Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all your money.

These are high-risk investments and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.

Risk summary for non-readily realisable securities which are shares:

Last updated: 15 April 2024 | 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

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

The business offering this investment is not regulated by the FCA. Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) only considers claims against failed regulated firms. Learn more about FSCS protection here.

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

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. 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. 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

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 anyone to do well. A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. Read more about it here.

5. The value of your investment can be reduced

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. 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.

Please find the PDF version here.

The Fuel Ventures Funds' Portfolio of companies

Some of the most exciting Marketplaces, Software & Platform companies

A social media planning and publishing tool.

Equity management platform for private companies.

Platform that provides a man-in-a-van to let businesses and people move anything, anytime, anywhere.

Next generation in open banking payment services.

Innovative and fully digital insurance from the ground up to provide regular financial support

Patchs Health is an award-winning digital healthcare company which is uniting and simplifying healthcare to make it more accessible to everyone.

ekko is the multi-award winning sustainability fintech infrastructure that can embed planet-positive impact into two trillion payment interactions around the world.

ThinkCyber's Redflags® delivers secure behaviour change, empowering users to protect against cyber threats with context-sensitive just-in-time guidance.

Heroes acquires, operates and optimises Fulfilled By Amazon businesses (FBA).

Peckwater Brands offers delivery franchises to kitchen operators.

B2B marketplace connecting enterprise clients with best agencies.

Revenue-based financing up to £1M to online businesses looking to grow quickly.

The only online platform that automates the entire process of sourcing off-market development opportunities, to help teams find the best opportunities, faster.

Marketplace for independent consultants and businesses to efficiently find each other.

Conglomerate of mission critical VMS software in Europe and beyond.

Distributed delivers world class outcomes by using AI enabled Elastic Teams.

iCustoms is a disruptor that uses AI to streamline customs clearance transactions in the UK

Providing retailers a tool to deliver engaging, on-brand post-purchase order tracking experiences that drive revenue, reduce WISMO calls, and builds loyalty.

Cult Mia is the leading marketplace for sustainable and conscious luxury fashion.

B2B Ad platform that leverages data-driven audiences.

Odore is a product engagement platform which enables businesses to engage with customers across all digital

channels.

The commercial guidance system to help you double the pace of brand sales growth.

Scope is a CPQ (Configure, Price & Quoting) software company for services.

Subscription data and technology service for asset & wealth management.

Providing tools needed to build embedded payouts, rewards and experiences.

The largest UK-owned marketplace taking on Amazon.

Wholesale marketplace that helps millions of small businesses grow on better terms.

Two-sided marketplace that enables anyone to discover, plan & book dream events.

World’s first maritime neobank catering to a trillion-dollar global industry.

Online marketplace for the residential Private Rental Sector and institutional real estate investors.

Automated secure and self-service cloud platform for multi-account environments.

Platform that allows engineers to get an instant quote for the manufacture of a part.

Mentoring platform makes mentoring easy, accessible and scalable for enterprises.

Software that helps dental labs digitise their workflows and automate billing.

Online platform that connects customers and suppliers of building materials.

B2B software that makes home buying up to 12 weeks quicker.

The first Multi-platform website builder, offering a 'no-code' creative experience.

Unplan your next journey: get secretly matched to a destination based on your travel taste.

Design tool that enables businesses to easily create professional, personalised ads.

In-home care tech company that gives patients access to high-quality care services.

Full online booking system and marketing engine for destinations & tourist boards.

World’s first tech led barber chain providing convenient, quality, consistent haircuts.

Wombat is an investment platform for fractional share trading and thematic ETFs.

Online marketplace super seller, with the specialist knowledge to launch, maintain and grow sales.

Feel - Multivitamins for the modern world.

Social commerce platform providing a solution for users to sell customised products.

Connecting talented CGI & 3D artists with customers in need of computer graphics.

Online teaching and learning platform that enables anyone to build their own school.

Poplar is a creative platform that provides 3D and AR campaigns on demand.

All in one solution to identify and block click ads fraud.

Allows employees to spend points on wellness related benefits, making them happier and more productive.

Allows companies to future-proof their cashflow with cloud credit control software.

Collects and sells your best unwanted clothes, donating part of the proceeds to charity.

The smart account for landlords. Collect rent, track payments & maximise profits.

In-Depth Forensic Reports Generated by Machine Intelligence.

Helping companies maximise hiring via employee referrals.

All-in-one branded event and exhibition management platform.

Helping people across the UK build better credit and improve their financial health.

Marketplace connecting students and parents with high-quality, pre-vetted tutors

Intelligent sales conversion tools to engage with visitors and leads at the perfect time.

Platform for exhibitioners and conference organisers to hire equipment for their event.

An applied intelligence platform for financial institutions to proactively identify, understand

& support vulnerable customers.

ML-accelerated fluid simulation

software for 1000x more efficient physics simulations.

RoboMinder is an AI-Copilot for industrial robot downtime management

Infranomics leverages AI to provide informed decisions on fibre network planning & construction, offering insights, streamlined project management, & optimised resource allocation.

Proprietary technology that powers Private Personalisation, generating customer delight,

uplifted revenues and enhanced Customer Lifetime Value.

Aloma.io uses AI to resolve complex integrations with an adaptive process automation; enabling operations teams to automate any process across any app with 80% less effort.

