Annual Financial Report
THAMES VENTURES VCT 2 PLC
LEI: 21380035MV1VRYEXPR95
31 JULY 2024
FINAL RESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024
Thames Ventures VCT 2 plc, managed by Foresight
Group LLP, today announces the final results for the year ended 31
March 2024. These results were approved by the Board of Directors
on 31 July 2024.
The Annual Report will shortly be available in
full at www.foresight.group/products/thames-ventures-vct-2-plc. All
other statutory information can also be found there.
Financial Highlights
|
31 March 2024 |
|
31 March 2023 |
|
Pence |
|
Pence |
Ventures Share Class |
|
|
|
Net Asset Value
(“NAV”) per Ventures Share |
46.80 |
|
59.4 |
Cumulative
distributions |
9.25 |
|
8.0 |
Total Return per Ventures Share |
56.05 |
|
67.4 |
|
|
|
|
Healthcare Share Class |
|
|
|
Net Asset Value
(“NAV”) per Healthcare Share |
41.5 |
|
61.60 |
Cumulative
distributions |
10.0 |
|
8.75 |
Total Return per Healthcare Share |
51.5 |
|
70.35 |
|
|
|
|
AIM
Share Class |
|
|
|
Net Asset Value
(“NAV”) per AIM Share |
101.8 |
|
101.1 |
Cumulative
distributions |
- |
|
- |
Total Return per AIM Share |
101.8 |
|
101.1 |
|
|
|
|
DSO D
Share Class |
|
|
|
Net Asset
Value (“NAV”) per DSO D Share |
- |
|
2.6 |
Cumulative
distributions |
104.7 |
|
102.0 |
Total Return per DSO D Share |
104.7 |
|
104.6 |
|
|
|
|
DP67
Share Class |
|
|
|
Net Asset
Value (“NAV”) per DP67 Share |
26.3 |
|
24.8 |
Cumulative
distributions (since original launch) |
67.8 |
|
67.8 |
Total Return per DP67 Share |
94.1 |
|
92.6 |
Investment Objectives
The Company’s principal objectives are to:
- invest in a portfolio of venture
capital investments and liquidity investments;
- provide a full exit for Planned
Exit Shareholders within approximately six years at no discount to
NAV;
- maintain VCT status; and
- target an annual dividend of at
least 4% of the respective Ventures and Healthcare NAVs, from the
summer of 2021 onwards.
Chair’s Statement
Introduction
I present the Company’s audited Annual Report
for the year ended 31 March 2024, which has been a difficult period
for the Company.
Before commenting on events from the last
financial year, I would first like to take the opportunity to
highlight two key developments that have taken place since year
end.
Firstly, as announced on 26 July 2024, I am
pleased to report that the Company has entered discussions to merge
with Thames Ventures VCT 1 plc (“TV1”). If approved by Shareholders
of both companies, this merger would achieve costs savings,
administration efficiency and increased scale - including access to
more capital to deploy, which is a critical capability to protect
and enhance value for Shareholders.
If the transaction proceeds, it is anticipated
that each of the Company’s current Share Classes would roll into
the Ordinary Share Class of TV1. The Board is cognisant of ensuring
we act in the best interest of all Shareholders across our four
remaining Share Classes, and, assuming the Boards of both companies
agree terms, we anticipate formally announcing details of the
structure of the proposed transaction and the benefits it would
bring to all Shareholders within the next two months, with the
transaction completing in the early Autumn.
Secondly, as Shareholders may be aware, the
Company’s custodian of its quoted assets, IBP Capital Markets
Limited (“IBP”), was put into special administration by the FCA in
October 2023. Since then, the Investment Manager has been actively
collaborating with the Joint Special Administrators (“JSA”) to
achieve a resolution. I am pleased to inform Shareholders that last
week we were granted access to c. 80% of the Company’s quoted
assets again following an interim distribution by the JSA to our
new custodian, with the remainder to follow in due course. A small
provision of c. £80,000 has been made in the accounts to cover
losses and costs of the JSA. Further details are provided later in
my report below and in note 17 of the Annual Report and
Accounts.
Turning to the year ended 31 March 2024, we have
continued to see a challenging investment environment for small
growth businesses. However, there have been some early signs of
recovery in the UK market with decreasing inflation. Our focus has
been to preserve value in our existing portfolio and to that end we
have temporarily reduced dividends and suspended share buybacks to
preserve cash.
Evergreen Share Class review
Ventures Share Class
With the challenging macroeconomic environment,
a key focus for the Ventures Share Class portfolio over the year
has been to support existing investments, where possible. During
the year, £0.5 million was invested in four companies, three of
which were existing portfolio investments.
The Ventures Share Class NAV at the year-end was
46.8p, representing a decrease of 11.35p per share or 19.1% over
the year. This is after adding back the dividend of 1.25p per
share, which was paid on 29 September 2023.
There has been a general decline in the
portfolio valuations across the year, in line with sector trends of
lower revenue and earnings multiples, due to economic concerns.
Total valuation losses for the year were £5.3 million, however this
was materially driven by two exceptional situations. The first of
these was Cornelis Networks Inc, which decreased in value by £2.8
million, as a result of a round closing in the year which had very
aggressive terms for those unable to participate. This was the case
for the Company as the business was no longer VCT-qualifying,
meaning under VCT rules, we were unable to invest further cash. The
second write down was Limitless Technology Limited, which decreased
in value by £0.7 million, as a result of one of the co-investors
being on the UK sanctions list following the Russian invasion of
Ukraine. This meant the business was unable to raise capital and,
despite exploring all other options, it was eventually forced into
administration. Further details on these investments are included
in the Investment Manager’s Report on page 12 of the Annual Report
and Accounts.
There were four full exits during the year,
including the liquidity investment Downing Strategic Micro-Cap
Investment Trust plc, generating total proceeds of £5.2m and a
realised loss versus cost of £1.5 million. There were also three
companies that were dissolved in the year taking total realised
losses to £3.6 million.
A more detailed review of the Ventures Share
Class is included in the Investment Manager’s Report on pages 10 to
13 of the Annual Report and Accounts.
Healthcare Share Class
The Healthcare Share Class, which continues to
be managed by Downing LLP, had a limited level of investment over
the year with one investment of £0.25 million made into TidalSense
Limited (formerly Cambridge Respiratory Innovations Limited), an
existing investment. There were, however, a total of four full and
partial exits, generating total proceeds of £1.1 million.
The Healthcare Share Class NAV at the year-end
was 41.5p, representing a decrease of 18.85p per share or 30.6%
over the year after adjusting for the Healthcare dividend of 1.25p
per share, which was paid on 29 September 2023.
The Healthcare Share Class remains heavily
exposed to the relatively volatile AIM market, with nearly 30% of
the Class’s value accounted for by the three AIM-quoted
investments. All of these investments: Arecor Therapeutics plc,
GENinCode plc and Destiny Pharma plc, decreased further in
valuation during the year, making up £2.0 million of the £4.1
million total valuation loss. The remaining £2.1 million valuation
loss was driven by further write-downs including in Congenica Ltd
(£0.9 million), Invizius Limited (£0.5 million), The
Electrospinning Company Limited (£0.4 million) and TidalSense
Limited (£0.3 million).
