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MAVEN INCOME AND GROWTH VCT 3 PLC

Interim / Quarterly Report Jun 30, 2018

4814_ir_2018-06-30_61f684c9-f1fd-406c-883b-1b113c087bbb.pdf

Interim / Quarterly Report

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Maven Income and Growth VCT 4 PLC 1

MAVEN INCOME AND GROWTH VCT 4 PLC

Interim Report For the Six Months Ended 30 June 2018

CORPORATE SUMMARY

The Company

Maven Income and Growth VCT 4 PLC (the Company) is a public limited company limited by shares. It was incorporated in Scotland on 26 August 2004 with company registration number SC272568. Its registered office is at Kintyre House, 205 West George Street, Glasgow G2 2LW. The Company is a venture capital trust (VCT) and its shares are listed on the premium segment of the official list and traded on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.

Management

The Company is a small registered, internally managed alternative investment fund under the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD).

Investment Objective

The Company aims to achieve long-term capital appreciation and generate income for Shareholders.

Continuation Date

The Articles of Association (Articles) require the Directors to put a proposal for the continuation of the Company, in its then form, to Shareholders at the Company's Annual General Meeting to be held in 2023 or, if later, at the Annual General Meeting following the fifth anniversary of the latest allotment of new shares.

Share Dealing

Shares in the Company can be purchased and sold in the market through a stockbroker. For qualifying investors buying shares on the open market:

  • dividends are free of income tax;
  • no capital gains tax is payable on a disposal of shares;
  • there is no minimum holding period;
  • the value of shares, and income from them, can fall as well as rise;
  • tax regulations and rates of tax may be subject to change;
  • VCTs tend to be invested in smaller, unlisted companies with a higher risk profile; and
  • the market for VCT shares can be illiquid.

The Broker to the Company is Shore Capital Stockbrokers (020 7647 8132).

Recommendation of Non-mainstream Investment Products

The Company currently conducts its affairs so that the shares issued by it can be recommended by authorised financial advisers to ordinary retail investors in accordance with the rules of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in relation to non-mainstream investment products and intends to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The Company's shares are excluded from the FCA's restrictions which apply to nonmainstream investment products because they are shares in VCTs and the returns to investors are predominantly based on investments in private companies or publicly quoted securities.

Unsolicited Offers for Shares (Boiler Room Scams)

Shareholders in a number of UK registered companies have received unsolicited calls from organisations, usually based overseas or using false UK addresses or phone lines routed abroad, offering to buy shares at prices much higher than their current market values or to sell non-tradeable, overpriced, high risk or even non-existent securities. Whilst the callers may sound credible and professional, Shareholders should be aware that their intentions are often fraudulent and high pressure sales techniques may be applied, often involving a request for an indemnity or a payment to be provided in advance.

If you receive such a call, you should exercise caution and, based on advice from the FCA, the following precautions are suggested:

  • obtain the name of the individual or organisation calling;
  • check the FCA register to confirm that the caller is authorised;
  • call back using the details on the FCA Register to verify the caller's identity;
  • discontinue the call if you are in any doubt about the intentions of the caller, or if calls persist; and
  • report any individual or organisation that makes unsolicited calls with an offer to buy or sell shares to the FCA and the City of London Police.

Useful Contact Details:

Action Fraud

Telephone: 0300 123 2040

Website: www.actionfraud.police.uk

FCA

CONTENTS

Interim Management Report

Financial Highlights 5
Interim Review 7
Investment Portfolio Summary 13
Analysis of Unlisted and Quoted Portfolio 16
Financial Statements
Income Statement 19
Statement of Changes in Equity 20
Balance Sheet 21
Cash Flow Statement 22
Notes to the Financial Statements 23
General Information
Directors' Responsibility Statement 25
Glossary 26

INTERIM MANAGEMENT REPORT

Financial Highlights 5
Interim Review 7
Investment Portfolio Summary 13
Analysis of Unlisted and Quoted Portfolio 16

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Financial History

30 June 2018 31 December 2017 30 June 2017
Net asset value (NAV) £41,742,000 £31,874,000 £31,471,000
NAV per Ordinary Share 72.31p 85.97p 96.35p
Dividends paid per Ordinary Share to date* 73.60p 59.90p 47.45p
NAV total return per Ordinary Share1* 145.91p 145.87p 143.80p
Share price2 67.50p 75.50p 83.00p
Discount to NAV* 6.65% 12.18% 13.86%
Ordinary Shares in issue 57,726,293 37,074,635 32,664,502

1 Sum of current NAV per Ordinary Share and dividends paid to date (excluding initial tax relief).

2 Closing mid-market price (Source: London Stock Exchange).

*Definitions of these Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) can be found in the Glossary on page 26.

NAV Total Return Performance NAV Total Return Performance

The above chart shows the composition of the NAV total return per Ordinary Share as at 31 December in each year, except for 2018 which is as at 30 June 2018.

Dividends that have been declared or proposed but not yet paid are included in the NAV at the balance sheet date.

The reduction in NAV per share since 31 December 2015 can be largely attributed to the payment of enhanced interim dividends during the period, which reflects a build-up of capital gains that were required to be distributed in order to maintain ongoing compliance with the VCT regulations. During that same period, NAV total return per share has continued to increase. The above chart shows NAV total return per Ordinary Share as at 31 December in each year, except 2018 which is as at 30 June 2018. Dividends that have been proposed but not yet paid are included in the NAV at the balance sheet date.

Year ended 31 December Payment date Interim/final Rate (p) Annual rate (p)
2006-2013 31.95
2014 26 September 2014 Interim 2.10
5 June 2015 Final 2.90 5.00
2015 25 September 2015 Interim 2.20
6 May 2016 Final 3.05 5.25
2016 30 September 2016 Interim 2.20
26 May 2017 Final 3.05 5.25
2017 14 July 2017 First interim 3.36
15 September 2017 Second interim 3.70
30 November 2017 Third interim 5.39 12.45
2018 13 April 2018 Interim 8.90
22 June 2018 Second interim 4.80
Total dividends paid 73.60

Dividends

The table shows dividend payments made to holders of Ordinary Shares only.

