Octopus Investments has opened its Apollo Venture Capital Trust (VCT) to applications for the 2026/27 tax year.
Apollo VCT raised £82.4m last tax year, the largest amount taken in by a single VCT. It has capacity for £17.6m of further investment before it hits the £100m limit. Both existing and new investors are eligible.
The minimum investment amount for the new share offer is is £5,000. It is open until 26 June, but will close earlier if it becomes fully subscribed.
The team targets venture stage B2B software firms. The portfolio contains approximately 45 companies and is managed by a specialist investment team of 16 sitting within Octopus Ventures.
Examples of recent investments include Flexzo AI, an agentic AI workforce system helping healthcare providers with staffing, and Definely, which assists with legal document drafting.
See also: Unicorn AIM VCT boosts fundraise to £35m on strong demand
Richard Court, head of VCTs and EIS at Octopus Investments, said: “Apollo VCT has always focused on backing high-quality B2B software businesses with the potential to become category leaders.
“The recent changes to the VCT rules create a clear opportunity to support these exciting businesses for longer as they scale.
“With its scale and established portfolio, Apollo VCT is well positioned to invest in larger, more mature businesses and to continue backing its strongest performers through later stages of growth.
“That ability to stay alongside companies for longer is critical in sectors like software and AI, where value is often created over extended periods.”
Kristy Barr, co-head of retail investments at the firm, said: “We’re seeing continued demand from advisers and investors for VCTs that can offer both consistency and access to later-stage growth opportunities.
“The evolution of the VCT scheme broadens the opportunity and allows VCT managers to support companies at a greater scale, while continuing to offer compelling up-front tax relief, and tax-free dividends and growth.”
This story was written by our sister-title, PA Adviser