A more detailed review of the Healthcare Share
Class is included in the Investment Manager’s Report on pages 21 to
22 of the Annual Report and Accounts.
AIM Share Class
The AIM Share Class launched in 2022 and is a
small Class with net assets of £2.7 million. The AIM market remains
tough meaning no AIM investments were made in the year, although
funds have been placed in a money market fund and an equity income
fund. This Share Class has demonstrated good performance relative
to other AIM funds during the year.
The AIM Share Class NAV stood at 101.8p at the
year end, representing an increase of 0.7p per share or 0.7% in NAV
over the year.
Planned Exit Share Class review
I am pleased to report that the wind up of the
DSO D Share Class is now complete with a total return of 104.7p per
share, before tax relief, now distributed to Shareholders. As at 31
March 2024, there remains just one Planned Exit Share Class,
DP67.
DP67 Share Class
The remaining value in the DP67 Share Class
portfolio is in two investments which are both in the hospitality
sector.
As at 31 March 2024, the DP67 Share Class NAV
stood at 26.3p and Total Return stood at 94.1p per share, an
increase of 1.5p per share, equivalent to 1.6% in Total Return
terms since 31 March 2023.
Gatewales has ceased trading and we are
expecting final proceeds in the near future.
Cadbury House Holdings Limited owns a four-star
boutique hotel, conference centre and leisure facility in
Congresbury, Bristol. The property has been actively marketed for
sale for some time now, however the current market is weak, and the
Investment Manager is keen to avoid a sale at undervalue. Whilst
there have been offers received during the year, the Company took
the decision not to accept these in order to secure the best
possible return for Shareholders. The investment remains held at
the same value as reported at the end of last year and loan
interest continues to be recognised in full, providing the Share
Class with £194,000 of income during the year, with this balance
included within debtors at year end.
A more detailed review of the DP67 Share Class
is included in the Investment Manager’s Report on page 33 of the
Annual Report and Accounts.
DSO D Share Class
The exit from the two final assets in this Share
Class completed during the year with £39,000 of liquidation
proceeds received.
The Share Class has since been fully wound up
with final distributions made to shareholders. A more detailed
review of the DSO D Share Class is included in the Investment
Manager’s Report on page 31 of the Annual Report and Accounts.
Responsible investment
The Board notes the commitment of the Investment
Manager, Foresight Group, to being a “Responsible Investor”.
Foresight places Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”)
criteria at the forefront of its business and investment activities
in line with best practice and in order to enhance returns for
their investors.
Further detail on the Investment Manager’s
approach to responsible investment, including the key principles
and their screening approach, can be found on pages 38 to 40 of the
Annual Report and Accounts.
Special Administration of the Company’s Custodian of
Quoted Assets
As previously reported, since March 2022, the
Company has used IBP Capital Markets Limited ("IBP") as custodian
for its quoted investments. Appointing a custodian is a requirement
of the FCA, and IBP is an FCA authorised and regulated wholesale
broker, providing custody services and access to equity and fixed
income securities for non-retail clients (which includes the
Company). On 13 October 2023, the FCA published a supervisory
notice under section 55L(3)(a) of the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000, imposing certain restrictions on IBP. On the same
date, IBP applied to the High Court and special administrators were
appointed.
As noted earlier in my report, the Investment
Manager has been working to resolve this issue, which has involved
reconciling quoted stocks (“Custody Assets”) and cash (“Client
Money”) held with IBP. As at 13 October 2023, the Company held
Client Money of £26,379, all within the Healthcare Share Class
(0.2% of indicative Healthcare NAV on the same date), and Custody
Assets of £8,448,179 split between the Ventures Share Class:
£3,127,539; Healthcare Share Class: £3,406,697; and AIM Share
Class: £1,913,943.
As at 31 March 2024, regarding Custody Assets,
all quoted holdings were reconciled and regarding Client Money the
Company has been notified of a potential 44% cash shortfall,
equating to £11,607 impacting the Healthcare Share Class only. This
has been provided for. Further to this, fees to the special
administrators in the region of £68,000 have been accrued, split
between the relevant Share Classes. The total exposure to the
Company is therefore anticipated to be around £80,000. Full details
are provided in note 17 on page 99 of the Annual Report and
Accounts.
The ultimate outcome remains subject to change,
with the final distribution plan being shared following the court
proceedings, timing of which is currently uncertain. The Company
will communicate with Shareholders if there is any new information
which materially impacts the numbers presented in this Annual
Report.
VCT Qualification
At 31 March 2024, qualifying investments
represented 89.6% of total investments (including cash). The Board
expects that the minimum VCT qualification level of 80% will
continue to be maintained for the foreseeable future.
Fundraising
With the uncertainty brought about by the
special administration of the custodian of the Company’s quoted
stocks, we have not been in a position to raise new funds since
then.
With visibility over the outcome of the IBP
situation now improved, and discussion underway for a merger with
TV1, the strategic direction of the Company with regards to
fundraising will be communicated with Shareholders in the near
future.
Dividends
The Company has a target of seeking to pay
annual dividends for the Ventures and Healthcare Share Classes of
4% of the respective NAVs per annum, however this is contingent on
a number of criteria, including cash availability.
On this basis, given the current focus on
preserving cash, the Board is proposing to pay reduced final
dividends of 0.25p per Ventures Share and 0.25p per Healthcare
Share on 18 October 2024, to Shareholders on the register as at 4
October 2024. The proposed dividends are subject to Shareholder
approval at the forthcoming AGM.
Following the payment of the proposed dividends,
the Company will have paid cumulative dividends of 9.5p per
Ventures Share and 10.25p per Healthcare Share.
Further dividends in respect of the DP67 Share
Class will be paid once Cadbury House has been exited. No dividends
are expected to be paid by the AIM Share Class in its initial
years.
Share buybacks
The Company usually operates a policy of buying
back its own shares that become available in the market, subject to
regulatory and liquidity factors. The Board reviews this policy on
a regular basis and will make appropriate adjustments as it sees
fit. Any such purchases are undertaken at a price approximately
equal to NAV (i.e. at a nil discount).
Following a period of uncertainty relating to
IBP, the Board decided to pause the buyback scheme. Whilst there is
now improved visibility regarding the outcome of the IBP situation,
and the impact to the Company is expected to be minimal,
restrictions on cash resources remain. On this basis, the Board has
decided not to reinstate share buybacks for the Ventures,
Healthcare and AIM Share Classes at this time. The Board, however,
continues to review plans for the future of the Company, notably
with regards to the proposed merger with TV1, which will allow a
clear strategy for the allocation of the Company’s cash resources
to be drawn up.
As the focus for the one remaining Planned Exit
Share Class is on returning funds to Shareholders via
distributions, the Company will not undertake any further buybacks
in respect of this Share Class.
Panmure Liberum continues to act as the
Company’s corporate broker, operating the share buyback process and
ensuring that the quoted spread on the Company’s shares remains at
a reasonable level.
There were no shares repurchased for the
Ventures or Healthcare Share Classes during the year ended 31 March
2024.
Change of Company Secretary and Registered
Office
As previously reported, Foresight Group LLP was
appointed as Company Secretary effective from 12 September 2023,
succeeding Grant Whitehouse. I would like to take this opportunity
to thank Grant for his many years of loyal service.