On 25 March 2013, S Shares were re-designated as Ordinary Shares with 804,028 bonus Ordinary Shares being issued. As a result, previous holders of S Shares held 1.1528 Ordinary Shares for every S Share held on the relevant record date, rounded down to the nearest whole share. On 30 September 2014, C Ordinary Shares were consolidated into Ordinary Shares. As a result, 3,863,876 C Ordinary Shares were re-designated as 3,077,827 Ordinary Shares, based on a conversion ratio of 0.7968 Ordinary Shares per C Ordinary Share, rounded down to the nearest whole share.

Summary of Investment Changes

For the Six Months Ended 30 June 2018

£'000 Valuation
31 December 2017
%
Net investment/
(disinvestment)
£'000
Appreciation/
(depreciation)
£'000
£'000 Valuation
30 June 2018
%
Unlisted investments
Equities 7,367 23.1 734 443 8,544 20.5
Loan stock 10,437 32.7 (239) (210) 9,988 23.9
17,804 55.8 495 233 18,532 44.4
AIM/NEX investments
Equities
Listed investments
1,086 3.4 - 184 1,270 3.0
Equities 23 0.1 - (3) 20 -
Investment trusts 1,168 3.7 (243) (24) 901 2.2
Total investments 20,081 63.0 252 390 20,723 49.6
Other net assets 11,793 37.0 9,226 - 21,019 50.4
Net assets 31,874 100.0 9,478 390 41,742 100.0

INTERIM REVIEW

HIGHLIGHTS

NAV total return at 30 June 2018 of 145.91p per share

NAV at 30 June 2018 of 72.31p per share after payment of interim dividends totalling 13.70p per share during the period

Offer for Subscription fully subscribed with £20 million of new capital raised

Net asset value increased to £41.74 million at the period end

Three new VCT qualifying private company holdings added to the portfolio, with a further two completed post the period end

Follow-on funding provided to four portfolio companies

Profitable realisation of Endura for 1.55 times cost

Proposal to merge with Maven Income and Growth VCT 2 PLC

Overview

Your Company has achieved positive performance in the first half of the financial year, with one realisation of note, being the sale of Endura to Pentland Brands. Performance across the portfolio as a whole was generally encouraging, with no discernible impact from the current political uncertainty, and a number of portfolio companies making good progress against the commercial milestones set at the time of the original investment.

Whilst NAV total return per share has increased from 145.87p at 31 December 2017 to 145.91p at 30 June 2018, Shareholders will note that the absolute NAV per share has declined from 85.97p to 72.31p. This is primarily as a consequence of the payment of enhanced interim dividends totalling 13.70p during the period, which reflected a build-up of distributable reserves and were required in order to maintain your Company's ongoing compliance with the VCT regulations. These payments represent a highly tax-efficient means of making distributions to Shareholders.

The recent successful fundraising, which closed at full capacity in April 2018, has increased the size of your Company significantly and provides additional resources to build a diverse and broadly based portfolio of attractive VCT qualifying assets that are capable of supporting long term growth in Shareholder value.

Against an objective to continue to grow and diversify the investee company portfolio, it is encouraging to note that three new private company holdings were added during the period, with follow-on funding also provided to four existing portfolio companies to support their continued growth. Given the pipeline of live opportunities, and level of new business introductions currently being assessed across Maven's nationwide network of offices, it is anticipated that there will be a healthy rate of new investment activity during the second half of the financial year. In addition, there are likely to be further follow-on investments as earlier stage portfolio companies develop and require additional capital to deliver their business plans.

The strategy remains to invest in carefully selected fast growing UK smaller companies, operating across a diverse range of industries that offer either compelling proprietary technology or a disruptive business model capable of scalable growth. Maven also has a preference for supporting a proven management team with a successful track record in a previous business. The expansion of Maven's investment team to include a number of executives with specific sector expertise, particularly in early stage technology, is benefiting the initial asset screening and selection process.

Dividends

As a result of recent profitable realisations, and to ensure ongoing compliance with the VCT regulations, the Director's considered it necessary to distribute an enhanced level of interim dividends.

Accordingly, the first interim dividend in respect of the year ending 31 December 2018, of 8.90p per Ordinary Share, was paid on 13 April 2018 to Shareholders on the register at close of business on 16 March 2018. The second interim dividend, of 4.80p per Ordinary Share, was paid on 22 June 2018 to Shareholders on the register at close of business on 25 May 2018. The effect of paying these dividends was to reduce the NAV of the Company by the total cost of the distributions.

Since the Company's launch, and after receipt of the most recent dividend, Shareholders have received 73.60p per share in tax-free income. Decisions on future distributions will take into consideration the adequacy of reserves, the proceeds from any further realisations and the VCT qualifying levels of the portfolio, all of which are kept under close and regular review by the Board and the Manager.

Fund Raising

On 22 September 2017, the Directors of your Company launched an Offer for Subscription for new Ordinary Shares of up to £15 million, with an over-allotment facility of up to £5 million.

On 24 April 2018, your Board was pleased to announce that the Offer closed at full subscription, having raised £20 million in total, including the full utilisation of the over-allotment facility. During the period, the Company issued 16,714,707 new Ordinary Shares under the Offer for the 2017/2018 tax year, with a further 3,513,830 new Ordinary Shares issued for the 2018/2019 tax year. This additional liquidity will enable the Manager to continue to expand the portfolio by investing in dynamic, earlier stage VCT qualifying businesses that have the potential to deliver an uplift in Shareholder value.

