Venture capital investor and small business lender Praetura launches new venture capital trust

Shares in the VCT will be admitted to the London Stock Exchange, with Praetura seeking to raise an initial £10m to invest in businesses.

In a statement, Praetura said: “The directors of the VCT and people associated to Praetura have already collectively committed to investing £1.02m to the raise.”

Since 2019, Praetura Ventures has backed 37 companies.

Praetura has also appointed former Puma Investments COO (chief operating officer) Sam McArthur as a partner.

In his new role, he will help expand Praetura Investments’ range of alternative retail investment services.

Mr McArthur said: “The demand for alternative investments is growing significantly. Investors are looking for solutions to diversify their portfolio and deliver strong returns, especially at a time where inflation is continuing to rise and volatility in the stock market, which affects index funds.

"Praetura’s reputation for providing ‘more than money’, combined with the team’s knowledge of the North and passion for backing exceptional businesses outside of London, offers investors a way to do that.

"These are factors that encouraged me to join Praetura in the first place, and I’m looking forward to seeing how far we can take our VCT.”