Annual General Meeting (“AGM”)
The Company invites Shareholders to attend this
year’s AGM in person. The AGM is planned to take place at the
offices of Foresight Group LLP, The Shard, 32 London Bridge Street,
London, SE1 9SG at 4.00 p.m. on 24 September 2024.
Shareholders wishing to attend the AGM are
requested to please notify Foresight Group LLP via email, to
InvestorRelations@foresightgroup.eu, in case there are changes to
arrangements which need to be communicated at short notice.
This year, Shareholders will be able submit
proxy votes electronically. The details required for voting will be
sent to each Shareholder. The deadline for proxy votes to be
received is 4.00 p.m. on 20 September 2024.
Outlook
Although the main Share Classes have seen their
portfolios fall in value over the year, these movements are in line
with general market conditions for young growth businesses. The
Board is cognisant that it takes time to nurture and realise value
from companies, whereas economic turmoil pushes weaker companies
into difficulty.
Whilst the Board acknowledges it has been
another difficult year, resulting in a continuing decline in NAV,
there have been some early signs of recovery with a number of
interesting developments in the portfolio. The Board remains
generally satisfied that the Ventures and Healthcare portfolios
have a sufficient number of stronger investments to generate growth
in the future.
The Board and the Investment Managers have
continued to focus on securing exits in the portfolio, in
particular of the legacy investments, to drive liquidity events. An
example of this was the sale of Downing Strategic Micro-Cap
Investment Trust plc, following disappointing performance. This
generated more than £3.3 million of cash.
In respect of the Planned Exit Share Classes,
the Board is very pleased to confirm the full winding up of the DSO
D Share Class in the year and is hopeful the DP67 Share Class will
follow in the coming year.
As previously noted, the Board has been actively
considering options for the future of the Company, looking to
pursue any that it concluded may benefit Shareholders and allow the
Company to be better placed to serve them.
Following the announcement made on 26 July 2024
that the Company is actively considering merging with TV1, the
Board is very much looking forward to this next chapter and the
benefits it will undoubtedly bring to Shareholders. I will, of
course, report any significant developments to this end to
Shareholders as things progress.
Sir Aubrey Brocklebank Bt.
Chair
31 July 2024
Investment Manager’s Report - Ventures Share
Class
i. Overview
Introduction
We present a review of the investment portfolio
and activity for the Ventures Share Class for the year ended 31
March 2024.
This Investment Manager’s Report is split into
three sections comprising this overview, a review of the Ventures
Capital portfolio and a report on the portfolio of Liquidity
Investments.
Net Asset Value and results
As at 31 March 2024, the Ventures Share NAV at
the year-end was 46.8p, representing a decrease of 11.35p per share
or 19.1% over the year. This is after adding back the dividend of
1.25p per share, which was paid on 29 September 2023.
The return on ordinary activities for the
Ventures Share Class for the year was a loss of £6.0 million (2023:
loss of £3.2 million), comprising a revenue loss of £566,000 (2023:
loss of £494,000) and a capital loss of £5.5 million (2023: loss of
£2.7 million).
It is disappointing to report the Total Return
to Shareholders as at 31 March 2024 of 56.05p which continues to be
considered an underperformance against our expectations for the
Ventures Share Class.
A final dividend of 0.25p per share is proposed
to be paid on 18 October 2024, to Shareholders on the register at 4
October 2024.
Portfolio Overview
As at 31 March 2024, the Ventures Share Class
held a portfolio of 32 Venture Capital investments with a total
value of £17.8 million. The one Liquidity investment brought
forward, Downing Strategic Micro-Cap Investment Trust plc
(“DSM”), was sold on 26 March 2024.
The year has continued to be challenging for
businesses in the UK and internationally, caused by the impact of
the economic downturn with rising rates of inflation and interest.
However, whilst it remains early days, there have been some recent
signs of potential recovery with some interesting updates across
the portfolio, in particular with regards to access to capital and
fund raising.
The investment team continue to work closely
with portfolio companies to provide guidance and, where
appropriate, additional funding in support of potential value
growth which has made up the majority of investment activity in the
year ended 31 March 2024.
The valuation movements during the period are
discussed in more detail in the following sections of this
Investment Manager’s Report.
Portfolio Performance
Overall, several valuation uplifts in the
Venture Capital Portfolio were outweighed by a number of valuation
decreases during the period, resulting in a net valuation decrease
of £5.3 million across the portfolio. The one Liquidity Investment
brought forward was exited during the year, details of which are
provided in the disposal table on page 37 of the Annual Report and
Accounts.
ii. Ventures Portfolio
Investment activity
During the year, a total of £0.5 million was
invested in four businesses, three of which were follow-on
investments into existing portfolio companies.
New Ventures investments
A total of £0.1 million was invested into new
VCT Qualifying investment, EM Scientific Limited (trading
as Inoviv), during the year. Inoviv has a long-term data
play in drug discovery and trials, having developed novel precision
biomarker technology which helps pharmaceutical customers run drug
trials more efficiently. This investment will enable Inoviv to
further accelerate their commercial plans, including facilitating
the development of tests across more diseases.
Follow-on Ventures investments
A total of £0.4 million was invested as
follow-on capital into existing businesses in the Venture Capital
Portfolio.
These were £200,000 into Cambridge Touch
Technologies Ltd, a company developing pressure sensitive
multi touch technology, £150,000 into Maestro Media
Limited, a talent-led, e-learning media platform of
multichannel e-commerce technology and £50,000 into Virtual
Class Ltd (trading as Third Space Learning), a platform
offering personalised online lessons from specialist tutors.
Realisations
There were three full exits during the year from
the Venture Capital portfolio and one full exit from the Liquidity
investments. Total proceeds of £5.2 million were generated,
producing a realised loss over cost of £1.5 million. There were
also three dissolutions in the year taking total realised losses to
£3.6 million.
Imagen Limited is a Software as
a Service (“SaaS”) video management platform which holds both
current and archive footage for major sporting organisations and
news outlets. The company was sold for initial cash consideration
of £1.7 million at a gain over cost of £0.7 million. There was also
£0.2 million of deferred consideration received taking total
proceeds to £1.9 million and a total gain over cost of £0.9
million.
There was also £450,000 received in relation to
the exit of Maverick Pubs (Holdings) Limited. This
was a distribution of capital reserves following the sale of this
real estate development company. Maverick Pubs (Holdings) was
seeking to build quality freehold pubs in and around London,
however it was adversely impacted by the COVID pandemic, being
forced to shut sites, and the subsequent impact of the UK economic
downturn. The Company had invested £1.0 million, resulting in
realised losses of £550,000.
LineTen Limited was also sold
in the period generating nil return on the £400,000 investment.
The one brought forward liquidity investment in
Downing Strategic Micro-Cap Investment Trust plc
(“DSM”) was liquidated in full during the year, returning
cash proceeds of £2.9 million. Previous to this,
DSM announced that the fund was going to commence
a managed wind-down of its portfolio, therefore this outcome is
preferential to the Company in terms of unlocking liquidity. This
exit resulted in a realised loss over cost of £1.4 million.
Portfolio valuation
During the year, the Venture Capital portfolio
of the Ventures Share Class recognised a decrease in the valuation
of investments of £5.3 million, including unrealised foreign
exchange losses of £124,000.