Dividend Investment Scheme (DIS)

Your Company has in place a DIS, through which Shareholders may elect to have their dividend payments used to apply for new Ordinary Shares issued by the Company under the standing authority requested from Shareholders at Annual General Meetings. Shares issued under the DIS should qualify for VCT tax reliefs applicable for the tax year in which they are allotted.

Shareholders who have not previously applied to participate in the DIS and who wish to do so in respect of future dividends, should ensure that a mandate form, or CREST instruction if appropriate, is submitted to the Registrar (Link Asset Services). Terms & conditions and full details of the scheme are available from the Company's website, together with a mandate form for participation in the DIS. Alternatively a DIS election can be made through the Link Asset Services share portal at www.signalshares.com.

Portfolio Developments

During the period, the majority of the private companies in the investee portfolio have performed in line with expectations, despite the continued uncertainty within the UK economy surrounding the UK's intended exit from the European Union. Although there are, at present, no specific issues to highlight, the Manager will continue to monitor the situation closely.

It is encouraging to report on the continued improvement in trading within the oil & gas portfolio since the year end. After three years of exceptionally challenging market conditions, the companies with exposure to the sector are reporting an upturn in activity and profitability compared to the prior year, with forward order books projecting a continuation of this trend.

The improvement in financial and operational performance reflects the cost cutting and restructuring measures implemented by portfolio companies, with close support from Maven executives, at the onset of the downturn. As a result, each investee company is operating with a lean cost structure and either modest or no external debt, which should provide stability assuming that the recovery continues to strengthen.

Elsewhere in the portfolio, a number of the established private company holdings have had their valuations increased to reflect improved performance.

Cursor Controls, a global leader in the design and manufacture of trackballs, trackpads and keyboards for use in specialist industrial applications, including health, defence and marine, continues to deliver good levels of organic growth. Performance was enhanced by the acquisition of Belgium distributor NSI in April 2016. The enlarged group continues to trade well, with further commercial and operational synergies identified to support future growth and profitability. The balance sheet remains strong and the business continues to pay down its term debt.

Diversified renewable energy services group GEV has experienced strong growth over the past year, particularly in the US through its largest division GEV Wind Power, which specialises in wind turbine blade maintenance. The US market opportunity is sizeable and the business is well positioned to capitalise on this over the coming year, having secured contracts with leading providers including MHI Vestas, Eon, Siemens and Invenergy. The management team is also forecasting strong performance in the UK and Europe in the year ahead.

In 2013, your Company participated in a syndicate, led by Penta Capital, to invest in Global Risk Partners, backing a highly experienced management team to pursue a buy & build strategy in the Lloyd's speciality insurance broking and managing general agent markets. Since the investment was made, significant progress has been achieved, including the addition of a commercial and private client division as well as the completion and integration of 28 separate acquisitions. The business is now understood to be one of the ten largest insurance brokers in the UK, and is continuing to grow. There is a strong pipeline of acquisition opportunities currently under review and further increases in profitability anticipated to feed through from margin improvement.

Since Maven clients' investment in Just Trays in 2014, the UK's leading designer and manufacturer of shower trays and related accessories has delivered steady performance. In line with a core business objective of new product development and innovation, the company has expanded its customer base and production volumes, as well as extending its product range, and was recently awarded a second 'Gold Award for Innovation in Design' at the prestigious Designer Kitchen and Bathroom Awards.

Vodat Communications supplies data networks, IP telephony, wi-fi solutions and fixed line connectivity to retail customers, with a solid blue chip customer base including Fat Face, Beaverbrooks and Welcome Break. Maven clients supported the management buy-out in 2012 and, since investment, the business has achieved positive growth and added a number of new customer contracts. In November 2017, Vodat completed the complementary acquisition of Axonex, a provider of specialist IT solutions, services and support specialising in unified communications, data centre, security and network infrastructure. The acquisition, which was funded through cash and bank debt, has created a number of cross selling opportunities to help deliver further growth for the enlarged group.

In addition, follow-on funding was provided to Growth Capital Ventures, ITS Technology, QikServe and The GP Service. Given their stage of development, the requirement to provide further capital to earlier stage qualifying companies was anticipated at the time of initial investment and was reflected in the reduced total commitment size by the Maven VCTs, and by the strategy of co-investing alongside other VCT houses. In terms of valuation, all new development capital investments will continue to be held at cost, or cost less provision, until there is clear evidence of measurable progress or a quantifiable event from which a new valuation level can be validated.

The investment trust portfolio has continued to trade well and generate income. This is particularly important in light of the restrictions introduced by the Finance Act 2016, which prevents non-qualifying investments in traditional instruments such as treasury bills or other government securities for liquidity management purposes. With increased cash resources now available following the fund raising, the Board and the Manager remain highly cognisant of the importance of maintaining an effective liquidity management policy and will continue to consider a range of permitted income generating investment options.

As well as reflecting the positive trading performance highlighted above, your Board has also fully provided against the value of the holding in Lambert Contracts prior to it being placed into administration. A full provision has also been taken against the value of the holding in Chic Lifestyle.

New Investments

During the period, your Company provided development capital to three VCT qualifying private companies operating in growth markets:

  • Lending Works has developed a peer-to-peer (P2P) platform that matches private and institutional lenders to individual borrowers, and has grown to become the third largest P2P consumer lender in the UK. The company is well regarded by customers and partners as a responsible and ethical market leader, being the first major P2P platform to be fully authorised by the FCA, and the first to be authorised to provide an ISA offering. The investment by the Maven VCTs will enable the company to accelerate future growth.
  • WaterBear Education has established a private music college specialising in offering university accredited undergraduate and post-graduate courses for the creative arts, primarily catering for musicians, singers, songwriters and those wishing to gain a well-rounded music industry education. The business is led by a high calibre management team with extensive experience of both the industry and music education, having previously founded the British and Irish Modern Music Institute, which has grown to be a market leader in its sector. The investment has been used to establish and launch the college, with Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts university accredited courses available for student intake from September 2018.
  • BioAscent Discovery is a drug discovery services business that was founded by former pharmaceutical executives with over 30 years' experience of delivering clinical drug candidates. The business operates from the former Merck Sharpe and Dohme R&D site in Newhouse, Scotland, which is a secure state-of-the-art facility, housing client compound libraries ranging in size from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand compounds. The funding will be used to add complementary chemistry and biology services to the existing compound management service to create a highly differentiated, high-value integrated drug discovery offering.

