
B Share Pool
Investment Activity and Performance
We are pleased to report that 2024 was an
active year for the B share pool, with seven new
investments added. These were made alongside
other Seneca-managed funds and bring the current
number of B share pool qualifying investments to
twenty-eight.
Of the seven investments in the year, there were
three new investments, including a £336k new
investment in a previously exited portfolio company,
and four follow-on investments.
The three new investments completed in the year
were:
•
£915k, including a £500k loan note, into Forma-
Care (UK) Limited (“Forma-Care”), the highly
competitive supplier of adult incontinence
products to the UK healthcare sector, including
the NHS, offering a range of solutions designed
to improve patient well-being and quality of life;
•
£312k into Directa Plus Plc, an existing Seneca
EIS investment and a market leading developer
and manufacturer of high-quality graphene-
based products for industrial and commercial
applications, including textiles, environmental
remediation, composites, elastomers, batteries,
and paints; and
•
£336k into previously exited B share portfolio
company OptiBiotix Health Plc (“OptiBiotix”), a
specialist developer of microbiome modulators
for use in food ingredients, supplements and
active compounds to improve human health.
The four follow-on investments were largely
defensive in nature and comprised:
•
£206k into Verici Dx Plc;
•
£100k into Aptamer Group Plc;
•
£25k into Silkfred Limited; and
•
£50k into Solascure Limited.
We were also encouraged that the Company’s
holdings in Bright Network Limited (“Bright
Network”), Convenient Collect (t/a “HubBox”),
Aptamer Group Plc (“Aptamer”), Northcoders Group
Plc and SkinbioTherapeutics Plc have generated
positive valuation movements, adding £600k to the
Company’s net assets (equivalent to 2.6p of NAV per
B share) during the year. Although, it is disappointing
that these positive movements were outweighed by
further reductions in the share price of the remaining
B share pool AIM quoted portfolio companies and
the failure of Old Street Labs Limited (t/a Vizibl)
which entered into administration during the year.
NAV Total Return
Over the course of the year, the B Share NAV
Total Return declined by 15.9p from 85.7p as at 31
December 2023 to 69.8p as at 31 December 2024, a
19% decrease in the financial year.
The decline in the value of the quoted B share
portfolio was driven primarily by a reduction in the
share price of four AIM-listed holdings:
•
Oxford Biodynamics Plc;
•
Celadon Pharmaceuticals Plc;
•
Arecor Therapeutics Plc; and
•
Directa Plus Plc
These four companies accounted for 73% of the
decline in value of the B share pool quoted holdings,
equivalent to a 9p reduction in B share NAV per share.
•
Oxford Biodynamics Plc saw a 95% fall in its
share price in the year as commercial adoption
of its diagnostic technology remained slower
than anticipated.
•
Celadon Pharmaceuticals Plc (“Celadon”) saw
an 87% decrease in its share price in the period
as a result of a funding delay, which significantly
impacted Celadon’s cash flow, leading the
company to manage its cash position and
creditors tightly resulting in a decline in share
price as cash pressures mounted.
•
Arecor Therapeutics Plc (“Arecor”) saw its share
price drop by 60% due to a heavily discounted
fundraising round reflective of the challenges
AIM companies have faced accessing capital in
this market, despite reporting an 11% increase
in revenue for 2024, reaching £5.1 million, and
continued confidence in its future prospects.
•
Directa Plus Plc, despite making strong
advancements in its graphene-based
technology, saw its share price fall by 33% since
June 2024 as the company adjusted its forecasts
to reflect delays in the initiation of significant
contracts, which postponed anticipated revenue
streams.
Notwithstanding the above, many of the remaining
B share pool quoted portfolio companies have made
some compelling progress in the year, including:
•
SkinBioTherapeutics Plc (“SkinBioTherapeutics”),
which finalised its commercial agreement
with Croda, outlining the framework for the
commercialisation of SkinBiotix which is
anticipated in 2025. Under this agreement,
SkinBioTherapeutics is entitled to tiered royalties
based on global sales revenues of any licensed
products derived from the partnership. The
company has indicated that these royalties are
structured as double-digit percentages which
could have a material impact on revenue. This
resulted in a 24% increase in SkinBioTherapeutics’
share price as at 31 December 2024 compared to
31 December 2023.
•
Northcoders Group Plc has continued to grow
in the tech training sector, reporting increased
revenues and an expanding customer base.
Northcoders Group Plc was also honoured as
the Best Performing Company in the Business
Process Outsourcing category at the 2024
Megabuyte Emerging Stars Awards. The launch of
their brand-new part-time software development
bootcamp that aims to make careers in tech even
more accessible and to increase the number of
people from different backgrounds taking its
courses has also contributed to the 31% increase
in share price as at 31 December 2024 compared
to 31 December 2023.
•
Probiotix Health Plc has achieved positive
developments in its commercial partnerships
and reported a 39% growth in sales to £1.5
million in the nine months to 30 September
2024. The company also has a strong cash
balance with no requirement for further funding
and reported an order book with record levels in
the year.
•
Velocity Composites Plc has benefited from
increased demand in the aerospace sector,
reporting a 40% increase in revenue to £23
million for the 2024 financial year and achieving
Seneca Growth Capital VCT Plc
10
Annual Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024
CHAIR’S STATEMENT