Oxford Capital wins ‘Best Investor Return’ at the Growth Investor Awards

The 2022 Growth Investor Awards took place recently, with a gala dinner and awards ceremony to recognise the best of the growth investing community. The winners received their awards in front of 450 guests from across the alternative investments industry.

This year’s awards were hosted once again by TV and radio star Claudia Winkleman, alongside Intelligent Partnership’s founder Guy Tolhurst.

This year was the eighth Growth Investor Awards organised by Intelligent Partnership. For almost a decade Growth Investor Awards has celebrated those businesses and individuals within the financial services and alternative investment industries who support the UK’s high-growth SMEs and Startups.

Oxford Capital was recognised by the judges for their outstanding contribution, as the winner of the prestigious Best Investor Return category for the partial exit of cyber security company, Red Sift.

Despite the challenging economic backdrop, the guidance, support, and returns they’ve delivered for their clients, and the businesses they work with, has been so impressive this year.

Guy Tolhurst, founder of Intelligent Partnership, said:

“It’s been a challenging year for everyone, that’s why it was amazing –to see a room full of the growth investor community celebrating the essential contribution they make in supporting the UK’s fast-growing SMEs and Startups. They are so much more than just investment providers.

“Oxford Capital are right at the heart of this alternative investment community, so it was brilliant to see them take away the top prize in such a competitive category. The judges rightly recognised their outstanding contribution this year.”

For further information please visit growthinvestorawards.com

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Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.

What are the key risks?

  1. You could lose all the money you invest
    1. If the business you invest in fails, you are likely to lose 100% of the money you invested. Most start-up businesses fail.
  2. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
    1. Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker here.
    2. Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here.
  3. You won’t get your money back quickly
    1. Even if the business you invest in is successful, it may take several years to get your money back. You are unlikely to be able to sell your investment early.
    2. The most likely way to get your money back is if the business is bought by another business or lists its shares on an exchange such as the London Stock Exchange. These events are not common.
    3. If you are investing in a start-up business, you should not expect to get your money back through dividends. Start-up businesses rarely pay these.
  4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
    1. Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
    2. A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest
  5. The value of your investment can be reduced
    1. The percentage of the business that you own will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment reduces, depending on how much the business grows. Most start-up businesses issue multiple rounds of shares.
    2. These new shares could have additional rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, which could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment.

 

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here.