The following investments have been completed during the reporting period:

Investment
cost
Date Sector £'000 Website
Unlisted
WaterBear Education Limited February 2018 Support services 120 www.waterbear.org.uk
QikServe Limited March 2018 Software &
computer services
105 www.qikserve.com
Lending Works Limited April 2018 Software &
computer services
299 www.lendingworks.co.uk
BioAscent Discovery Limited June 2018 Pharmaceuticals &
biotechnology
199 www.bioascent.com
Growth Capital Ventures Limited June 2018 Investment companies 92 www.growthcapitalventures.co.uk
ITS Technology Group Limited June 2018 Telecommunication
services
221 www.itstechnologygroup.com
The GP Service (UK) Limited June 2018 Health 160 www.thegpservice.co.uk
Total unlisted 1,196
Private equity investment trusts1
Apax Global Alpha Limited June 2018 Investment companies 103 www.apaxglobalalpha.com
F&C Private Equity Trust PLC June 2018 Investment companies 123 www.fandc.com
Princess Private Equity
Holding Limited
June 2018 Investment companies 119 www.princess-privateequity.net
Total private equity investment trusts 345
Real estate investment trusts1
Custodian REIT PLC May 2018 Investment companies 71 www.custodianreit.com
Schroder REIT Limited May 2018 Investment companies 212 www.srei.co.uk
Target Healthcare REIT Limited May 2018 Investment companies 96 www.targethealthcarereit.co.uk
Regional REIT Limited June 2018 Investment companies 89 www.regionalreit.com
Total real estate investment trusts 468
Total investments 2,009

Part of liquidity management strategy.

At the period end, the portfolio stood at 69 unlisted and quoted investments, at a total cost of £22.35 million.

Realisations

In February 2018, the holding in Endura was exited for a total return of 1.55 times cost over the holding period. Maven clients first invested in Endura, a leading designer and manufacturer of high performance cycling apparel and accessories, in 2014 as part of a syndicate. The company focusses on the mid to premium end of the market and sells its products in over thirty countries worldwide with the support of a number of world class sponsors. The sale to UK-based Pentland Brands, which has a stable of global sports, outdoor and fashion brands including Berghaus, Canterbury, Speedo and Ellesse, represents an excellent strategic fit for Endura and will enable it to continue to expand its global brand and market presence.

In January 2018, following the sale of Elite Insurance, its key trading subsidiary, Torridon (Gibraltar) repaid all of the outstanding Maven client loan notes.

As at the date of this report, the Manager is engaged with several investee companies and prospective acquirers at various stages of the negotiation process, although there can be no certainty that these discussions will result in profitable sales.

Year first
invested
Complete/
partial exit
Cost of
shares
disposed of
£'000
Value at
31 December
2017
£'000
Sales
proceeds
£'000
Realised
gain/(loss)
£'000
Gain/(loss)
over
31 December
2017 value
£'000
Unlisted
CHS Engineering Services Limited 2010 Partial 2 - 2 - 2
Endura Limited 2014 Complete 229 343 355 126 12
SPS (EU) Holdings Limited 2014 Complete - - 18 18 18
Torridon (Gibraltar) Limited1 2010 Partial 335 359 326 (9) (33)
Total unlisted 566 702 701 135 (1)
Private equity investment trusts2
Apax Global Alpha Limited 2016 Complete 99 113 103 4 (10)
British Land Company PLC 2016 Complete 99 114 107 8 (7)
F&C Private Equity Trust PLC 2016 Partial 103 119 122 19 3
Princess Private Equity Holding Limited 2016 Complete 98 129 119 21 (10)
Total private equity investment trusts 399 475 451 52 (24)
Real estate investment trusts2
Custodian REIT PLC 2016 Partial 100 109 108 8 (1)
Regional REIT Limited 2016 Partial 99 94 88 (11) (6)
Schroder REIT Limited 2018 Partial 204 207 212 8 5
Standard Life Investment Property
Income Trust Limited
2016 Complete 99 105 101 2 (4)
Target Healthcare REIT Limited 2016 Partial 98 98 96 (2) (2)
Total real estate investment trusts 600 613 605 5 (8)
Total disposals 1,565 1,790 1,757 192 (33)

The table below gives details of all realisations achieved, and deferred considerations received, during the reporting period:

1 Proceeds exclude yield and redemption premiums received, which are disclosed as revenue for financial reporting purposes.

2 Part of liquidity management strategy.

Material Developments Since the Period End

Since 30 June 2018, two new private company holdings have been added to the portfolio.

  • Bright Network is a developer and provider of a media technology platform that enables medium and large sized companies to identify, reach and recruit good quality university graduates and young professionals. The platform currently supports a network of over 150,000 high calibre candidates and has a customer base of over 250 leading employers, including Bloomberg, Marks and Spencer and Vodafone. The Maven client investment will support the development of the technology as well as providing funding to further business development and marketing activities.
  • Optoscribe has developed a suite of optical and photonic technologies that use high-power lasers to direct-write

optical waveguides that are used to minimise energy dissipation in a wide range of applications in the telecom, datacom and mobile network markets. Optoscribe's innovative techniques are able to form these guides in precise 3D orientations, and simplify manufacturing processes by delivering highly efficient and scalable products. The barriers to entry into this market are significant and, therefore, the company's existing intellectual property (including patents) and technical know-how provides a defensible market position. The investment will enable the management team to scale manufacturing capacity and will support further business development activity.

