Partner with Ascension
Offer your clients access to tax-efficient venture capital investments backed by a 10-year track record and 15 successful exits.
Awards and rankings recognise Ascension Ventures as a firm. They are not a measure of any fund's future performance. Sources: UKBAA Angel Investment Awards 2019, 2022 and 2026; Tax Efficient Review, issue 608, March 2025; Sifted, Top 50 best-performing investors, UK and Ireland, 2025; CB Insights, the top 50 venture investors in the UK, May 2025; Beauhurst, London's most active investors 2015 to 2025 (February 2026) and UK impact investing funds (2025).
We don't believe in managing from the sidelines. Ascension invests alongside your clients, keeping us focused on long-term value, not short-term outcomes.
Invested in our funds by our team and Venture Partners
Of Ascension owned by our 17 Venture Partners
British Business Bank co-investment alongside every Ascension fund investment
The British Business Bank co-invests up to £10m alongside every Ascension fund investment, including the SEIS and EIS funds and Ascension Fund III. Figures per the October 2026 webinar deck.
“Achieving successful/profitable exits and returning cash to investors is the Holy Grail of the EIS industry and credit should be given to Ascension for achieving what they have in a relatively short time scale.
Including 7 exits of 5× or more and 3 of 9× or more
Outcomes of 6× and beyond. Each exit is labelled with the fund that held it; not every exit was available to EIS investors.
10× including deferred consideration
Measured on the shares sold. The EIS 2018 position was sold in full in the same secondary at 4.3×
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
Multiples are on first-entry price, gross of fees, expenses and taxes, rounded to the nearest whole number; partial exits are measured on the shares sold. Some exits remain subject to milestones or deferred consideration. Exits held by Fair By Design, our institutional fund, were not available to EIS or SEIS investors. Profitable exits counted firm-wide at August 2026; an exit counts only above cost.
What the reliefs do, and what they need. SEIS and EIS reliefs can reduce the cost of a failed investment. They do not remove the risk: most early-stage companies fail.
SEIS
Maximum net loss 27.5p per £1 at 45% (15.5p if reinvestment relief also applies)
EIS
Maximum net loss 38.5p per £1 for an additional-rate taxpayer who keeps the relief and claims loss relief
Illustrative, for an additional-rate taxpayer in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Rules as at 18 October 2026, before the Budget on 28 October 2026; they can change. Reliefs depend on individual circumstances. Capital is at risk. Sources: ITA 2007 Parts 5 and 5A; TCGA 1992 s1H, Sch 5B and Sch 5BB; IHTA 1984 Part V.
Choose the right fund for your client
Each fund has its own deployment profile and fee terms. The Information Memorandum governs.
From first model to reporting for life. Model a scenario, build an illustration, submit a pre-filled application, then receive reports and tax certificates for every company.
Investor platform
Confirms holdings, tranches and payments for each of your clients.
Online Application
Streamlined digital application process for your clients with e-signature support.
Illustration Tool
Create personalised cost illustrations for your clients in 2 minutes.
Try itReporting for life
Six-monthly reports for five years, then annual, plus EIS3 and SEIS3 certificates for every company.
Quick tax relief estimate. Instantly see the relief, fees and qualifying amount for any investment.
Estimates assume the upfront fee is deducted from the subscription and no advice fee. Ongoing and performance fees also apply; see the Information Memorandum. Relief is limited to the investor's income tax liability. Use the full illustration tool for advice fees and fee splits.
Among the UK’s most active pre-seed investors
Our investment flywheel screens thousands of opportunities a year, so we can put real conviction behind the few founders we choose to back.
300+ founders in our portfolio send us the exceptional peers they meet: a proprietary deal source no one else can replicate.
Independently ranked among the UK’s leading early-stage investors
Backed by
Also backed by Joseph Rowntree Foundation, University of Edinburgh, Social Tech Trust, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Places for People.
What it costs, in pounds. Ascension EIS Fund and Ascension Knowledge Intensive EIS Fund. Only the management fee carries VAT.
| Charge | Rate (incl. VAT) |
|---|---|
| Upfront fee | 5% |
| Management fee | 1% a year + VAT (1.2%) |
| Custody | 0.15% a year |
| Performance fee | 20% |
| Enhanced performance fee | 30% |
| Transaction fee | 0.25% |
| Follow-on (optional) | 2.5%, and 10% of the gain |
| Company charge | Up to 5% |
| Carry Back EIS Fund performance fee | 20% |
Worked example on £100,000
The management fee is £1,200 a year for years 1 to 5 (£1,000 plus £200 VAT). Custody on the £95,000 invested is £142.50 a year. Both build up and are taken only from money the portfolio returns, before anything is paid to you; if nothing is returned, they are not collected. If the fund returned £200,000 before fees, the performance fee would be 20% of the £70,000 between £130,000 and £200,000: £14,000.
Performance fees are marginal, measured on gross proceeds before other fees, with no catch-up. Fees are stated excluding VAT unless shown. The Information Memorandum and agreements govern. Source: Ascension EIS Fund and KI EIS Fund, Fees and VAT, October 2026. Adviser facilitation fees can be arranged; contact us for details.
Planning dates for the 2026-27 tax year.
Autumn Budget
We will review this page and our calculators within a week of the Budget.
Self-assessment deadline for 2025-26
EIS3 and SEIS3 certificates support the claim.
End of the 2026-27 tax year
Shares issued in 2026-27 can have relief carried back to 2025-26. For the Knowledge Intensive EIS Fund, relief follows the year the fund closes.
Unused pensions join the estate for inheritance tax
Finance Act 2026. A planning point for clients with large pension pots.
IHT calculatorBusiness relief can apply to qualifying EIS shares
The clock starts when the shares are issued, not on 6 April 2027.
Estate planning calculatorBased on legislation as at 18 October 2026. Tax rules can change. Reliefs depend on individual circumstances.
Ready to partner with Ascension?
Get in touch with our adviser relations team to learn more about our funds and how we can work together.