Whilst there have been a number of positive
developments within the Venture Capital portfolio, this was offset
by the reduction in value of several companies, predominantly due
to underperformance in a challenging macroeconomic environment and
restricted access to capital. Of the £5.3 million total valuation
loss, the most significant movements are noted below.
The largest gain in value was in Funding
Xchange Limited, a fintech platform delivering SME lenders
insights into their portfolio trends, was uplifted £591,000 during
the year as a result of closing a £5m investment from Barclays in
February 2024 as part of the company’s Series B funding round. This
revaluation is the result of a calibration to the price set by this
funding round.
Masters of Pie Limited,
developer of “Radical”, a software solution that enables remote
sharing and collaboration on large data sets, was uplifted by
£369,000 as a result of improved performance following some
significant contract wins.
Carbice Corporation, which has
developed a suite of products based on its carbon material called
Carbice Carbon, is primarily used as thermal management solutions
to enable greater thermal conductivity. The valuation was increased
by £352,000, as a result of the company accessing more capital in
the year and launching its Series B funding round.
Cambridge Touch Technologies
Ltd, a company developing pressure sensitive multi touch
technology, was uplifted £116,000 during the year as a result of a
funding round which closed in June 2024, which the VCT participated
in. This revaluation is the result of a calibration to the price
set by this funding round.
Maestro Media Limited (trading as BBC
Maestro), a talent-led, e-learning media platform of
multichannel e-commerce technology, increased in value by £110,000
as a result of a calibration to the price set by a funding round
during the year, supported by a strong trading year.
Trinny London Limited, a
cosmetics and skincare brand, was uplifted by £102,000 due to
increased confidence in consumer spending and improved trading
performance during the year.
Six other investments in the Venture Capital
portfolio make up additional investment valuation gains of
£410,000.
There were also a number of valuation losses
recognised during the year. Some of these came from the more
vulnerable businesses within the portfolio, however there were two
material movements in the year that were exceptional circumstances
and out of the investment team’s control.
These were Cornelis Networks
Inc. (£2.8 million, including foreign exchange losses) and
Limitless Technology Limited (£703,000).
Cornelis Networks Inc., which
delivers purpose-built high-performance fabrics for High
Performance Computing (“HPC”), High Performance Data Analytics
(“HPDA”) and Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), went through an
internal funding round in the year, which resulted in existing
investors who were unable to participate being heavily diluted. The
VCT was unable to participate as the company exceeded the
VCT-qualification threshold for gross assets, meaning the VCT’s
position was severely impacted, which is reflected in the
year-on-year movement in valuation.
Limitless Technology Limited,
the developer of a crowdsourced customer service platform, was
unable to access additional capital as a result of one of the
co-investors being on the UK Sanctions List following the Russian
invasion of Ukraine. This ultimately resulted in the company going
into administration and the carrying value has therefore been
written down to nil.
Other investment valuation decreases include
Hackajob Ltd, a recruitment platform for technical
hires, which was revalued downwards by £651,000 to account for
trading headwinds in the UK as a result of the challenging economic
environment.
Congenica Ltd, which has
developed a genomics-based diagnostic decision support platform
which helps doctors identify rare diseases in patients, has been
written down to nil in the year. This led to a valuation decrease
of £605,000, as a result of its struggle to raise funding. As a
result, Congenica has entered a sales process but it is highly
unlikely there will be any return to the Company.
Upp Technologies Group Ltd, a
provider of multichannel e-commerce technology, was decreased in
value by £442,000 as a result of a calibration to the price set by
a funding round during the year.
Virtual Class Ltd, (trading as
Third Space Learning), a platform offering personalised online
lessons from specialist tutors, decreased in carrying value by
£425,000 during the year. This was driven by a challenging market
in the UK, with the government recently announcing the National
Tutoring Programme will not be extended.
CommerceIQ Inc, the pioneer in
helping brands win on retail e-commerce channels, decreased in
value by £417,000 during the year, including foreign exchange
losses. The company continues to perform well, growing revenues
during the period and supported by a very strong balance sheet.
This valuation movement is therefore simply a reflection of wider
market conditions.
Arecor Therapeutics plc has
fallen in value by £378,000. This investment is listed on AIM and
is a leader in developing superior biopharmaceuticals through the
application of its innovative formulation technology platform. The
valuation is marked to market and this movement is reflective of a
flat trading year. We eagerly await further clinical readouts and
partnering opportunities.
Parsable Inc., a provider of
software to improve operational efficiencies in the industrial and
manufacturing sectors, has also been impacted by the macroeconomic
environment. Losing a significant customer has led to a valuation
decrease of £347,000, including foreign exchange losses.
Rated People Limited, an online
marketplace connecting homeowners and local tradespeople, reduced
in carrying value by £236,000, as a result of trading headwinds and
access to capital.
There were four other investments which decreased in valuation
during the year totalling losses of £356,000.
Aside from Limitless Technology Limited and
Congenica Ltd, there were no further investments written down to
nil in the year.
iii. Liquidity Investments
As noted, the one remaining investment in the
Healthcare Liquidity portfolio was DSM which was sold on 26 March
2024, returning cash proceeds of £2.9 million. There are no further
Liquidity Investments.
Outlook
It has been another challenging year for the
Venture Capital market, and especially for certain sectors the
Company invests in. Having said that, more recently there have been
a few very early signs of some recovery in the market so we are
hopeful this will continue through the next financial year.
The Investment Manager continues to review plans
for the future of the Company notably with regards to the proposed
merger with Thames Ventures VCT 1 plc, which will allow a clear
strategy for the allocation of the Company’s cash resources to be
drawn up.
Foresight Group LLP
31 July 2024
An investment summary is shown on page 14 of the
Annual Report and Accounts.
Top ten investments by value are shown on pages
15 to 18 of the Annual Report and Accounts.
Additions and disposals for the year ended 31
March 2024 are shown on pages 36 and 37 of the Annual Report and
Accounts.
Healthcare Share Class
Investment Manager’s Report - Healthcare Share
Class
i. Overview
Introduction
We present a review of the investment portfolio
and activity for the Healthcare Share Class over the year ended 31
March 2024.
This Investment Manager’s Report is split into
three sections comprising this overview, a review of the Healthcare
Portfolio and a report on the portfolio of Liquidity
Investments.
Net Asset Value and results
As at 31 March 2024, the NAV of a Healthcare
share stood at 41.5p, a decrease of 18.85p (30.6%) over the year
after adding back the Healthcare dividend, of 1.25p per share,
which was paid on 29 September 2023.
The loss on ordinary activities for the
Healthcare Share Class for the year was £4.5 million (2023: loss
of £4.3 million), being a revenue loss of £328,000 (2023: loss of
£272,000) and a capital loss of £4.2 million (2023: loss of £4.0
million).
The Total Return to Shareholders as at 31 March
2024, of 51.5p, continues to be considered an underperformance
against our expectations for the Healthcare Share Class.
A proposed final dividend of 0.25p per share
will be paid on 18 October 2024, to Shareholders on the register at
4 October 2024.
Portfolio Overview
As at 31 March 2024, the Healthcare Share Class
held a portfolio of twelve Healthcare investments valued at £7.3
million. The one Liquidity investment brought forward,
Downing Strategic Micro-Cap Investment Trust plc
(“DSM”), was sold on 26 March 2024.
