Invest in early-stage UK companies
Our EIS and SEIS funds back 10 to 12 young companies. It is high risk: most early-stage companies fail, and you could lose all the money you invest. Tax reliefs can reduce a loss but do not remove it.
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).
Ascension invests alongside our investors, 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.
Our funds
Each fund has its own deployment profile and fee terms. The Information Memorandum governs. Speak to a regulated financial adviser if you are unsure which, if any, suits you.
High risk. Tax reliefs soften losses; they do not remove them. If you invest £10,000 in an EIS fund and every company fails, you lose the £10,000. You may get some of it back through tax: 30% income tax relief up front, then loss relief at your own tax rate on what is left. Your money is usually tied up for five to ten years, and you cannot sell early.
SEIS
Reliefs for investors in the earliest-stage companies. You could still lose all the money you invest.
EIS
Reliefs for investors in early-stage companies. You could still lose all the money you invest.
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. Not sure this is right for you? A regulated financial adviser can tell you whether EIS or SEIS suits your circumstances.
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.
Want to know more?
Talk to us about which fund may suit you. A regulated financial adviser can tell you whether EIS or SEIS suits your circumstances. You can invest through your adviser, or directly with us after a short eligibility check.