Foresight Group

Foresight Group

VCT

Manager Summary

With origins in technology investing, their broad and growing fund management activities now encompass investing in the private equity and infrastructure sectors in the UK, USA, Southern Europe and Australia. Founded in 1984 by the present Chairman, Bernard Fairman, and fellow partner Peter English, who raised a £20 million venture capital fund sponsored by Robert Fleming. The fund invested in unquoted technology companies in the UK, Europe and USA and ultimately distributed a 4x cash return to investors. Building on this success, in 1997 they raised and launched one of the first Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs), which as Foresight VCT plc still remains one of the best performing VCTs ever launched. They have since raised several more VCTs and taken over the management of others and are now one of the largest VCT managers in the UK, managing c. £300 million through four VCTs. These funds invest in a broad range of sectors and transaction types and include some of the best performing of their respective vintages. In the past few years, Foresight has pursued a strategy of supporting regional investment across the UK and have raised regional institutional funds which they manage out of theur UK offices in Nottingham and Manchester, targeting SMEs within the respective regions, promoting growth, innovation and productivity. Having recognised the investment potential in the renewable energy and recycling sectors at an early stage, they monitored developments and in 2006 started investing in the waste to energy sector in the UK. With growing support from UK and European legislation and increasing public awareness, they have since raised a number of funds dedicated to the bioenergy and waste sectors. With growing knowledge and experience of the renewable energy sector, Foresight made their first investments into solar infrastructure in Southern Europe in 2009. The European solar markets have since grown rapidly and they swiftly established an office in Rome through which a number of joint ventures and managed accounts have been established with major European institutional investors to develop new and acquire existing solar plants in southern Europe. Since 2011, they have been at the forefront of solar investment in the UK, having successfully raised some £543 million through Foresight Solar VCT, Foresight Solar EIS funds 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and the successful IPO and subsequent placing programmes of Foresight Solar Fund Limited for investment in UK solar infrastructure. Foresight are actively pursuing investment opportunities in renewable energy generation and enabling technologies such as storage and flexible generation, and in investing in energy management projects including the commercial and residential roll out of smart meters across the UK and providing energy efficiency solutions to industrial clients. Click here to view the Foresight Williams Technology VCT.

Contact Details

Foresight Group, The Shard, 32 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9SG

http://www.foresightgroup.eu/

020 3667 8100

info@foresightgroup.eu

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News & Updates

  • Foresight Group has invested into Titania Group Limited, a cybersecurity automation software business. The investment will be used to support the senior managem read more

  • Williams Advanced Engineering's (WAE) technology investment partnership with Foresight Group has hit a milestone of GBP50 million raised, helping a total of 20 read more

  • Foresight Solar & Technology VCT plc: Foresight Williams Technology Shares The Board of Foresight Solar & Technology VCT plc is pleased read more

  • Foresight Group has made a £5m growth capital investment into Northern Ireland’s largest private healthcare business, 3fivetwo Medical Group. The investme read more

  • Foresight Group has made a £2.15 million growth capital investment into Sportlabs Technology Limited, trading as ClubSpark, the awarding-winning specialist sof read more

  • Foresight Group has made a £1.25 million growth capital investment into Fertility Focus Limited, a leading fertili read more

  • Foresight Group has made a £1.25 million growth capital investment into Fertility Focus Limited, a leading fertili read more

  • We are pleased to announce that the Foresight Williams Techn read more

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Head Office
25 Copthall Ave, 4th Floor,
London EC2R 7BP

Contact
020 7071 3945