Safe Workplace is the world’s most effective culture and compliance platform.

Silo Team is making developer on/offboarding and retention seriously simple.

Enabling AI for financial advisers, through data infrastructure and integrity.

Cubode is a GenAI platform for non-technical users to create and automate all their business

data processes in one place without writing any code.

Incredible time-saving and productivity tools for accounting and audit professionals.

Valinor is building the largest Open-Source Intelligence community to connect analysts and buyers of intelligence in one easy to use platform.

Vega's vision is to revolutionise Compliance & Operations teams globally by introducing AI-driven efficiency to their workflows.

Platform that enables gig and frontline workers to find work, progression opportunities and community.

Eilla AI enhances and automates the deal workflow of M&A advisors and PE/ VC investors without exposing sensitive data.

B2B SAAS platform pro-actively manages and automates the process of claiming what you are owed from the couriers.

B2B spend and compliance management to enable instant supply chain payments

Super is a software platform that combines fiat and crypto payments for web3 companies

Workflow automation SaaS that supercharges marketing teams in their day-to-day job.

Trudenty empowers individuals as the custodians of their own data.

Complete end-to-end contract lifecycle, automation, and cloud management software.

A health company focused on eating disorders with structured community groups.

OnDemand car payment platform using Open Banking & AI to prevent dealerships from losing sales.

PaaS startup that is delivering a 10-100x cost improvement to design microchips.

Intelligent spend decision platform that streamlines decision-making processes.

Cyb3r Operations allows customers to gather & analyse cyber threats.

BuildScan offers simple solutions to archaic processes in construction and building.

Social app that merges group chats and goal apps to make sharing as easy as sending a text message.

Improves sales process for clients globally, allowing them to win more work faster.

Convert and reformat product data for any e-commerce channel in minutes!

Trunk is unlocking the next wave of construction.

Consumer-focussed property moving application that provides lower-risk transactions.

B2B eCommerce platform that integrates seamlessly with a merchant's existing online store.

Medley is the web3 community management platform.

Enables the machining industry to reach the best part, faster, the first time.

GetCredible is a data-driven student headhunting platform.

Business owners can turn their phones into payment terminals to accept instant bank payments

Digital freight platform using relay-led model trucking and aims to create safer operations.

Pluto is building the first online marketplace for affordable housing.

An online validation service of a vehicle’s ownership.

New health tech company using conversational AI to improve patient engagement.

Providing a premium tier of expert & digital service to tailor designs to your unique space.

A no-code platform used to manage hotels, from guest experience to hotel operations.

Hiiker helps hikers to discover, plan and navigate on trails around the world.

On-demand platform for creating authentic video content for businesses.

Model to allow fast and flexible production of large volumes of content for brands.

Tech that automatically identifies risk factors & burnout and then delivers nudges to employees to healthier behaviours.

A 24 hour finance solution specialising in providing businesses with efficient, flexible, and competitive solutions.

iCustoms uses artificial intelligence to streamline over 200 million customs clearance transactions

Community-led platform that matches talent with work opportunities in web3 orgs.

Web 3.0’s Admin Department - making it easier than ever to start and operate an SME.

Innovative and fully digital insurance from the ground up to provide regular financial support

Turbo charging local car rental companies to become digital and unlock the power of eCommerce and internet.

Simple to choose services, check and track the progress of your move from the beginning to end

Flowla helps revenue teams deliver an outstanding buying experience that wins deals.

FlatPeak connects appliances to consumers’ energy accounts to receive tariffs and send back consumption data

Helps small-medium warehouses to adopt mobile robotics solutions to improve operations.

UK’s first app based broadband provider powered by a software defined network.

New breed of dog food, freshly pressed. New way of gently cooking whole fresh ingredients.

Framework inspired by the MBTI to match users based on their personality types.

Ground-breaking enquiry-based programme, giving students autonomy over direction of study

Digital working capital access in emerging markets.

Monspire is a data driven invoice financing platform.

Data platform for company information, powered by research-based AI.

FruPro is an end-to-end supply chain platform for the fresh produce sector.

Automating lead qualification and supercharging GTM teams through personalization.

SaaS tool that enhances language, spelling and grammar through AI for Spanish language.

Expertly designed, easy-to-use lawn feed plan delivers pro results with less fuss.

A climate-tech start up, working with progressive client partners to reduce carbon emissions.

Marketplace for on-demand and remote IT services, connecting businesses to IT technicians.

Instant and same day delivery solution for retailers (B2B).

Insuretech that provides flexible insurance bundles for the self-employed.

Ecosystem that empowers barbers to save time, earn more and unlock their true potential.

Real-time AI solution for CCTV footage in grocery stores to prevent theft.

Holidayfox is a marketplace to discover and book camping holidays.

Palqee helps companies champion data protection compliance through intuitive privacy management software.

Debt management platform that utilises open finance & machine learning to help people get out of debt.

TEAM NOTABLE EXITS AND INVESTMENTS

Largest UK consumer website for money saving coupons and codes.

Everything you need to sell software and automate recurring billing operations.

Platform that helps event organisers shift unsold tickets, last minute, while passing on discounts to consumers.

Marketplace connecting students and parents with high-quality, pre-vetted tutors

iPad PoS Software that allows you to manage thousands of stores at a fraction of the cost.