW ENTRANT
Open to any investment manager specialising in Enterprise Investment Schemes that has entered the market since 6th April 2019. The judges will be looking at the performance of your service since that date, assessing any innovation in your strategy, your success across business performance, investment inflows, impact on the investee, adviser relations, customer feedback, and overall impact.
Finalists:
- Love Ventures
- OnePlanetCapital
- Regenerate Ventures
BEST EIS INVESTMENT MANAGER – SPECIALIST
Open to any investment manager specialising in Enterprise Investment Schemes with a specialist focus on a particular area of underlying investments. The judges will be looking at the performance of your service since 6th April 2021, assessing your success across business performance, investment inflows, impact on the investee, adviser relations, customer feedback, and overall impact.
Finalists:
- Deepbridge Capital
- Downing
- Haatch
- o2h Ventures Limited
- Seneca Partners
- Symvan Capital
BEST BR INVESTMENT MANAGER – Listed
Open to any investment manager specialising in AIM investments qualifying for Business Property Relief. The judges will be looking at the performance of your service since 6th April 2021, assessing your success across investee company selection, investment volume and inflows, adviser relations, customer feedback, and overall impact.
Finalists:
- Blackfinch
- Charles Stanley
- Downing
- Puma Investments
- Stellar Asset Management
- TIME Investments
BEST BR INVESTMENT MANAGER – Unlisted
Open to any investment manager specialising in non AIM based investments qualifying for Business Property Relief. The judges will be looking at the performance of your service since 6th April 2021, assessing your success across investee selection, investment volume and performance, adviser relations, customer feedback, and overall impact.
Finalists:
- Blackfinch
- Downing
- Foresight
- Octopus Investments
- Puma Investments
- TIME Investments
- Triple Point
BEST VCT INVESTMENT MANAGER
Open to any investment manager specialising in Venture Capital Trusts. The judges will be looking at the performance of your service since 6th April 2021, assessing your success across investee company selection, investment volume and inflows, adviser relations, customer feedback, and overall impact.
Finalists:
- Albion Capital
- Foresight
- Puma Investments
- Seneca Partners
BEST SEIS INVESTMENT MANAGER
Open to any investment manager specialising in Seed Enterprise Investment Schemes. The judges will be looking at the performance of your service since 6th April 2021, assessing your success across business performance, investment inflows, impact on the investee, adviser relations, customer feedback, and overall impact.
Finalists:
- Haatch
- Nova Growth Capital
- QVentures
- Symvan Capital
BEST AIM PORTFOLIO SERVICE
Open to wealth management and stockbroking firms offering discretionary AIM portfolio investment management services. The judges will be looking at the performance of your service since 6th April 2021, assessing your success across investee selection, portfolio performance, investment volume and inflows, efforts to champion the AIM market, customer feedback, and overall business impact.
Finalists:
- Charles Stanley
- Close Brothers
- Guinness Ventures
- Hawksmoor Investment Management
- Seneca Partners
- Stellar Asset Management
- Thorntons Investments
BEST INVESTMENT PLATFORM
Recognising any type of investment platform, including angel networks and crowdfunding platforms. The judges will be looking at the performance of your service since 6th April 2021, assessing success across volume of investment, user experience, product innovation, and business impact.
Finalists:
- Downing
- GrowthInvest
- Oxford Capital
- Wealth Club
EXIT OF THE YEAR
Entries are welcomed for any type of exit strategy implemented since 6th April 2021. The judges will be assessing your success in a case study that highlights investment performance against initial strategy and targets, value added to the investee business, customer feedback, and overall impact.
Finalists:
- Augmentum
- Foresight
- Fuel Ventures
- Mercia Asset Management
- MMC Ventures
- Par Equity
- Parkwalk
BEST INVESTOR RETURN
Entries are welcomed for any type of investor financial return achieved since 6th April 2021. The judges will be assessing your success in a case study that specifically highlights outstanding investment performance.
Finalists:
- Augmentum
- Oxford Capital
- Seneca Partners
INDUSTRY GAME CHANGER
sponsored by MICAP
This award is open to any individual, company, product or platform provider that has demonstrably changed practice, perception or engagement in the tax-efficient investment industry.
Finalists:
- Augmentum
- Fund Her North
- Nova Growth Capital
- Praetura Ventures
- The Ingenious Group
GROWTH INVESTOR OF THE YEAR
Our highest accolade for investment providers, this award recognises outstanding investment managers demonstrating the best investment performance, the best product and service developments, and the best ‘impact beyond investment’ on customers and the wider business community.
Finalists:
- Foresight
- Forward Partners
- Fuel Ventures
- MMC Ventures
- Par Equity
- Puma Investments
TEAM OF THE YEAR
Open to any team working within the growth investment community to deliver exceptional results. Whether your team is dedicated to business development, customer service, marketing, advisory or something completely different, the judges will be looking for the team that has gone above and beyond to support their customers and colleagues whilst successfully delivering on their projects since 6th April 2021.
Finalists:
- Blackfinch Ventures
- Octopus Investments
- Parkwalk
- Puma Investments
- TIME Investments
BEST NEW PRODUCT OR SERVICE
sponsored by Mainspring Fund Services
Open to any growth investment provider that has introduced an innovative new product or service to the market in the past 12-24 months. The judges will assess the overall impact of the innovation based on its impact on funding volumes, value for investee companies, challenges overcome, customer feedback, and business growth impact.
Finalists:
- Capital Pilot
- The Ingenious Group
- Vala Capital
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Entrants in all awards categories are invited to nominate the individual within their own organisation that they believe has gone ‘above and beyond’ with their efforts to support clients, colleagues or portfolios since 6th April 2021. The judges will assess the contribution based on supporting evidence provided by the nominee, and on overall impact.
Finalists:
- Andrew Hughes, Head of Renewables – Deepbridge Capital
- Gina Hood, EIS & VCT Fund Operations Manager – Mercia Asset Management
- Matt Currie, Investment Director – Seneca Partners
FINANCIAL ADVISER OF THE YEAR
Open to individual financial advisers who support clients to engage with and benefit from the growth investment industry. The judges will assess performance based on overall impact, including education and advisory services, applying expertise that adds value, promoting compliance and tax-efficiency, overcoming challenges, customer feedback, and business impact.
Finalists:
- Jessica McGuigan, Kingswood Group
- Lena Patel, ISJ Financial Planning
- Taylor Beavis, Universe Financial Advice
WEALTH MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Recognising wealth management companies that actively promote alternative investments. The judges will assess performance since 6th April 2021 based on overall impact, including education and advisory services, applying expertise that adds value, overcoming challenges, customer feedback, and business impact.
Finalists:
- Ascot Wealth Management
- Cockburn Lucas
- St. James’s Place
- UBS Wealth Management
VC FIRM OF THE YEAR
sponsored by Adempi Associates
Open to any investment manager specialising in non tax-advantaged Venture Capital. The judges will be looking at the performance of your service since 6th April 2021, assessing your success across business performance, investment inflows, impact on the investee, adviser relations, customer feedback, and overall impact.
Finalists:
- Antler
- Augmentum Fintech
- IQ Capital
- Mercia Asset Management
- Notion Capital
- Target Global
MINDFUL INVESTOR OF THE YEAR
This award recognises an investor that takes a diverse and inclusive approach to investing and supporting their portfolio companies, an investor that has gone above and beyond to deliver mindful investment practices and a positive impact on people, productivity and planet, with particular attention paid to the 5 pillars of mindful investment: Communication, Health, Equality, Connections, and Knowledge.
Accolades will be announced on the night of the awards ceremony