In addition, follow-on development capital funding was provided to Whiterock to assist with its further growth.

The principal risks and uncertainties facing the Company were set out in full in the Strategic Report contained within the 2017 Annual Report, and are the risks associated with investment in small and medium sized unlisted and AIM/NEX quoted companies which, by their nature, carry a higher level of risk and are subject to lower liquidity than investments in large quoted companies. The valuation of investee companies may be affected by economic conditions, the credit environment and other risks including legislation, regulation, adherence to VCT qualifying rules and the effectiveness of the internal controls operated by the Company and the Manager. These risks and procedures are reviewed regularly by the Audit and Risk Committees and reported to your Board. The Board has confirmed that all tests, including the criteria for VCT qualifying status, continue to be monitored and met.

Share Buy-backs

Shareholders have given the Board authority to buy back shares for cancellation or to be held in treasury, subject always to such transactions being in the best interests of Shareholders. It is intended that, subject to market conditions, available liquidity and the maintenance of the Company's VCT status, shares will continue to be bought back at prices representing a discount of up to 15% of the prevailing NAV per share. During the period under review, 250,000 share were bought back at a total cost of £189,000.

Regulatory Developments

As previously outlined, VCT legislation continues to move towards supporting higher risk investments, with recent changes including the introduction of a 'risk to capital' based test, increased measures designed to assist the financing of knowledge-intensive companies and certain sector exclusions. The Finance Act 2018, which received Royal Assent in March 2018, introduced a new requirement that, for accounting dates from 6 April 2019 (from 31 December 2019 in the case of the Company) the percentage of funds a VCT must hold in qualifying investments will increase from 70% to 80%. In order to assist with this, the add-back period on sales will be increased from six to twelve months with effect from 6 April 2019. The Board and the Manager will continue to consider these developments when planning future strategy.

The General Data Protection Regulation came into force on 25 May 2018, replacing the Data Protection Act 1998. This regulation enforces the principle of 'privacy by design and by default' and enshrines new rights for individuals, including the right to be forgotten and to data portability. The Manager has worked with the third parties that process Shareholders' personal data to ensure that their rights under the new regulation are respected.

Proposed Merger

On 13 September 2018, the Company announced that it had entered formal negotiations on a proposed merger with Maven Income and Growth VCT 2 PLC. A circular relating to this is expected to be published in October 2018, prior to the convening of a general meeting at which Shareholders' approval will be sought on the proposal.

Outlook

Based on the current level of new transaction activity, it is expected that a meaningful number of new investments will be completed during the second half of the financial year, consistent with the Company's strategy of further expanding and diversifying the portfolio. The success of the recent Offer for Subscription has provided further funds to ensure the delivery of this strategy, and your Board and the Manager remain committed to building a large and broadly based portfolio of valuable private companies that are capable of delivering consistently positive Shareholder returns in the years ahead.

On behalf of the Board Maven Capital Partners UK LLP Secretary

14 September 2018

INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO SUMMARY

As at 30 June 2018

% of
equity held
Investment Valuation
£'000
Cost
£'000
% of
total assets
% of
equity held
by other
clients¹
Unlisted
Ensco 969 Limited (trading as DPP) 1,202 1,060 2.8 4.6 29.9
Vodat Communications Group Limited 1,069 592 2.5 4.4 22.4
GEV Holdings Limited 986 672 2.4 4.3 31.7
Glacier Energy Services Holdings Limited 957 957 2.3 3.7 23.9
JT Holdings (UK) Limited (trading as Just Trays) 796 522 1.9 5.8 24.2
CatTech International Limited 779 498 1.9 4.8 25.3
CB Technology Group Limited 730 559 1.7 11.4 67.6
Maven Co-invest Endeavour Limited Partnership
(invested in Global Risk Partners)²
720 360 1.7 7.0 93.0
Fathom Systems Group Limited 681 681 1.6 7.7 52.3
Maven Capital (Marlow) Limited 650 650 1.6 - 100.0
Castlegate 737 Limited (trading as Cursor Controls) 645 299 1.5 3.0 44.5
Horizon Cremation Limited 626 626 1.5 3.4 18.8
ITS Technology Group Limited 619 619 1.5 4.9 30.8
HCS Control Systems Group Limited 603 836 1.4 6.8 29.7
Flow UK Holdings Limited 598 598 1.4 7.3 27.7
The GP Service (UK) Limited 584 558 1.4 7.7 41.8
R&M Engineering Group Limited 581 774 1.4 8.7 61.9
TC Communications Holdings Limited 554 777 1.3 8.1 21.9
RMEC Group Limited 463 463 1.1 2.9 47.2
QikServe Limited 453 453 1.1 3.1 15.8
Rockar 2016 Limited (trading as Rockar) 403 403 1.0 2.2 13.4
Attraction World Holdings Limited 400 98 1.0 6.2 32.2
ADC Biotechnology Limited 338 338 0.8 2.5 12.4
Contego Solutions Limited (trading as NorthRow) 323 323 0.8 2.8 12.8
Martel Instruments Holdings Limited 310 347 0.7 4.2 40.0
Lending Works Limited 299 299 0.7 2.8 16.8
Growth Capital Ventures Limited 252 241 0.6 5.8 32.7
eSafe Systems Limited 224 224 0.5 4.3 27.8
Torridon (Gibraltar) Limited 221 347 0.5 3.7 36.3
ISN Solutions Group Limited 207 327 0.5 4.6 50.4
BioAscent Discovery Limited 199 199 0.5 5.0 35.0
Cognitive Geology Limited 159 159 0.4 2.0 10.5

INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO SUMMARY (CONTINUED)

