Click Advisory Group members’ images OR click left and right arrows to view staff biography and view contact details.
We offer members opportunities to invest alongside an experienced investment team with a strong track record of investing, supporting growth and realising returns.
As part of our commitment to our members, we implement and maintain investment standards promoting consistency in approach and encouraging feedback loops for learning.
We are committed to hosting ESM Member events every quarter - giving members the opportunity to hear first-hand from our leadership team, hear from new investment opportunities and existing portfolio companies.
Our team has strong entrepreneurial networks in both the national and international tech community.
ESM invests directly into early stage technology companies and has done for the past 8 years. ESM was formed by a group of successful technology entrepreneurs in 2011 to provide early stage growth capital to best in class early-growth stage technology companies throughout Scotland and the North of England.
In recent times, we have seen that a number of tech hubs have emerged and are gathering real momentum both in Scotland and in the North of England. These tech hubs are home to an ever-increasing number of early-growth stage technology companies seeking investment to grow their businesses beyond ideas to world class and sustainable businesses. ESM is ideally located to play its part in providing opportunity for investment and in ensuring that investors are given the opportunity to invest in high quality and qualified investment propositions.
ESM has >£13 million invested to date and currently maintains a membership of >100 high net worth individuals, many of whom have been alongside us from day one. Some 35+ investment transactions have been completed in this timeframe. The ESM team has a strong track record of investing, supporting growth, identifying when the best stage is to exit and realising returns.
We are a lead investor but we also co-invest with investment partners world-wide.
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We are delighted to extend the opportunity for high net worth individuals to co-invest alongside us. These investments are not for everyone and should be only considered as part of your overall investment strategy. By co-investing alongside ESM Investments you will however qualify for some valuable tax advantages through the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), subject to an annual limit of £2 million. These include up to 30% of your income tax bill and the ability to defer any capital gains you make. The EIS scheme is designed to encourage investment in small, higher risk firms in need of expansion capital.
Our entire investment focus is on early-growth stage technology companies that can demonstrate a validated customer base. These are relatively small businesses that have invariably identified a gap for a new product or service and need capital to commercialise and/or expand operations. Our existing portfolio of investee companies are formed of them and typically we will look to hold an investment in each company for a period of between 5 to 7 years before exiting.
Not every start-up project can succeed. We seek to identify the successes of the future and a fundamental part of our selection and on-going investment management processes is in the maintenance of ESM Standards. These standards have been crafted from our own experience as former founders of tech businesses. They help us to take a balanced and consistent view of the needs of our portfolio and, importantly, help to provide a clear and attractive proposition to be of interest to future external investors and potential acquirers.
Our involvement does not stop at the point of investment. Within ESM Investments we have decades of entrepreneurial excellence to draw on and give all of our investee management teams daily access to that expertise. We also regularly review ESM portfolio companies and provide updates to our investors.
ESM Investments is committed to hosting an ESM Member Event every quarter. As well as providing the opportunity for you to hear first-hand from the leadership team of ESM Investments and from the management teams of our investee companies, the events are stimulating and often highlight timely and valuable further investment opportunities for ESM members. ESM events are by invitation, online and they are free to attend. Simply contact us if you would like a no obligation invitation and we look forward to getting to know you.
The format is simple. Presentations are made by up to three different and new investment opportunities and a presentation is usually made from at least one of ESM’s existing portfolio company’s about their product developments, commercialisation and/or investment plans and future growth strategies. This is followed by thoughts from the ESM Leadership team to start off an in-depth discussion amongst attendees.
‘The UK cements its position as a global tech leader – its digital sector is a shining light not only in Europe but also on a global scale.’
TechNation Report 2018
‘The UK has digital suburbs not just cities. Digital tech is empowering local economies across the UK.’
TechNation Report 2018
‘Global connections are key to domestic success. Collaboration and global connectivity helps the UK tech sector grow 2.6 times faster than the rest of the economy.’
