Each year, around 2,000 UK startups secure funding through SEIS. Originally launched in 2012 as an extension of the successful EIS and expanded in 2022, SEIS remains one of the most attractive funding routes for early-stage companies.
SEIS funds provide investment to early-stage start-ups that qualify under the UK government’s Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS). The scheme offers generous tax incentives to encourage investment in young, high-risk businesses. Investors can benefit from up to 50% income tax relief, loss relief, inheritance tax advantages, and capital gains tax exemptions on successful exits. We have a separate article covering why SEIS/EIS is so valuable to your investors.
SEIS funds play a key role by pooling capital from individuals and family offices to create diversified portfolios of qualifying start-ups. While individual SEIS investors back start-ups directly, SEIS funds offer a more managed, risk-spread approach.
Your company can raise up to £250,000 through SEIS if it meets the following eligibility criteria:
Trading for less than three years – Your company must have been trading for less than three years to be able to issue SEIS shares. Businesses that haven’t started trading yet are still eligible.
Established in the UK – Your business must have a permanent UK establishment, either as a physical premise or have a UK based director.
Not publicly listed – Your company must not be publicly traded or have active plans to list on a stock exchange.
Subsidiary rules – If your company has subsidiaries, they must qualify under SEIS guidelines. Additionally, your company must never have been controlled by another business.
Asset limit – The total gross assets of your company (or combined assets for a group) must be below £350,000 when shares are issued. This figure is taken from the balance sheet before liabilities are deducted.
Team size – Your company must have fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees. Part-time staff count proportionally (e.g., an employee working 21 hours per week is 60% of a full-time equivalent).
No prior VCT or EIS funding – If you have previously raised investment through a Venture Capital Trust (VCT) or the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), your business will not qualify for SEIS funding. This is why you need to be careful if you have dual (SEIS and EIS) investments in the same round. We have a guide covering that.
Sector - Certain trades are excluded for example, legal or accountancy services, construction and property development - you can see the full list here.
For most newly launched UK startups, securing SEIS funding is a highly viable option, and most will typically raise between £50,000 and £250,000. There are no strict revenue requirements, in fact many SEIS-funded startups are pre-revenue.
To make it a little easier for you to find, we’ve curated a list of SEIS funds that are currently active.
Ascension Ventures - Ascension Ventures (AV) helps fund companies in their first or second funding round across three healthcare sectors: services, technology, and medtech/devices. They typically invest from £75k and £700k depending on the specific fund. - Apply here
BoxFund - BoxFund typically invests in businesses that align with their principles e.g. social good, healthy planet, and positive business practices. They tend to center around early-stage ventures with investment ranging from £100k to £2M. Apply here
Britbots - Britbots typically funds UK based automation, artificial intelligence and robotics businesses. They invest from £85k to £1.5M depending on stage and structure. Apply here
British Design Fund - The British Design Fund is an early stage investment fund that specifically invests in, and provides support for purpose-led, UK product design and manufacturing companies. They typically invest from £150,000 and £200,000. Apply here
Charlotte Street Capital - Charlotte Street Capital typically invests in software startups who have demonstrated some customer pull. They invest up to £300k. Apply here
Deepbridge Capital - Deepbridge Capital invests technology, life sciences and renewable energy sectors from seed stage, through commercialisation and growth funding. They invest from £100,000 and £1.2 million, depending on the stage and fund. Apply here
EHE Ventures - EHE Capital is an early-stage investor and venture studio that backs AI-first UK startups across sectors like fintech, healthtech, and automation. They typically invest between £100,000 and £1.5 million, with occasional rounds up to £5 million, depending on the stage and opportunity. Apply here
Fuel Ventures - Fuel ventures primarily backs tech companies ranging from Pre-seed to Series A. They invest from £150,000 to £4 million, depending on the stage and growth potential. Apply here
Haatch Ventures - Haatch ventures typically invests in digital or technology enabled companies from £300k to £800k. Apply here
Jenson Funding Partners - Jenson Ventures primarily backs UK-based, tech-enabled startups from pre-revenue to early-revenue stages through SEIS and EIS funds. They typically invest up to £250,000 at SEIS stage and up to £500,000 at EIS stage for follow-on growth. Apply here
Mint Ventures - Mint Ventures primarily backs those with a social, ethical, or environmental purpose in sectors like Food & Drink, Beauty, Health & Wellbeing, Retail, Creative Industries, Tourism, Vet‑Tech, Online Marketplaces, and FemTech. They invest from £50,000 up to £200,000 per round, targeting firms eligible for SEIS/EIS tax relief. [Apply here](
Nova Growth Capital - Built Ventures- Built Ventures primarily backs UK-based tech startups emerging from its venture-builder/studio model at pre-seed stage (through SEIS/EIS funds). They invest from £100,000 up to £250,000+. Apply here
O2h Ventures - O2h Ventures primarily backs UK-based biotech and life-science startups at pre‑seed to Series A/B stages, often focused on therapeutic drug discovery, biotech enabling tools, and AI/ML applications in health . They typically invest from £100,000 up to £1.5 million per company. Apply here
Oxford Capital Partners - They focus on software-centric opportunities in areas such as fintech, digital health, AI/ML, mobility, climate, and retail-tech. They typically invest initial checks ranging from £150,000 up to £1 million. Apply here
Oxford Technology - Oxford Technology primarily backs UK-based, science and tech-enabled startups—particularly those within a 60-mile radius of Oxford—at pre-seed to seed stage. They typically invest up to £150,000 per company at SEIS stage, with follow-on EIS funding of up to £300,000 for high performers. Apply here
QVentures - QVentures primarily backs UK-based, growth-stage tech companies from pre-seed to Series B, including a dedicated pre-seed SEIS fund. They invest from roughly £200k–£5m+ per round depending on stage & traction. Apply here