As at 30 June 2018

Investment (continued) Valuation
£'000
Cost
£'000
% of
total assets
% of
equity held
% of
equity held
by other
clients¹
Unlisted (continued)
Whiterock Group Limited 159 159 0.4 3.5 21.5
ebb3 Limited 150 150 0.4 3.5 21.0
Curo Compensation Limited 149 149 0.4 1.9 13.5
WaterBear Education Limited 120 120 0.3 4.5 39.2
Lawrence Recycling and
Waste Management Limited
109 770 0.3 8.4 53.6
D Mack Limited 80 504 0.2 4.8 25.2
Space Student Living Limited 67 - 0.2 10.6 69.4
FLXG Scotland Limited
(formerly Flexlife Group Limited)
65 298 0.2 1.9 12.4
Other unlisted investments 2 2,411 -
Total unlisted 18,532 20,420 44.4
Quoted
Ideagen PLC 687 184 1.7 0.3 1.5
Byotrol PLC 187 197 0.4 1.2 2.4
Oxford Metrics PLC (formerly OMG PLC) 177 80 0.4 0.2 -
Plastics Capital PLC 94 85 0.2 0.2 1.2
Vectura Group PLC 87 100 0.2 - -
Angle PLC 25 27 0.1 - 0.2
esure Group PLC 20 - - - -
Gordon Dadds Group PLC
(formerly Work Group PLC)
10 151 - - 0.1
Deltex Medical Group PLC 2 33 - 0.1 -
Other quoted investments 1 221 -
Total quoted 1,290 1,078 3.0

INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO SUMMARY (CONTINUED)

As at 30 June 2018

Investment (continued) Valuation
£'000
Cost
£'000
% of
total assets
% of
equity held
% of
equity held
by other
clients¹
Private equity investment trusts
HgCapital Trust PLC 137 100 0.4 - 0.1
Princess Private Equity Holding Limited 121 120 0.4 - 0.1
F&C Private Equity Investment Trust PLC 121 123 0.3 0.1 0.3
Apax Global Alpha Limited 104 103 0.1 - 0.1
Standard Life Private Equity Trust PLC 54 43 0.1 - -
Total private equity investment trusts 537 489 1.3
Real estate investment trusts
Schroder REIT Limited 106 107 0.2 - 0.2
Target Healthcare REIT Limited 97 96 0.2 - 0.2
Regional REIT Limited 88 89 0.2 - 0.2
Custodian REIT PLC 73 71 0.3 - 0.2
Total real estate investment trusts 364 363 0.9
Total investments 20,723 22,350 49.6

¹ Other clients of Maven Capital Partners UK LLP.

² Investment managed by Penta Capital LLP of which a Director of the Company, Steven Scott, is a partner.

ANALYSIS OF UNLISTED AND QUOTED PORTFOLIO

As at 30 June 2018

Industry sector Unlisted
valuation
£'000
% Quoted
valuation
£'000
% Total
valuation
£'000
%
Support services 4,066 19.7 35 0.2 4,101 19.9
Software & computer services 2,196 10.6 865 4.2 3,061 14.8
Energy services 2,828 13.6 - - 2,828 13.6
Telecommunication services 1,688 8.1 - - 1,688 8.1
Diversified industrials 1,667 8.0 - - 1,667 8.0
Investment companies 252 1.2 901 4.4 1,153 5.6
Electronic & electrical equipment 1,040 5.0 - - 1,040 5.0
Insurance 940 4.5 20 - 960 4.5
Household goods & textiles 796 3.9 94 0.5 890 4.4
Real estate 650 3.1 - - 650 3.1
Engineering & machinery 645 3.1 - - 645 3.1
Pharmaceuticals & biotechnology 537 2.6 87 0.4 624 3.0
Health 584 2.8 2 - 586 2.8
Automobiles & parts 484 2.4 - - 484 2.4
Chemicals - - 187 0.9 187 0.9
Technology 159 0.8 - - 159 0.8
Total 18,532 89.4 2,191 10.6 20,723 100.0

Valuation by Industry Group

    1. Industrials
    1. Non-financial
    1. Energy services
    1. Financial
    1. Telecommunications
    1. Consumer goods
    1. Healthcare
    1. Basic materials

ANALYSIS OF UNLISTED AND QUOTED PORTFOLIO (CONTINUED)

As at 30 June 2018

Deal type Number Valuation
£'000
%
Unlisted
Management buy-out 12 7,091 34.2
Development capital - post November 20151 17 5,852 28.2
Buy-in/management buy-out 3 2,023 9.8
Replacement capital 4 2,007 9.7
Management buy-in 1 730 3.5
Buy & build 1 720 3.5
Development capital - pre November 20151 10 109 0.5
Total unlisted 48 18,532 89.4
Quoted
AIM/NEX 12 1,290 6.2
Listed 9 901 4.4
Total quoted 21 2,191 10.6
Total unlisted and quoted 69 20,723 100.0

1 The Finance (No. 2) Act 2015 introduced new qualifying rules governing the types of investment that VCTs can make.

Valuation by Deal Type

    1. Management buy-out
    1. Development capital post 2015
    1. Buy-in/management buy-out
    1. Replacement capital
    1. Management buy-in
    1. Buy & build
    1. Development capital pre 2015
    1. Quoted

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Income Statement 19
Statement of Changes in Equity 20
Balance Sheet 21
Cash Flow Statement 22
Notes to the Financial Statements 23

INCOME STATEMENT

For the Six Months Ended 30 June 2018

Six months ended 30 June 2018 (unaudited) Six months ended 30 June 2017
(unaudited)
Year ended 31 December 2017
(audited)
Revenue
£'000
Capital
£'000
Total
£'000
Revenue
£'000
Capital
£'000
Total
£'000
Revenue
£'000
Capital
£'000
Total
£'000
Gains on investments - 390 390 - 173 173 - 984 984
Income from investments 325 - 325 469 - 469 1,182 - 1,182
Other income 9 - 9 5 - 5 11 - 11
Investment management
fees
(92) (367) (459) (85) (339) (424) (201) (806) (1,007)
Other expenses (124) - (124) (116) - (116) (283) - (283)
Net return on ordinary
activities before taxation
118 23 141 273 (166) 107 709 178 887
Tax on ordinary activities 9 9 - (23) 23 - (128) 128 -
Return attributable to
Equity Shareholders
109 32 141 250 (143) 107 581 306 887
Earnings per share (pence) 0.23 0.07 0.30 0.76 (0.44) 0.32 1.75 0.92 2.67

All gains and losses are recognised in the Income Statement.

