Trying to do a bit of research here and wonder if anyone can help.

Have any of you guys with spare cash ever been tempted to invest in a company under the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme or Enterprise Investment Scheme? I am about to head to VC's to raise money to further my internet venture but a couple of people have suggested trying to raise money through one of these schemes.

I know of no-one that has ever invested through them and just wondered if anyone here has, and what their take on it is in terms of attractiveness. My venture is high risk , high reward which is the sort of company that these schemes are aimed at but I have read lots of people still do not pick the high risk ones.

Any experience or thoughts from anyone who would or has genuinely consider(ed) risking investing in a business in a tax efficient manner would be much appreciated. It would help me work out whether there is merit in exploring this avenue.

As I understand it, you can offset the amount you invest against tax and any capital gain you make is tax free as long as you keep the shares for 3 years. Obviously there is more to it than that but those are the main sweeteners. So if the company hits paydirt your gain is all yours.

Cheers in advance for any thoughts or experience.

Ben. 2011 Range Rover Vogue 4.4 TDV8
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