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Oxford Capital recognised at BVCA Excellence in ESG 2020 awards

BVCA recognises Excellence in ESG

8 October 2020

 The importance of ESG and responsible investment has never been more urgent for the private equity and venture capital industry. The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need to place climate change, health and safety, and other important environmental, social and governmental issues at the heart of the recovery plan.

In that context, at the BVCA Summit today we recognised those members that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to embedding ESG principles over the past year with our ‘Excellence in ESG’ initiative, produced in association with Ramboll.

Recognition goes to:

 Excellence in ESG – GP category

Tikehau Capital

 The judges said ESG was clearly a part of Tikehau’s DNA. Special praise went to their sustainability-themed investing, and their comprehensive reporting, which sets out what they are doing with the companies they invest in. They have clearly demonstrated that ESG is an important point through all their workstreams. Hugely impressive.

Excellence in ESG – LP category

HarbourVest

 The judges commended HarbourVest’s demonstration of how they are driving improvements with their GPs, using strong, evidence-based results. One particular highlight was the creation of scorecards, stretching back over 10 years, looking at fund managers’ overall ESG performance. They already have an excellent standard, but demonstrated they have invested and improved over the course of this year.

Excellence in ESG – portfolio company category

TTC Group, backed by Palatine

 The judges applauded TTC’s commitment to utilising Palatine’s six sustainability pillars. They have adopted a holistic approach to ESG, and it is clear that Palatine has had, and is continuing to have, a very positive influence over the direction of the business.

 ue to the strength of the nominations this year, we also made two special commendations:

Special commendation – GP category

Oxford Capital

The judges said Oxford Capital demonstrated very effectively how they are embracing ESG, and deserve special recognition for showing that it does not matter how big you are, any firm can make a difference.

Special commendation – LP category

Coller Capital

The judges were impressed by how Coller demonstrated their engagement with GPs and pushing them to become better. Coller have a long and strong history of ESG commitment, and their consistent high-level of performance should be commended.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT

Tom Allchorne, Director, Communications, BVCA

[email protected]

NOTES TO EDITORS

  1. ‘Excellence in ESG’, produced in association with Ramboll, replaces our long-running Responsible Investment Awards for this year. For details on the categories and the judging criteria, please click here.
  2. The British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) is the industry body for the UK private equity and venture capital industry. The BVCA has over 750 member firms, including more than 450 fund managers and institutional investors.

 

Estimated reading time: 2 min

 

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.