People Behind the Product: Andrew Aldridge, Deepbridge

Written by CoInvestor | 16 July, 2020

Andrew Aldridge - Partner & Head of Marketing, Deepbridge

As Partner and Head of Marketing, Andrew oversees all Deepbridge communications and messaging. Andrew has a wealth of experience marketing financial and professional institutions, with over a decade of experience building credible brands and delivering real growth.

Andrew is a member of The Chartered Institute of Marketing and holds a BSc in Business Economics and Marketing from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Andrew is also a patron of the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your role?

Working with great people. Whether that be the Deepbridge team, the founders and leaders of our investee companies or the advisers and clients who invest in our proposition – everyone we work with is committed to supporting growth-focused innovators and entrepreneurs, which makes it a fascinating sector to work in.

How do you see your role changing in the next 3-5 years?

As Deepbridge continues to grow, the company and our propositions will continue to evolve. That means that my role will also evolve, which is great and there is genuinely never a dull moment!

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"With a proven track record of working with emerging companies, the Deepbridge investment team work closely with investee companies throughout their funding journey in order to ensure they have the very best opportunity to succeed and ultimately aim to provide our investors with an optimum return."

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What makes your firm stand out?

Deepbridge only operates in the sectors in which the team has in-depth experience; technology, life sciences and renewable energy; which allows us to appreciate where, how and why our investee companies operate, giving us a better understanding of how to support, mentor and manage those businesses.

With a proven track record of working with emerging companies, the Deepbridge investment team work closely with investee companies throughout their funding journey in order to ensure they have the very best opportunity to succeed and ultimately aim to provide our investors with an optimum return.

What is the one thing that you would like advisers/investors to know about your firm?

Deepbridge deploys EIS funds on a usually monthly basis, allowing investors to claim their potential tax reliefs quicker. This means investors’ money is not sat in the bank waiting to be invested doing nothing, we are putting it to work with our investee companies. This is also important for the investors because the 3-year holding period on EIS starts when the money is deployed, not when the investor transfers money to a provider.

What recent investment opportunity has caught your eye and why?

VoxSmart Ltd, which is part of the Deepbridge Technology Growth EIS fund, is a mobile recording provider, aiming to address the global financial services compliance challenges of enabling integrated mobility and social technology within heavily regulated industries.

As the Coronavirus pandemic has led to an increase in remote working, VoxSmart has advised that they have been experiencing increased interest in their software as organisations seek to maintain regulatory compliance.

VoxSmart have also recently received funding of £5.5m from NatWest, in order help accelerate growth and innovation of new products. This support reinforces Deepbridge’s own belief in VoxSmart’s dedication and overall business strategy.

What are three things you look for when investing in a business?

Deepbridge has a very thorough initial due diligence process, followed by a strict investment criteria, which we will not waiver from. There are a whole host of criteria to be met, but to pick out three key aspects I would say:

1. The product or service must have the potential to be globally scalable. If a company came to us with an idea which was restricted to just the UK, we wouldn’t invest. We like a company to have the potential to serve multiple markets.

2. We like to invest in companies which have robust intellectual property which may provide patented or patentable IP protection.

3. We look for companies which are disruptive in nature, so they must either be disrupting an existing market or be creating a new market. They must also be highly innovative with a clear USP, and clearly distinguishable from existing market competitors.

What's the best piece of advice you have taken?

Probably appropriate more than ever in 2020, but the very simple advice a manager once gave me, early in my career, was to focus on what you can control. Other things will always be going on around you but if you can’t have an impact on those things then all you should focus on is what you can directly influence.

What non-fiction book would you recommend?

The Company by Robert Littell, is a fascinating entwining of real events throughout the twentieth century as witnessed by fictional characters.

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About Deepbridge

Deepbridge provides investment opportunities into a portfolio of actively-managed growth focused technology and/or life sciences companies, taking advantage of the potential tax benefits available under the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.

Through the Deepbridge IHT Service, Deepbridge also offers an opportunity for investors to obtain relief from inheritance tax after only two years, by investing in Business Relief qualifying companies that trade in renewable energy generation assets.

To view more about this manager and their opportunities available,

Important Information

Investment in unquoted companies carries high risks. It is highly speculative and potential investors should be aware that they could lose the total value of their investment. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. No established market exists for the trading of shares in private companies, making it difficult to sell shares. Therefore, you should not invest if you are likely to require the capital in the near term.
Any decision to invest should be made only on the basis of the relevant documentation for
each investment.

This document is a financial promotion approved by Enterprise Investment Partners for the purposes of section 21 Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. In relation to regulated business for retail clients, Deepbridge Advisers Limited is an Appointed Representative of Enterprise Investment Partners LLP (“EIP”), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The information contained in this document has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable. None of the Company, the Investment Adviser, or the Investment Manager guarantees the accuracy or completeness of such information. Nothing in this article shall be regarded as constituting financial or tax advice. Tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each investor and may be subject to change in future. The availability of tax reliefs depends on the Company invested in maintaining its qualifying status.

In relation to regulated business for retail clients, Deepbridge Advisers Limited (FRN: 609786) is an Appointed Representative of Enterprise Investment Partners LLP which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 604439).

People Behind the Product is an interview series produced by CoInvestor highlighting the key people behind the wide range of tax-efficient investment funds you can find on our platform. By showcasing the fund managers behind the product, we aim to provide greater insight to the expertise in the market and in doing so, help advisers and investors learn more about the tax-efficient sector.

If you are interested in participating in the series, or would like to find out more, get in touch with Jessica at jessica.baker@coinvestor.co.uk

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