Oxford capital eis fund
Investor Portal

Edward Mott

Chair
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Ted co-founded Oxford Capital in 1999 to add support to the ‘new economy’ and to broaden access to venture capital for wealthy families and institutional investors around the world.

He chairs the Board and is a member of the Investment Committee at Oxford Capital. With over 30 years of experience as a business leader, investment manager and company director, Ted is a keen promoter of strong governance and sustainability in both mature listed businesses and younger high growth companies, having worked across a multitude of sectors in several countries. Following an early career in the US with Corning Glass Inc. where he was involved with the early commercialisation of fibre optics, he then pursued a career in investment banking with American, European and Asian banks in corporate finance, emerging markets and structured finance, before heading HSBC’s capital markets division based in Hong Kong. He later served the wealth manager GAM in London with responsibility for both institutional and private clients before co-founding Oxford Capital. Ted is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and an INSEAD MBA, and is fluent in French and German.

Ted is also a keen sailor and gardener.

 

 

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.