Portfolio Performance
There were several valuation movements in the
Healthcare Portfolio during the year, resulting in a total
valuation loss of £4.1 million.
ii. Healthcare Portfolio
Investment activity
During the year, £250,000 was invested in one
business, a follow-on investment into existing investee company,
TidalSense Limited (formerly Cambridge Respiratory
Innovations Limited). TidalSense is a leading MedTech company that
creates ground-breaking respiratory technologies.
There were full and partial disposals of four
investments during the year, excluding dissolutions, with total
proceeds received of £1.1 million.
Full disposals in the year were:
DiA Imaging Analysis Limited, a
developer and seller of AI ultrasound imaging analysis solutions
with the aim of assisting current operators and reducing the
experience and technical know-how required for future operators,
was sold in May 2023 with cash proceeds of £393,000. The Company
continues to recognise £91,000 of deferred consideration related to
the exit.
Adaptix Limited, a MedTech 3D
X-ray business, was sold during the year to Avingtrans
plc in exchange for shares in this quoted company. The
Company then made a decision to liquidate this holding, returning
cash proceeds of £212,000 to the Company.
The one brought forward liquidity investment in
DSM was liquidated in full during the year,
returning cash proceeds of £487,000. Previous to this,
DSM announced that the fund was going to commence
a managed wind-down of its portfolio, therefore this outcome is
preferential to the Company in terms of unlocking liquidity.
There was one partial disposal of quoted
investments, GENinCode plc, returning cash
proceeds of £30,000. GENinCode products combine genetic and
clinical data to risk assess patients and
provide healthcare practitioners with advanced clinical information
to evaluate and predict the onset of cardiovascular disease.
Portfolio valuation
During the period, the Healthcare portfolio of
the Share Class decreased in value by a total of £4.1 million.
Excluding disposals and three investments
recording no movement in valuation, all but one of the investments
decreased in value during the period, totalling valuation losses of
£4.2 million across eight investments. The one investment which
increased in value was MIP Discovery Limited. This
company designs and produces synthetic affinity reagents for
detection, capture and purification of viral vectors in cell and
gene therapy. The valuation increase of £16,000 was as a result of
a funding round which closed and to which the valuation is
calibrated to. Valuation movements on disposals totalled gains of
£67,000 across three investments.
The valuation losses relate to:
Arecor Therapeutics plc (£1.4
million), is listed on AIM and is a leader in developing superior
biopharmaceuticals through the application of its innovative
formulation technology platform. The valuation is marked to market
and this movement is a result of the wider macroeconomic
challenges.
Congenica Ltd (£865,000), has
developed a genomics-based diagnostic decision support platform
which helps doctors identify rare diseases in patients. This
investment has been written down to nil in the year as a result of
its struggle to raise funding. As a result, Congenica has entered a
sales process, but it is highly unlikely there will be any return
to the Company.
GENinCode plc (£622,000) is
listed on AIM and therefore marked to market. This decrease in
valuation is considered to be a result of the wider macroeconomic
challenges.
Invizius Limited (£499,000) is
developing novel primers with the aim of reducing adverse
inflammatory responses. The decrease in valuation of this
investment is driven by Invizius’ need to fundraise with access to
capital being very challenging in the current market. Invizius has,
however, completed its clinical trial with data showing that it
meaningfully improves the biomarker profile of patients using its
product.
The Electrospinning Company
Limited (£408,000) is a supplier and manufacturer of
clinical-grade biomaterials. This investment has also decreased in
valuation as a result of the challenges to access capital.
TidalSense Limited (formerly Cambridge
Respiratory Innovations Limited) (£262,000) was written
down in the period as a result of the company requiring additional
funding, which is likely to be an internal round, however
TidalSense continues to make strong progress and build partner
traction with Big Pharma.
There were two other investments which decreased
in valuation during the year totalling losses of £177,000.
iii. Liquidity Investments
As noted, the one remaining investment in the
Healthcare Liquidity portfolio was DSM which was
sold on 26 March 2024, returning cash proceeds of £487,000. There
are no further Liquidity Investments.
Outlook
Macroeconomic factors continue to impact the
financial markets with a knock-on impact on the venture capital
funding environment as many venture funds choose to focus on
supporting their existing portfolios rather than looking to add new
positions. This has been the case for the Healthcare Share Class,
and access to capital has also been a material challenge for much
of the portfolio.
There are, however, some investments in the
portfolio starting to make commercial progress and could therefore
become attractive targets, as evidenced by some of the exits in the
year. The investment team will continue to focus on extracting
value from the existing portfolio wherever possible.
Downing LLP – Healthcare Ventures Team
31 July 2024
An investment summary is shown on page 23 of the
Annual Report and Accounts.
Top five investments by value are shown on pages
24 and 25 of the Annual Report and Accounts.
Additions and disposals for the year ended 31
March 2024 are shown on pages 36 and 37 of the Annual Report and
Accounts.
AIM Share Class
Investment Manager’s Report - AIM Share Class
Introduction
The fundraising for the AIM Share Class was
launched in August 2021 at a time when markets were performing
well, as the economy started to rebound from the release of the
constraints of the pandemic. At that time, we were seeing a steady
flow of potentially attractive IPOs on AIM which were eligible for
investment by VCTs.
The world has changed dramatically since then
with the conflict in Ukraine, the Middle East, Gaza and Israel,
increased tensions between China and Taiwan, political uncertainty,
recessionary fears, continued high inflation and increasing
interest rates combining to shake investor confidence, resulting in
an extended period when there were no suitable investment
opportunities for the Share Class.
In view of the lack of AIM-IPOs we invested a
proportion of the funds raised in a cash fund and equity income
fund looking to produce some returns from the uninvested funds.
Net Asset Value and results
As at 31 March 2024, the NAV of an AIM share
stood at 101.8p, an increase of 0.7p (0.7%) over the year.
IBP Capital Markets Limited
Since it was announced on 13 October 2023 that
IBP Capital Markets Limited (“IBP”), the custodian of the Company’s
quoted investments, was entering Special Administration, the
Investment Manager has been unable to trade any of the quoted
stocks.
The Investment Manager has been actively
collaborating with the special administrators to reconcile the
quoted positions, and is pleased to report no differences of value
in quoted holdings have been identified as at 31 March 2024.
As noted in the Chair’s Statement and note 17 of
the Annual Report and Accounts, the Company has recently recovered
c.80% of the eligible quoted portfolio, with the remaining c.20%
expected to be recovered following court proceedings. Whilst the
outcome remains subject to change, the Company will be able to
return to normal management of the portfolio following this initial
distribution.
Outlook
Despite the frustrations of not being able to
invest the Share Class’s funds as planned, it is pleasing to be
able to report a positive return when, over the same period, the
AIM market in general has suffered substantial losses.
With the challenge of investing the Share
Class’s funds and the fact that the class is very small in size, we
are discussing plans for the future of the class with the Board and
seeking to find a strategy which is in Shareholders’ best
interests.
Downing LLP
31 July 2024
An investment summary is shown on page 29 of the
Annual Report and Accounts.
