The University of Nottingham EIS Fund I lets individual investors back the university's spin-outs alongside the university itself. In this 50-minute webinar, Dr Alice MacGowan, CEO of Nottingham Technology Ventures, explains how the fund chooses companies, two spin-out founders describe their journeys, and Tom Britton sets out how the fund works.
The portfolio behind the fund.
Nottingham Technology Ventures, the university's venture arm since 2017, manages 44 companies and has created more than 30 in the past five to six years. Its companies have raised more than £100 million over the past five years. Alice also explains why spin-outs in the Midlands have long been underfunded compared with other UK regions.
The types of companies the fund will review.
IP from the university with an evidence-based foundation, experienced technical and commercial leadership, and a market already asking for the technology. The target sectors are life sciences, cleantech, advanced manufacturing, AI and digital.
A Q&A with mature portfolio spin-out: Scancell.
Professor Lindy Durrant, Chief Scientific Officer, describes taking cancer vaccine research from a university lab through phase one and phase two clinical trials, and what the university did to help along the way.
A Q&A with a new spin-out: HPDrive Technologies.
Professor Henner Wapenhans, CEO, explains why a company launched with GKN Aerospace in July 2026 is building high-power electric drives for zero-emission flight on eight years of existing research.
Scancell and HPDrive Technologies appear as examples of the university's portfolio. Neither is a confirmed investment of the fund.
How the fund works.
SyndicateRoom Cofounder Tom Britton covered the fund's structure, the EIS reliefs, fees, how the timing of each investment affects carry back, and how to invest. The fund aims to back six to eight companies and to deploy across the 2026/27 and 2027/28 tax years. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change.
Questions from investors.
A number of questions from the audience.
The University of Nottingham EIS Fund I is provisionally due to close at the end of November 2026, and the minimum investment is £10,000. Read the information memorandum and key information document on the fund page before you decide whether to invest. If you have questions about the fund, email Tom Britton at tom@syndicateroom.com.
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