All items in the above statement are derived from continuing operations. The Company has only one class of business and one reportable segment, the results of which are set out in the Income Statement and Balance Sheet. The Company derives its income from investments made in shares, securities and bank deposits.

There are no potentially dilutive capital instruments in issue and, therefore, no diluted earnings per share figures are relevant. The basic and diluted earnings per share are, therefore, identical.

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

For the Six Months Ended 30 June 2018

Six months ended 30 June 2018
(unaudited)
Share
capital
£'000
Share
premium
account
£'000
Capital
reserve
realised
£'000
Capital
reserve
unrealised
£'000
Special
distributable
reserve
£'000
Capital
redemption
reserve
£'000
Revenue
reserve
£'000
Total
£'000
At 31 December 2017 3,708 22,745 (2,111) (1,825) 8,271 384 702 31,874
Net return - - (166) 198 - - 109 141
Dividends paid - - (6,545) - - - - (6,545)
Repurchase and cancellation of shares (25) - - - (189) 25 - (189)
Net proceeds of share issue 2,023 13,947 - - - - - 15,970
Net proceeds of DIS issue 67 424 - - - - - 491
At 30 June 2018 5,773 37,116 (8,822) (1,627) 8,082 409 811 41,742
Six months ended 30 June 2017
(unaudited)
Share
capital
£'000
Share
premium
account
£'000
Capital
reserve
realised
£'000
Capital
reserve
unrealised
£'000
Special
distributable
reserve
£'000
Capital
redemption
reserve
£'000
Revenue
reserve
£'000
Total
£'000
At 31 December 2016 3,290 19,449 (1,571) 1,874 8,528 354 644 32,568
Net return - - (13) (130) - - 250 107
Dividends paid - - (934) - - - (66) (1,000)
Repurchase and cancellation of shares (23) - - - (204) 23 - (204)
At 30 June 2017 3,267 19,449 (2,518) 1,744 8,324 377 828 31,471
Year ended 31 December 2017
(audited)
Share
capital
£'000
Share
premium
account
£'000
Capital
reserve
realised
£'000
Capital
reserve
unrealised
£'000
Special
distributable
reserve
£'000
Capital
redemption
reserve
£'000
Revenue
reserve
£'000
Total
£'000
At 31 December 2016 3,290 19,449 (1,571) 1,874 8,528 354 644 32,568
Net return - - 4,005 (3,699) - - 581 887
Dividends paid - - (4,545) - - - (523) (5,068)
Repurchase and cancellation of shares (30) - - - (257) 30 - (257)
Net proceeds of share issue 437 3,211 - - - - - 3,648
Net proceeds of DIS issue 11 85 - - - - - 96
At 31 December 2017 3,708 22,745 (2,111) (1,825) 8,271 384 702 31,874

BALANCE SHEET

As at 30 June 2018

30 June 2018
(unaudited)
£'000
30 June 2017
(unaudited)
£'000
31 December 2017
(audited)
£'000
Fixed assets
Investments at fair value through profit or loss 20,723 28,942 20,081
Current assets
Debtors 939 422 456
Cash 20,385 2,151 11,587
21,324 2,573 12,043
Creditors
Amounts falling due within one year (305) (44) (250)
Net current assets 21,019 2,529 11,793
Net assets 41,742 31,471 31,874
Capital and reserves
Called up share capital 5,773 3,267 3,708
Share premium account 37,116 19,449 22,745
Capital reserve - realised (8,822) (2,518) (2,111)
Capital reserve - unrealised (1,627) 1,744 (1,825)
Special distributable reserve 8,082 8,324 8,271
Capital redemption reserve 409 377 384
Revenue reserve 811 828 702
Net assets attributable to Ordinary Shareholders 41,742 31,471 31,874
Net asset value per Ordinary Share (pence) 72.31 96.35 85.97

The Financial Statements were approved by the Board of Directors on 14 September 2018 and were signed on its behalf by:

Ian Cormack Director

CASH FLOW STATEMENT

For the Six Months Ended 30 June 2018

Six months ended
30 June 2018
(unaudited)
£'000
Six months ended
30 June 2017
(unaudited)
£'000
Year ended
31 December 2017
(audited)
£'000
Net cash flows from operating activities (777) (783) (1,320)
Cash flows from investing activities
Investment income received 277 400 1,072
Deposit interest received 9 5 11
Purchase of investments (1,766) (964) (2,615)
Sale of investments 1,413 303 11,626
Net cash flows from investing activities (67) (256) 10,094
Cash flows from financing activities
Equity dividends paid (6,545) (1,000) (5,068)
Issue of Ordinary Shares 16,376 - 3,744
Repurchase of Ordinary Shares (189) (204) (257)
Net cash flows from financing activities 9,642 (1,204) (1,581)
Net increase/(decrease) in cash 8,798 (2,243) 7,193
Cash at beginning of period 11,587 4,394 4,394
Cash at end of period 20,385 2,151 11,587

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. Accounting Policies

The financial information for the six months ended 30 June 2018 and the six months ended 30 June 2017 comprises non-statutory accounts within the meaning of S435 of the Companies Act 2006. The financial information contained in this report has been prepared on the basis of the accounting policies set out in the Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2017, which have been filed at Companies House and which contained an Auditor's Report that was not qualified and did not contain a statement under S498(2) or S498(3) of the Companies Act 2006.

