Economic Value

A key part of our value in economic terms is in the pivotal early role we play in getting technology companies off the ground, often whilst they are still in the laboratory and before they are ready to spin out. Many of our companies might never have made it, if it had not been for our support and the technologies and services they offer would not have progressed beyond an interesting concept.

 

What We And Our Companies Have Already Achieved

• We have helped to create over 30 high technology start-up companies in sectors such as health, environmental services, international development and security.
• We have leveraged over £190 million of private investment into our portfolio companies. This represents a ratio of over £20 for every £1 invested from Rainbow.
• Over and above co-investment, we have helped generate wider economic impact in the form of salaries, taxes and economic activity in suppliers. Known as “Gross Value Add” (GVA), this measurement, at £5 of GVA for every £1 invested by Rainbow, already shows the benefit of early stage investment, and is forecasted to grow substantially as the companies mature and grow.
• We have bolstered the UK’s exports – an overwhelming majority of sales in Rainbow companies are overseas and total sales have already reached over £70m.
• We have helped create over 240 high value technology-related jobs, a figure that is rising rapidly as the companies accelerate and transition from research into production and sales.
• The Fund has already had four successful exits and has recycled the funds into new investments. The Fund still holds significant stakes in some very promising companies that we expect to realize in coming years.

 

What We Expect In The Future

We invest at the very earliest stage and many of our companies are still very much in development mode, meaning that the larger numbers in terms of sales, jobs and taxes are still to come as the companies mature.

Looking forward is of course a hazardous enterprise, and several of our companies are bound to fail at some point. But we like to think that we can be confident that the growth we have seen to date will be sustained and that we will see more highly skilled jobs, more exports and higher levels of wider impact in terms of the supply chain and the wider economy. And, eventually, more successful realisations of Rainbow investments so that we can recycle the money into future generations of outstanding UK technologies.

 

Current as at: 31st January 2016