Startup Funding Club Capital - They invest in companies less than two years old, often with an MVP or early traction. They typically write cheques averaging around £500K–£600K per round, with individual investments commonly in the £100K–£1M range. Apply here
Sustainable Ventures - Sustainable Ventures backs early-stage climate-tech startups through SEIS and EIS funding, typically investing up to £150,000 at SEIS stage and up to £500,000 at EIS stage. Apply here
Symvan Capital - Symvan Capital invests in early-stage B2B technology startups across sectors like SaaS, AI, Fintech, Edtech, and Cybersecurity. They typically invest £250,000–£500,000 initially under SEIS/EIS, with follow-on funding of up to £2 million. Apply here
SyndicateRoom - SyndicateRoom invests in early-stage UK startups across a wide range of sectors through its Access EIS Fund. Instead of picking individual companies, investors gain exposure to a diversified portfolio of 50+ EIS-eligible startups, selected using data-driven co-investment with top-performing angel investors. Typical raise per company: £250k–£1.5M. Apply here
TrueSight Ventures - They invest in founders going after large markets and solving important problems with technology. Typically investing from £100k-£500k some up to £1.5 million. Apply here
Vala British Ventures (Vala Capital) - Vala Capital invests in early-stage British startups through its British Ventures EIS fund, targeting companies with high-growth potential across sectors like tech, fintech, engineering, wellness, and food & beverage. Typically raising between £1M and £5M. Apply here
Velocity Technology (Juice Capital) - Velocity technology and Juice Capital mainly invests in technology companies for instance e-commerce and digital marketing companies. They typically invest from £250k–£500k. Apply here
Worth Capital - Worth Capital backs early-stage UK startups through its Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) & EIS funds, often sourced via startup competitions. Initial investments usually range from £100k to £250k, with potential follow-ons. Apply here
“Don't underestimate how hard it is to raise a round or how long it will take. While the product and team are the most important part of any pitch, before I invest, I'm already thinking about what the next round is likely to look like and when it will be. Do me a favour and show me that you've put serious consideration into this as well.”
“The most important thing for us is that the founders can demonstrate real "customer pull", i.e. evidence that customers really want the solution that the team is offering. Even if the product itself is still very limited. Obviously the best way to demonstrate customer pull is with sales, but there might be other ways of providing evidence that potential customers are excited about the potential solution.”
First, make sure your raise is genuinely EIS eligible – it's essential for both compliance and investor appetite. We often see fantastic businesses that unfortunately can’t qualify. Second, be transparent and prepared. EIS investors are looking for high-growth opportunities, but we also need to understand the risks and how you're managing them. A compelling narrative, supported by data and a realistic funding plan, makes a strong impression.
We typically invest at the Series A stage, which for us means businesses that have:
Proven early traction (revenues, customers, or partnerships, last twelve month revenues >£1m),
A scalable model,
A clear use of funds to support growth (usually >50% YoY)
We’re happy to review a business that is not yet investable, but founders should have a deck, detailed financials, and ideally an EIS advance assurance application in progress when they first reach out.
Yes – quite a few, but it differs deal by deal. Some of the most common include:
Lack of EIS eligibility – it's non-negotiable for us.
No clear path to scale – strong ideas are great, but we’re looking for execution capability and market potential.
Team gaps or inexperienced teams – especially where financial or commercial leadership is missing.
Overly ambitious or unclear financial projections – it’s fine to be optimistic, but we need to see a grounded, well-thought-out plan.
A significant debt burden – this might become impossible to service if sales don’t come through as expected.
A startup can look great in a deck but falter when we dig into execution, governance, or market dynamics.
Yes – founders should be ready for an ongoing relationship as we need to hold investments for 3 years to be eligible for EIS and our holding period is often in excess of 5 years. Post-investment, we support our portfolio with:
Board involvement or observer roles,
Strategic input and connections, and
Support on follow-on rounds or governance.
Founders should also understand their EIS compliance obligations post-investment – including regular reporting and maintaining eligibility.
Joe Tallett, Co-Founder & CEO - AVIEL Intelligence
"I'd advise to prepare your pitch well in advance of approaching an SEIS fund - make sure you can provide not only a big picture pitch, but also much finer grained month-to-month plans for how you're planning to spend any investment you raise. This will likely be the first outside money invested in your company so SEIS funds don't have a set of existing investors to get references from, meaning having those facts and figures to hand at the first attempt is even more important. One final piece of advice: know the basics of SEIS investor motivations in general, as the funds - being backed by individuals with exactly the same motivations - will be no different."
FounderCatalyst supports customers through the end-to-end fundraising process, which includes getting SEIS/EIS advance assurance upfront, executing the funding round (producing all the legal paperwork) and managing the SEIS/EIS compliance and certification process at the backend.
We're very proud of our industry leading success rate and sub 3 hour SEIS advance assurance response achieved in January 2025 - see more about it here.
We use a highly structured approach that combines smart technology with expert human guidance. Our toolkit includes proven templates and resources, such as our Minimum Viable Forecast model. The human element is essential — there are numerous pitfalls that can jeopardise SEIS relief for your investors. Learn more here.
We understand how important SEIS/EIS are to startups raising in the UK - so please feel free to schedule a call with one of our experts here.
You can start a funding round in minutes with a free FounderCatalyst account, experiment with our service and see how easy it would be to save time, money, and emotional resources by using FounderCatalyst when raising your next funding round.
You can see a sample of the paperwork we'd generate, invite colleagues to act as investors, and truly experiment with how easy we make it. Then cancel the experiment round when you're ready to start a real one!
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