DSW Ventures, the venture capital arm of the Dow Schofield Watts group, has announced the successful closing of its second Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) fund. Exceeding its initial target, the fund secured over £2 million, demonstrating strong investor confidence in DSW Ventures’ strategy of focusing on early-stage technology companies across the UK regions.
Building on the success of its first SEIS fund, which invested £1.9 million in six innovative startups across Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the North of England, Fund 2 will continue to target promising companies and university spin-outs. Fund 1’s portfolio companies are developing pioneering technologies in areas such as therapeutics addressing critical unmet societal needs, advanced diagnostics, and cutting-edge B2B software solutions.
DSW Ventures’ established network within the regional early-stage funding ecosystem enabled Fund 1 to leverage £5.6 million in total investment. The portfolio is now attracting further capital from co-investors and, in some cases, is already in discussions with next-stage investors at significant valuation uplifts.
The strong investor demand for Fund 2 highlights the appeal of DSW Ventures’ focus on high-potential technology companies outside of London-Oxford-Cambridge “Golden Triangle”. The firm’s commitment to providing hands-on support to portfolio companies has also resonated strongly with founders, resulting in a robust pipeline of investment opportunities for the new fund. DSW Ventures anticipates completing its first two investments from Fund 2 in the coming weeks.
Keith Benson, partner of DSW Ventures, commented: “We’ve been very impressed by the quality of deal flow for SEIS investments. Fund 1 has invested in some incredibly exciting technologies conceived and developed in the UK regions. Building and maintaining this deal flow, executing investments, and providing market-leading support to our portfolio companies requires significant effort and resources. The successful deployment of Fund 1 and the subsequent raising of Fund 2 are a testament to the skills, capabilities, and sheer hard work of our talented team.”
Investors interested in DSW Ventures and its SEIS Fund should email Keith Benson at keith@dsw.vc