TechNation Report 2018
‘Diversity remains a key challenge for digital tech. Only 19% of the digital tech workforce is female compared to 49% across all UK jobs.’
TechNation Report 2018
‘We believe that the UK regions have a critically important role in strengthening the country’s position on the global stage.’
EY quoted in TechNation Report 2018
‘In 2017 the number of investments of £0.5m or over in early stage/scale up companies increased by 20% over the same period in 2016.’
The Scale Up Institute
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Co-creator of private and public sector funds. Experienced investor and business growth specialist. Currently serving as a Non-Executive Director for a number of Boards in the private and public sector. Danny was formerly a Digital Industries Trade Ambassador for the UK Government. Prior to joining ESM Investments, Danny founded The UP Ventures Group, a growth partner for corporates and scale-ups providing business acceleration programmes and mentoring. Danny Meaney and Steven Morris and have worked together on boards for over 4 years.
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Steven is an experienced technology entrepreneur, investor and Non-Executive Director. Steven has successfully cashed out of one technology business that he founded and one other technology business as an investor. These exits returned a 20x and a 10x return to shareholders respectively. Steven currently chairs several early-growth stage technology companies in the UK and has several years’ experience as a technology sector investor. Steven has been a Stirling City Commissioner since 2017.
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A highly experienced, proven and successful International, business and technology leader with over 20+ years’ experience as a Manager, Consultant, Director, Executive, Coach and Mentor, leading the delivery of successful transformation programmes, sustainable business improvements and turnaround success in both, fast paced, high growth international private, public and third sector environments.Stephen’s core skills enable technology and business transformation, with recent roles for Napier University, CYBG, ACCESS, Skanska etc and has recently provided 18 months of business support, through startup and into the ‘scaling up’ phase for Asura Financial Technologies Ltd.
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An experienced natural leader and innovator with a successful track record in delivering business growth, commercial innovation and business transformation in both the public and private sector. Steve is an experienced investor and Non-Executive Director and excels at creating high performing teams. Prior to joining ESM Investments Corporate Services in 2014, Steve was the CEO of Capita Scotland, Senior VP for Altos Scotland, Wales & Ireland and CEO for Visit Scotland.
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Former Managing Director of Menzies Distribution, experienced Investor and Non-Executive Director and corporate finance specialist. Experienced in mergers, acquisitions and disposals. David trained as an Accountant with EY and has worked with ESM Investments Corporate Services since 2014.
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An experienced Management Consultant whose deep knowledge of cultures, leadership and team dynamics is used to deliver intervention programmes to entrepreneurs and senior team members, both in the UK and internationally. Programmes are focused primarily on strategy, leadership and executive coaching, particularly with transformational change. Victoria joined ESM Investment Corporate Services in 2017. She manages ESM investor communications, organises investor events and supports portfolio companies with investor readiness, particularly in the areas of personal branding, pitching and the development of business plans.
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Matt is an experienced investor and Non-Executive Director. He has a proven track record and extensive experience in establishing new businesses in new countries with new teams. He has over 20 years’ experience in the creation of Customer Service Organisations. This includes the establishment of service & support companies and trading entities in over 14 different countries within Asia and the Middle East. Matt has worked alongside Steven Morris for over 10 years.
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Sandra has specialist knowledge and extensive experience of the Health and Social Care environment in Scotland. She has strong relationships with its supporting networks at a National and Health Board/Integrated Joint Board level. Sandra is an experienced Non-Executive Director. She has co-authored a number of publications and is a strategic thinker with a particular interest in shaping health policy. Sandra has worked with ESM Investments Corporate Services since 2017.
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Click Advisory Group members’ images OR click left and right arrows to view staff biography and view contact details.
If you are considering a tax qualifying investment and you would like to discuss how to get started or you are an early-growth stage technology business that would like to discuss potentially receiving investment from ESM Investments, please contact us.
In the first instance, please contact us:
[email protected]Office Address:11 Gladstone Place, Stirling, Scotland, FK8 2NN