Innovation Investment Fund – Procurement of a Fund Manager

Cardiff Council is seeking to procure a Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) authorised fund manager (“Fund Manager”) on behalf of Cardiff Capital Region (“CCR”) to establish, provide certain services, and to manage the capital allocated under the innovation investment fund (“Fund”) which focuses on providing funding support to proven high growth innovative businesses looking to scale up, via patient capital or long-term investment, in the South East Wales region. The fund will be capitalised initially at 50million GBP, but will look to target a total Fund size of up to 100million GBP; including co-investment from other investors. The Fund is anticipated to be classed as an alternative investment fund and will be structured under a conventional limited partnership model under which the Fund Manager will, amongst other matters, be principally expected to: (a) provide advice upon and finalisation of the Investment Strategy for the Fund; (b) marketing, promoting and securing a pipeline of suitable potential applicants; (c) reviewing applications, undertaking all required due diligence and marshalling the application process to determine suitability for the Fund in accordance with the prescribed investment strategy and eligibility criteria; (d) provide ongoing monitoring, scrutiny and management of investments made, reporting and highlighting any potential or actual risks arising and how these may be managed; (e)potentially, invest capital itself (or via an affiliate company) directly into the Fund (on terms to be agreed); (f) procuring co-investment for the Fund from other private and/or public sector investors; and (g) fulfilling the role of an FCA authorised fund manager for the Fund.. The Fund is anticipated to run for an initial 5 year period of investment activity, followed by up to 7 years of monitoring and management of the fund portfolio with the ability to extend by a further [2] to [3] years (on terms to be determined).