DSO D Share Class
Investment Manager’s Report - DSO D Share
Class
Introduction
Proceeds from the two remaining investments in
this Share Class were received in the year ended 31 March 2024 and
all funds have been returned to DSO D Shareholders, with the Share
Class now formally wound up.
Investments
As at 31 March 2023, the DSO D Share Class held
two investments, Pearce and Saunders Limited and Pearce and
Saunders DevCo Limited, with a total value of £16,000. The final
pub was sold some time ago and an Insolvency Practitioner was
appointed to distribute funds via a liquidation.
During the year ended 31 March 2024, final
distributions were made returning £39,000 in liquidation proceeds
from Pearce & Saunders Limited. There were no further
distributions from Pearce and Saunders DevCo Limited.
Return to Shareholders
On 28 March 2024, the Company announced that it
had completed a programme of returning funds to holders of the DSO
D Shares, culminating with dividend payments of 2.7p per DSO D
Share paid on 28 March 2024.
Following the payment of this dividend, the
Company has now returned all the capital associated with the DSO D
Shares to Shareholders and divested of all investments held in the
portfolio, with the payment of the dividend marking the end of the
life cycle of the DSO D Shares.
Foresight Group LLP
31 July 2024
Additions and disposals for the year ended 31
March 2024 are shown on pages 36 and 37 of the Annual Report and
Accounts.
Investment Manager’s Report - DP67 Share
Class
Introduction
The process of seeking to realise the remaining
investments for optimal proceeds and returning funds to DP67
Shareholders continues.
Net Asset Value and results
The Net Asset Value (“NAV”) per DP67 Share at 31
March 2024 stood at 26.3p, an increase of 1.5p or 1.6% in Total
Return terms during the year. Total Return stands at 94.1p per DP67
Share, compared to initial cost to Shareholders, net of income tax
relief, of 70.0p per share. Compared to the initial NAV of 100.0p,
we consider the Total Return to be an underperformance against the
original expectations for the DP67 Share Class.
The gain on ordinary activities after taxation
for the year was £168,000 (2023: loss of £221,000), comprising a
revenue gain of £7,000 (2023: loss of £92,000) and a capital gain
of £161,000 (2023: loss of £129,000).
Investments
As at 31 March 2024, the DP67 Share Class held a
portfolio of two investments of value, with that value totalling
£1.3 million.
Portfolio activity
Excluding the formal dissolutions of Yamuna
Renewables Limited and London City Shopping Centre Limited in the
year, there were no additions or disposals.
Portfolio valuation
During the year, the valuation of the remaining
DP67 Share Class increased in value by a total of £137,000 (2023:
£nil).
Following a distribution from the underlying
business which sold its hotel asset, in which Gatewales
Limited holds an interest, it is estimated that the DP67
Share Class will shortly receive £481,000, an increase of £137,000
from previously recognised.
Attempts by Cadbury House Holdings
Limited to sell its conference centre and hotel property
have been ongoing for some months now. During the year, no offers
have been received that match the target valuation and therefore,
the decision was made to continue to market the property until a
buyer is found with an offer at an appropriate price. The DP67
Share Class’s holding remains held at the same value as reported at
the end of last year and loan interest continues to be recognised
in full, providing the Share Class with £194,000 of income during
the year.
Outlook
The challenge now is to achieve an exit from
Cadbury House Holdings Limited at an acceptable valuation. The
market for this type of assets is currently weak but we believe it
is in the best interests of Shareholders not to sell at undervalue
even if this means the final exit takes longer. Further dividends
will be paid once the final realisations have taken place.
Foresight Group LLP
31 July 2024
An investment summary is shown on page 34 of the
Annual Report and Accounts.
Additions and disposals for the year ended 31
March 2024 are shown on pages 36 and 37 of the Annual Report and
Accounts.
Audited Income Statement
for the year ended 31 March 2024
|
Year ended 31 March 2024 |
|
Year ended 31 March 2023 |
|
Revenue |
Capital |
Total |
|
Revenue |
Capital |
Total |
|
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
|
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
Income |
50 |
- |
50 |
|
284 |
- |
284 |
Realised (losses)/gains on investments |
- |
(5,959) |
(5,959) |
|
- |
141 |
141 |
Investment holding losses |
- |
(2,758) |
(2,758) |
|
- |
(6,448) |
(6,448) |
Investment management fees |
(481) |
(479) |
(960) |
|
(472) |
(472) |
(944) |
Other expenses |
(528) |
- |
(528) |
|
(689) |
- |
(689) |
Loss on ordinary activities before tax |
(959) |
(9,196) |
(10,155) |
|
(877) |
(6,779) |
(7,656) |
Tax on total comprehensive income and ordinary activities |
- |
- |
- |
|
- |
- |
- |
Loss attributable to equity Shareholders, being total
comprehensive loss for the year |
(959) |
(9,196) |
(10,155) |
|
(877) |
(6,779) |
(7,656) |
Basic and diluted (loss)/return per share: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ventures Share |
(1.0p) |
(10.3p) |
(11.3p) |
|
(1.0p) |
(5.5p) |
(6.5p) |
Healthcare Share |
(1.4p) |
(17.9p) |
(19.3p) |
|
(1.4p) |
(20.0p) |
(21.4p) |
AIM Share |
(2.5p) |
3.2p |
0.7p |
|
(4.3p) |
8.2p |
3.9p |
DSO D Share |
(0.1p) |
3.0p |
2.9p |
|
0.3p |
(0.4p) |
(0.1p) |
DP67 Share |
0.1p |
1.4p |
1.5p |
|
(0.8p) |
(1.2p) |
(2.0p) |
The total column within the Income Statement
represents the Statement of Total Comprehensive Income of the
Company prepared in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard
102 (“FRS 102”). The supplementary revenue return and capital
return columns are prepared in accordance with the Statement of
Recommended Practice issued in July 2022 by the Association of
Investment Companies (“AIC SORP”).
Audited Balance Sheet
as at 31 March 2024
|
2024 |
|
2023 |
|
£’000 |
|
£’000 |
Fixed assets |
|
|
|
Investments |
28,420 |
|
43,157 |
Current assets |
|
|
|
Debtors |
2,126 |
|
2,510 |
Cash at bank and in hand |
10,456 |
|
6,082 |
|
12,582 |
|
8,592 |
Creditors: amounts falling due within one
year |
(615) |
|
(1,214) |
Net current assets |
11,967 |
|
7,378 |
Net assets |
40,387 |
|
50,535 |
Capital and reserves |
|
|
|
Called up share capital |
110 |
|
117 |
Capital redemption reserve |
4 |
|
4 |
Share premium account |
1,396 |
|
- |
Special reserve |
49,101 |
|
50,483 |
Capital reserve – realised |
(2,311) |
|
4,127 |
Revaluation reserve |
(2,665) |
|
93 |
Revenue reserve |
(5,248) |
|
(4,289) |
Total equity Shareholders’ funds |
40,387 |
|
50,535 |
Basic and diluted Net Asset Value per share: |
|
|
|
Ventures Share |
46.8p |
|
59.4p |
Healthcare Share |
41.5p |
|
61.6p |
AIM Share |
101.8p |
|
101.1p |
DSO D Share |
- |
|
2.6p |
DP67 Share |
26.3p |
|
24.8p |
The financial statements on pages 76 to 100 of
the Annual Report and Accounts were approved and authorised for
issue by the Board of Directors on 31 July 2024 and were signed on
its behalf by:
Sir Aubrey Brocklebank Bt.
