Launched in 2015, the Catapult Ventures GM&C Life Sciences Fund is a £31m seed and early-stage venture capital fund for life sciences businesses located in the Greater Manchester and Cheshire & Warrington region.
Investors in the Fund are Cheshire and Warrington Enterprise Partnership, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Cheshire East Council, Manchester Science Partnerships and the directors of Catapult Ventures.
The Fund came to the end of its new investment period in mid-2021, by which time it had made a range of seed, early-stage and growth investments into 42 companies. The Fund will continue to support its portfolio and carry out follow-on funding until at least 2030.
In mid-2022, a new regional life sciences fund for the GMC region was launched, this time run by Praetura Ventures, details of which can be found here: www.praeturaventures.com/gmc-life-sciences-investment/
Catapult Growth Fund
Founded in late 2006, the Catapult Growth Fund is a £30m Enterprise Capital Fund targeting growth opportunities across the UK. Investors in the fund include regional pension funds and Capital for Enterprise (now British Business Bank).
Notable exits include Accutronics (9.1x), Lumora (4.7x), Oxford Cryosystems (5.2x), BWB Consulting (3.2x), Hangar7 (3x), Stagecoach (2x), Yospace (6.9x), Oracle Care and Education (3.4x).
East Midlands Regional Venture Capital Fund (EMRVCF)
Launched in 2002, Catapult's EMRVCF was the first of a group of regional development funds to be launched across the UK. Funded with £30m from the European Investment Fund and several local pension funds, EMRVCF invested in businesses exclusively in the East Midlands region.
Notable exits include Monica Healthcare (3.6x) and R2C Online (12.6x).
Advantage Enterprise & Innovation Fund (AEIF)
AEIF was a £20m seed and early stage co-investment fund exclusively for businesses in the West Midlands, financed by the Advantage West Midlands regional development agency. The fund was liquidated in early 2020.
Notable exits included Silver Lining Solutions (1.8x), Whelan Refining (4.5x), Systems Integration (4.9x) and Abzena, which floated on AIM in August 2014.