2. Reserves

Share premium account

The share premium account represents the premium above nominal value received by the Company on issuing shares, net of issue costs.

Capital reserves

Gains or losses on investments realised in the year that have been recognised in the Income Statement are transferred to the capital reserve realised account on disposal. Furthermore, any prior unrealised gains or losses on such investments are transferred from the capital reserve unrealised account to the capital reserve realised account on disposal.

Increases and decreases in the fair value of investments are recognised in the Income Statement and are then transferred to the capital reserve unrealised account. The capital reserve realised account also represents capital dividends, capital investment management fees and the tax effect of capital items.

Special distributable reserve

The total cost to the Company of the repurchase and cancellation of shares is represented in the special distributable reserve account.

Capital redemption reserve

The nominal value of shares repurchased and cancelled is represented in the capital redemption reserve.

Revenue reserve

The revenue reserve represents accumulated profits retained by the Company that have not been distributed to Shareholders as a dividend.

3. Return per Ordinary Share Six months ended
30 June 2018
The returns per share have been based on the following figures:
Weighted average number of Ordinary Shares 48,156,412
Revenue return £109,000
Capital return £32,000
Total return £141,000

GENERAL INFORMATION

Directors' Responsibility Statement 25 Glossary 26

DIRECTORS' RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT

The Directors confirm that, to the best of their knowledge:

  • the Financial Statements for the six months ended 30 June 2018 have been prepared in accordance with FRS 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland;
  • the Interim Management Report includes a fair review of the information required by DTR 4.2.7R in relation to the indication of important events during the first six months, and of the principal risks and uncertainties facing the Company during the second six months, of the year ending 31 December 2018; and
  • the Interim Management Report includes adequate disclosure of the information required by DTR 4.2.8R in relation to related party transactions and any changes therein.

By order of the Board Maven Capital Partners UK LLP Secretary

14 September 2018

General Information

GLOSSARY

Alternative Performance Measures
(APMs)
Measures of performance that are in addition to the earnings reported in the Financial
Statements. The APMs used by the Company are marked * in this Glossary. The table in the
Financial Highlights section on page 5 shows the movement in net asset value and NAV total
return per Ordinary Share over the past three financial periods, and shows the dividends
declared in respect of each of the past three financial periods and on a cumulative basis
since inception.
Cumulative dividends paid* The total amount of both capital and income distributions paid since the launch
of the Company.
Discount /premium to NAV* A discount is the percentage by which the mid-market price of an investment is lower than the
net asset value per Ordinary Share. A premium is the percentage by which the mid-market
price per share of an investment exceeds the net asset value per Ordinary Share.
Distributable reserves Comprises capital reserve (realised), revenue reserve and special distributable reserve.
Dividend per Ordinary Share The total of all dividends per Ordinary Share paid by the Company in respect of the year.
Earnings per Ordinary Share
(EPS)
The net income after tax of the Company divided by the weighted average number of
shares in issue during the year. In a venture capital trust this is made up of revenue EPS
and capital EPS.
Ex-dividend date (XD date) The date set by the London Stock Exchange, normally being the business day preceeding the
record date.
Index or indices A market index calculates the average performance of its constituents, normally on a weighted
basis. It provides a means of assessing the overall state of the economy and provides a
comparison against which the performance of individual investments can be assessed.
Investment income* Income from investments as reported in the Income Statement.
NAV per Ordinary Share Net assets divided by the number of Ordinary Shares in issue.
NAV total return per
Ordinary Share*
Net assets divided by the number of Ordinary Shares in issue, plus cumulative dividends paid
to date.
Net assets attributable to
Ordinary Shareholders or
Shareholders' funds (NAV)
Total assets less current and long-term liabilities.
Operational expenses* The total of investment management fees and other expenses as reported in the Income
Statement.
Realised gains/losses The profit/loss on the sale of investments during the year.
Record date The date on which an investor needs to be holding a share in order to qualify for a forthcoming
dividend.
Revenue reserves The total of undistributed revenue earnings from prior years. This is available for distribution
to Shareholders by way of dividend payments.
Total return The theoretical return including reinvesting each dividend in additional shares in the Company
at the current mid-market price on the day that the shares go ex-dividend. The NAV total
return involves investing the same net dividend at the NAV of the Company on the ex
dividend date.
Unrealised gains/losses The profit/loss on the revaluation of the investment portfolio at the end of the year.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Directors Ian Cormack (Chairman)
Malcolm Graham-Wood
Bill Nixon
Steven Scott
Manager, Secretary and
Principal Place of Business
Maven Capital Partners UK LLP
Kintyre House
205 West George Street
Glasgow G2 2LW
Telephone: 0141 306 7400
E-mail: [email protected]
Registered Office Kintyre House
205 West George Street
Glasgow
G2 2LW
Registered in Scotland Company Registration Number: SC272568
Legal Entity Identifier: 213800WSH2TNL9NG5I06
TIDM: MAV4
ISIN: GB00B043QW84
Website www.mavencp.com/migvct4
Registrar Link Asset Services
The Registry
34 Beckenham Road
Beckenham
Kent BR3 4TU
Website: www.linkassetservices.com
Shareholder Portal: www.signalshares.com
Shareholder Helpline: 0333 300 1566
(Lines are open 9.00am until 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in
England and Wales. Calls are charged at the standard geographic rate and will vary by
provider. Calls outside the United Kingdom should be made to +44 371 664 0300 and
will be charged at the applicable international rate.)
Auditor Deloitte LLP
Bankers J P Morgan Chase Bank
Stockbrokers Shore Capital Stockbrokers Limited
020 7647 8132
VCT Adviser Phillip Hare & Associates LLP

Maven Capital Partners UK LLP Kintyre House 205 West George Street Glasgow G2 2LW

Authorised and Regulated by The Financial Conduct Authority

Tel: 0141 306 7400

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