Chair
Company number: 06789187
Statement of Changes in Equity
for the year ended 31 March 2024
|
Called
up
Share
capital |
Capital
Redemption
reserve |
Share
premium
account |
Funds held in respect
of shares not yet allotted |
Special
reserve |
Capital Reserve - realised |
Revaluation
Reserve |
Revenue
reserve |
Total |
|
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
At 31 March 2022 |
113 |
58 |
29,284 |
7 |
24,063 |
3,769 |
6,995 |
(3,412) |
60,877 |
Total comprehensive income |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
(331) |
(6,448) |
(877) |
(7,656) |
Transfer between reserves* |
- |
- |
- |
- |
(2,540) |
2,994 |
(454) |
- |
- |
Unallotted shares |
- |
- |
- |
(7) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
(7) |
Transactions with owners |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividend paid |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
(2,305) |
- |
- |
(2,305) |
Cancellation of share premium |
- |
(58) |
(31,727) |
- |
31,785 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Issue of shares |
8 |
- |
2,500 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
2,508 |
Share issue costs |
- |
- |
(57) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
(57) |
Purchase of own shares |
(4) |
4 |
- |
- |
(2,825) |
- |
- |
- |
(2,825) |
At 31 March 2023 |
117 |
4 |
- |
- |
50,483 |
4,127 |
93 |
(4,289) |
50,535 |
Total comprehensive income |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
(6,438) |
(2,758) |
(959) |
(10,155) |
Transactions with owners |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividend paid |
- |
- |
- |
- |
(1,172) |
- |
- |
- |
(1,172) |
DSO D wind up |
(8) |
- |
- |
- |
(210) |
- |
- |
- |
(218) |
Issue of shares |
1 |
- |
1,411 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1,412 |
Share issue costs |
- |
- |
(15) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
(15) |
At 31 March 2024 |
110 |
4 |
1,396 |
- |
49,101 |
(2,311) |
(2,665) |
(5,248) |
40,387 |
*A transfer of £nil (2023: £454,000)
representing previously recognised realised gains and losses on
disposal of investments during the period has been made between the
Revaluation Reserve and the Capital reserve - realised. A transfer
of £nil (2023: £2,540,000) representing the total of: realised
losses on the disposal of investments, cumulative realised losses
on permanent fair value change, capital expenses and capital
dividends in the period, has been made between the Capital Reserve
- realised and the Special reserve.
Cash Flow Statement
for the year ended 31 March 2024
|
Year ended 31 March 2024 |
Year ended 31 March 2023 |
|
£’000 |
£’000 |
Cash flows from operating activities |
|
|
Loss on ordinary activities before taxation |
(10,155) |
(7,656) |
Losses on investments |
8,717 |
6,307 |
(Decrease)/increase in creditors |
(87) |
249 |
(Increase)/decrease in debtors |
(11) |
1,807 |
Net cash (outflow)/inflow from operating
activities |
(1,536) |
707 |
Cash flow from investing activities |
|
|
Purchase of investments |
(500) |
(8,442) |
Proceeds from disposal of investments |
6,347 |
8,119 |
Proceeds from deferred consideration |
353 |
- |
Net cash inflow/(outflow) from investing
activities |
6,200 |
(323) |
Cash flows from financing activities |
|
|
Issue of share capital |
1,412 |
2,508 |
Funds held in respect of shares not yet allotted |
- |
(7) |
Cost of issue of share capital |
(15) |
(57) |
Repurchase of shares |
(515) |
(2,825) |
Equity dividends paid |
(1,172) |
(2,305) |
Net cash outflow from financing activities |
(290) |
(2,686) |
|
|
|
Net inflow/(outflow) in cash |
4,374 |
(2,302) |
Cash and cash equivalents at start of the
year |
6,082 |
8,384 |
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the year |
10,456 |
6,082 |
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents comprise |
|
|
Cash at bank and in hand |
10,456 |
6,082 |
Total cash and cash equivalents |
10,456 |
6,082 |
Notes
1. These are not statutory accounts in
accordance with S436 of the Companies Act 2006. The full audited
accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024, which were unqualified
and did not contain statements under S498(2) of the Companies Act
2006 or S498(3) of the Companies Act 2006, will be lodged with the
Registrar of Companies. Statutory accounts for the year ended 31
March 2024 including an unqualified audit report and containing no
statements under the Companies Act 2006 will be delivered to the
Registrar of Companies in due course.
2. The audited Annual Financial Report has been
prepared on the basis of accounting policies set out in the
statutory accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2024.
All investments held by the Company are classified as ‘fair value
through the profit and loss’. Unquoted investments have been valued
in accordance with IPEV guidelines. Quoted investments are stated
at bid prices in accordance with the IPEV guidelines and Generally
Accepted Accounting Practice.
3. Copies of the Annual Report will be sent to
shareholders and can be accessed on the following website:
www.foresight.group/products/thames-ventures-vct-2-plc.
4. Basic and diluted Net Asset Value per
share
|
Shares in issue |
|
2024 Net Asset Value |
|
2023 Net Asset Value |
|
2024 |
2023 |
|
Pence per
share |
|
£’000 |
|
Pence per
share |
|
£’000 |
Ventures Shares |
67,213,007* |
66,852,564* |
|
46.8p |
|
24,914 |
|
59.4p |
|
31,383 |
Healthcare Shares |
29,266,979* |
27,544,877* |
|
41.5p |
|
9,782 |
|
61.6p |
|
13,449 |
AIM Shares |
2,695,803 |
2,695,803 |
|
101.8p |
|
2,746 |
|
101.1p |
|
2,726 |
DSO D Shares |
- |
7,867,247 |
|
- |
|
- |
|
2.6p |
|
200 |
DP67 Shares |
11,192,136 |
11,192,136 |
|
26.3p |
|
2,945 |
|
24.8p |
|
2,777 |
Net assets per Balance Sheet |
|
|
|
|
|
40,387 |
|
|
|
50,535 |
*Includes 13,976,149 (2023: 13,976,149) Ventures
Management Shares and 5,712,064 (2023: 5,712,064) Healthcare
Management Shares, which have not been included in the calculation
of Net Asset Value per share as the right to distributions on the
Management Shares is waived until certain performance hurdles have
been met, as described on pages 9 and 20 of the Annual Report and
Accounts.
The Directors allocate the assets and
liabilities of the Company between the DSO D Shares, DP67 Shares,
Ventures Shares, Healthcare Shares and AIM Shares such that each
Share Class has sufficient net assets to represent its dividend and
return of capital rights, as described in note 12 of the Annual
Report and Accounts.
As the Company has not issued any convertible
shares or share options, there is no dilutive effect on the Net
Asset Value per DSO D Share, per DP67 Share, per Ventures Share,
per Healthcare Share or per AIM Share. The Net Asset Value per
share disclosed therefore represents both the basic and diluted Net
Asset Value per DSO D Share, per DP67 Share, per Ventures Share,
per Healthcare Share and per AIM Share.
