Where ambitious founders,
meet ambitious capital.
A London incubator supporting a select number of UK pre-seed and seed companies each year.
0m 00s
Average time investors spend on a seed deck
DocSend, 2024
+0%
More time VCs now spend on seed Team slides
DocSend / Nasdaq, 2024
0.0%
UK unicorns backed by EIS investment
Beauhurst / EISA, 2024
0%
Income tax relief for EIS investors
HMRC, 2023/24
A London capital studio, not an agency.
Northwood helps founders prepare, position and raise capital with more clarity and structure. We work with a small number of companies each year, on the part of the round that decides most outcomes.
Clarity creates conviction. Our principals have built operating companies and sat on the capital side of the table. What looks like an investor problem is, more often than not, a preparation problem.
“Northwood gave us the language for what we were actually building. The materials and the team finally sounded like one company.”
Four things we hold to, on every engagement.
Clarity
A round earns attention through the precision of its first sentence. We sharpen the story until it lands without translation.
Preparation
Most of the result is decided before the first meeting. The model, the deck and the operating logic have to hold up under questioning.
Alignment
A short list of investors matched to stage, sector and mandate. We don't trade volume for fit.
Follow-through
A weekly cadence held to close. Diligence, term sheet and signature, run with the same discipline as the preparation.
Raise with conviction.
We work with a small number of founders each year on the part that decides most rounds: the story, the model, the materials and the investor list.
Framework · not a forecast
Narrative clarity
Why this, why now, in one breath.
Commercial model
A model that survives a partner meeting.
Materials quality
Deck, data room and one-pager in usable shape.
Investor fit
A list matched to stage, sector and mandate.
Process discipline
Cadence that holds momentum to close.
How we read a company before we back one.
A private matrix, applied consistently. Two axes decide where a company sits, and what the appropriate response from us is.
Execution first.
Then proposition.
Every company is plotted against two private axes: proposition strength and execution ability. A clear floor sits on execution ability. Below it, no proposition is strong enough. Above it, the remaining zones become relevant.
- Q1Backable
Strong proposition, demonstrated execution. Where the highest conviction forms.
- Q2Coachable
Execution is evident, the proposition is still sharpening. Candidates for structured refinement.
- Q3Relevant
A compelling proposition, but execution sits just above the floor. Progress tracked through milestones.
Three stages. One outcome.
A twelve-week framework built to give the round its best chance of closing cleanly, on the right terms.
Refine
Story, model, materials.
Align
Investor list, sequencing, warm intros.
Convert
Process, diligence, term sheet, close.
Refine
Story, model, materials.
Align
Investor list, sequencing, warm intros.
Convert
Process, diligence, term sheet, close.
Founder conversations
We meet founders early, understand the business, and assess whether the timing and ambition fit what we do.
Message and pitch
We sharpen the story, deck and materials so the business is clear, credible and memorable in front of investors.
Investor matching
We introduce founders to investors whose stage, sector and style match the round, not a generic list.
Round support
We stay close through the raise, helping with questions, momentum and follow-up until the round closes.
Asymmetric upside, engineered downside.
A short list of EIS and SEIS eligible UK companies, prepared to a standard worth your time. Model the tax treatment, understand the trajectory, meet the founders.
Illustrative only. Assumes qualifying EIS investment held for the three-year minimum, full income relief claimed, and total loss offset against income at your marginal rate. Tax rules and reliefs may change.
38.5p of every £1 committed, after income and loss relief.
The reliefs, stacked.
Income tax relief
Claimed against the current or prior tax year, reducing your income tax bill by up to £600,000 annually.
Downside shield
Loss relief offsets a written-off holding against income at your marginal rate. Net risk falls to as little as 38.5p in the £ for additional-rate taxpayers.
CGT on exit
Gains on qualifying shares held for three years or more are free of capital gains tax. No cap on the upside.
IHT relief
Qualifying holdings receive full Business Relief after two years, sitting outside your estate for inheritance tax.
Where the return has to come from.
Illustrative 3–3.4× MoIC over a 5–7 year horizon on qualifying EIS companies, before tax relief.
~7% CAGR reference. Shown for context, not comparison of risk-adjusted return.
Targets are portfolio-level and illustrative. Early-stage venture carries risk of total loss on individual holdings.
From inbound interest to investor-ready.
How raw founder approaches become a short list worth your time. Selectivity is the product.
- 01
Inbound founder interest
Founders who reach out or are referred in.
- 02
First conversation
Stage, sector, intent and timing assessed.
- 03
Preparation scope
We commit only where the work will move the round.
- 04
Investor-ready
Story, deck, model, data room and process tested.
- 05
Shared with investors
Briefed introductions to mandate-aligned capital.
Begin a conversation.
We work with a small number of founders and investors. Tell us who you are, and we'll reply within two business days.
I am an…
Northwood Capital provides information only and does not offer financial, tax or investment advice. Investments referenced are illiquid, capital is at risk, and past performance is not a guide to future results. EIS reliefs depend on personal circumstances and may change. Investor materials are made available only to those who have self-certified as sophisticated or high-net-worth investors under FCA rules, or who are professional investors.