5. Basic and diluted return per share
|
Weighted
Average
number
of shares in
issue* |
Revenue
(loss)/
gain |
Capital
(loss)/
gain |
Total
Comprehensive
(loss)/
income |
Basic and diluted (loss)/ return per share |
|
|
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
Pence |
Return
per share is calculated on the following: |
|
|
|
|
Year ended 31 March 2024 |
|
|
|
|
Ventures Shares |
53,230,238 |
(566) |
(5,474) |
(6,040) |
(11.3p) |
Healthcare Shares |
23,517,050 |
(328) |
(4,205) |
(4,533) |
(19.3p) |
AIM Shares |
2,695,803 |
(66) |
86 |
20 |
0.7p |
DSO D Shares |
7,781,266 |
(6) |
236 |
230 |
2.9p |
DP67 Shares |
11,192,136 |
7 |
161 |
168 |
1.5p |
Year ended
31 March 2023 |
|
|
|
|
|
Ventures Shares |
48,923,338 |
(494) |
(2,679) |
(3,173) |
(6.5p) |
Healthcare Shares |
20,046,893 |
(272) |
(4,018) |
(4,290) |
(21.4p) |
AIM Shares |
916,744 |
(39) |
75 |
36 |
3.9p |
DSO D Shares |
7,867,247 |
20 |
(28) |
(8) |
(0.1p) |
DP67 Shares |
11,192,136 |
(92) |
(129) |
(221) |
(2.0p) |
*Excluding 13,976,149 (2023: 13,976,149)
Ventures Management Shares and 5,712,064 (2023: 5,712,064)
Healthcare Management Shares as there is an agreement in place with
the Company that the right to distributions on the Management
Shares is waived until certain the performance hurdles are met, as
described on pages 9 and 20 of the Annual Report and Accounts. At
no point will voting rights attaching to the Management Shares be
exercised.
As the Company has not issued any convertible
securities or share options, there is no dilutive effect on the
return per DSO D Share, DP67 Share, Ventures Share, Healthcare
Share or AIM Share. The return per share disclosed therefore
represents both the basic and diluted return per share for all
classes of share.
6. Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Company will
be held at the offices of Foresight Group LLP, The Shard, 32 London
Bridge Street, SE1 9SG at 4.00 p.m. on 24 September 2024. Details
will be published on both the Company’s and the Adviser’s website
at: www.foresight.group/products/thames-ventures-vct-2-plc.
7. Income
|
2024 |
|
2023 |
|
£’000 |
|
£’000 |
Income from investments |
|
|
|
Loan interest |
46 |
|
269 |
Dividend income |
2 |
|
15 |
|
48 |
|
284 |
Other income |
|
|
|
Other income |
2 |
|
- |
|
50 |
|
284 |
8. Investments
|
Ventures Share
Class |
Healthcare Share
Class |
AIM Share Class |
DSO D Share
Class* |
DP67 Share
Class |
Total |
|
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
£’000 |
Opening cost at 1 April 2023 |
33,892 |
13,757 |
1,800 |
274 |
2,252 |
51,975 |
Investment holding (losses)/gains at 1 April 2023 |
(6,134) |
(1,402) |
93 |
(258) |
(1,117) |
(8,818) |
Opening fair value at 1 April 2023 |
27,758 |
12,355 |
1,893 |
16 |
1,135 |
43,157 |
Movements in the year: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchased at cost |
500 |
250 |
- |
- |
- |
750 |
Disposal proceeds |
(5,186) |
(1,122) |
- |
(39) |
- |
(6,347) |
Realised losses on disposals** |
(3,562) |
(2,228) |
- |
(235) |
(499) |
(6,524) |
Investment holding (losses)/gains*** |
(1,711) |
(1,909) |
110 |
258 |
636 |
(2,616) |
Closing value at 31 March 2024 |
17,799 |
7,346 |
2,003 |
- |
1,272 |
28,420 |
Closing cost at 31 March 2024 |
25,644 |
10,657 |
1,800 |
- |
1,753 |
39,854 |
Investment holding (losses)/gains at 31 March 2024 |
(7,845) |
(3,311) |
203 |
- |
(481) |
(11,434) |
Closing value at 31 March 2024 |
17,799 |
7,346 |
2,003 |
- |
1,272 |
28,420 |
*Following the payment of the 2.7p per DSO D
Share dividend on 28 March 2024, the Company has now returned all
the capital associated with the DSO D Shares to Shareholders and
divested of all investments held in the portfolio, with the payment
of the dividend marking the end of the life cycle of the DSO D
Shares. Realised losses in the Income Statement include the
reversal of historic realised losses (£212,000) as part of the
wind-up procedures.
**Realised losses in the Income Statement for
the Ventures Share Class include the deferred consideration receipt
from ADC Biotechnology Limited (£115,000). Realised losses in the
Income Statement for the Healthcare Share Class include the
deferred consideration receipts from ADC Biotechnology Limited
(£195,000). Realised losses in the Income Statement for the DP67
Share Class include the deferred consideration receipt from Fenkle
Street LLP (£43,000).
***Investment holding losses in the Income
Statement for the Ventures Share Class include the deferred
consideration debtor decrease of £38,000. The debtor movement
reflects the recognition of an amount receivable in respect of
Imagen Limited (£18,000), offset by a receipt in respect of ADC
Biotechnology Limited (£115,000) and combined FX uplifts of £59,000
made against balances in respect of Efundamentals Group Limited and
JRNI Limited. Investment holding losses in the Income Statement for
the Healthcare Share Class include the deferred consideration
debtor decrease of £104,000. The debtor movement reflects the
recognition of an amount receivable in respect of DIA Imaging
Analysis Limited (£91,000), offset by a receipt in respect of ADC
Biotechnology Limited (£195,000).
9. Related party transactions
No Director has an interest in any contract to
which the Company is a party other than their appointment and
remuneration as Directors.
10. Transactions with the Investment
Manager
In the opinion of the Directors, there is no
immediate or ultimate controlling party.
Fees payable during the year to the Directors
and their interest in shares of the Company are disclosed within
the Directors’ Remuneration Report on pages 56 and 57 of the Annual
Report and Accounts. There were no amounts outstanding and due to
the Directors as at 31 March 2024 (2023: nil).
Further related party transactions include
Investment Management and Administration fees payable to Foresight
Group LLP and Downing LLP, as disclosed in notes 3 and 4 of the
Annual Report and Accounts.
In addition, Downing LLP was also paid promoter
fees in connection with the offers for subscription which were open
during the year. The total paid to Downing LLP during the year
ended 31 March 2024 was £nil (2023: £39,000).
The Company also has an agreement to pay an
ongoing trail fee annually to the Investment Manager, in connection
with applicable proceeds raised under previous offers for
subscription, out of which there is an obligation to pay trail
commission to intermediaries. The total trail fee payable in
respect of the year ended 31 March 2024 was £24,000, all of which
was unpaid as at 31 March 2024 (2023: £21,000).
END
For further information, please contact:
Company Secretary
Foresight Group LLP
Contact: Stephen Thayer Tel: 0203 667 8100
Investor Relations
Foresight Group LLP
Contact: Andrew James Tel: 0203 667 8181
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