Annual Results for the year ended 31 March 2023

Financial Highlights 

• NAV per share after performance fee increased by 2.4% to 158.9p¹ (31 March 2022: 155.2p).
• IRR of 18.5%² on invested capital since inception.
• Available cash at year end of 38.5m, which has increased to 50.0m as at 30 June 2023 following the Companys accretive exit from Cushon.

Portfolio Highlights 

• Top 10 holdings, which represent 78% of portfolio value, grew revenue at an average of 117% year-on-year and are cash generative or have an average of 29 months cash runway³ and are funded to their next key inflexion points.
• interactive investors acquisition by abrdn completed in May 2022 and resulted in proceeds for the Company of 42.8m, delivering an 11.1x multiple on invested capital and 84.8% IRR.
• Cushons majority shareholding acquisition by NatWest Group completed post year end and returned 22.8m to Augmentum, delivering a return of 2.1x multiple on invested capital and an IRR of 62%.
• There have now been 5 exits from the portfolio since inception all at or above their last reported value, which have realised a cumulative 79.5m in proceeds 53.5m over their original cost.

Investment Activity 

• 19.9m invested in 2 new companies and 8 existing portfolio investments in line with a disciplined approach to capital allocation.

Portfolio Updates

• Grover (15.5% of net assets after performance fee) completed a US$330m Series C equity and debt funding round in April 2022 and leased over 1m devices globally.
• Tide (12.9%) grew its UK SME banking market share to 9% and acquired Funding Options.
• Zopa (10.8%) completed a 75m funding round, surpassed 8bn in approved personal loans and 3.5bn in savings.
• Volt (5.1%) completed a US$60m Series B funding round post year end led by IVP and won Worldpay and Shopify as clients.
• Anyfin (3.4%) completed a US$30m Series C funding round in January 2023.

Valuation Movements 

• NAV at year end was 294.1m⁴, of which the value of the investment portfolio at year end was 254.3m.
• Key drivers of the change in the investment portfolio valuation for the year were: investee company revenue growth +84.8m, comparables contraction -81.2m, FX +5.6m, additions 19.9m, the exit from ii -42.8m.
• The increase in NAV per share after performance fee was driven by return for the year net of performance fee movements +1.9p and impact of share buybacks +1.8p.

Neil England, Augmentum Fintech plc Chairman, commented:

Despite challenging markets, the bulk of your Companys investments have performed well and I am pleased to report that they made a positive contribution to the Companys NAV per share after performance fee, which increased by 3.7p to 158.9p.

Your Company has now successfully exited five portfolio investments, all of which have been at or above the last reported holding value. This should provide investors with comfort that our valuations process is rigorous and corroborates the discipline our Portfolio Manager has exercised when evaluating new investments and their reporting on the portfolio.

We maintained our investment discipline over the last year and, with our strong cash reserves (38.5m at 31 March 2023, 50.0m at 30 June 2023) we are well placed both to take advantage of new opportunities and to reinforce our appeal as a supportive investor.

Your Board believes that the Company will see a closing of the discount at which its shares trade over time and, with the underlying growth of the portfolio generally being very strong, expects that patient shareholders will be well rewarded.

Read the full Chairman's Statement in the report here.

Tim Levene, CEO of Augmentum Fintech Management Limited commented:

Our 10 highest value holdings have seen revenue growth at an impressive average of 117% year-on-year and raised over US$300 million in capital during a challenging macroeconomic and fundraising environment. Despite an increased focus from venture investors on companies displaying a clear path to profitability and reducing cash burn, the growth in our portfolio through the cycle reflects the quality of many of our companies and the unabated advance of digital transformation in the financial services sector.

We are seeing a material increase in the number of compelling investment opportunities at more pragmatic valuations and expect that to continue into 2024. Our fintech specialism and strong balance sheet position leave us well positioned to take advantage of more favourable investment conditions.

Read the full Portfolio Manager's Review here.

In the News

• City A.M.: Augmentum: London-Listed Fintech Fund Rides Out Volatility as Portfolio Edges Upward (4 July 2023)
• The Times: Augmentum Boss Warns of Shake-out in Fintech (5 July 2023)
• Citywire: Desert Island Fund Picks: Richard Philbin, Hawksmoor (28 June 2023)
• FT Adviser: Tim Levene: I Want to Disrupt the Advice Market (14 June 2023)
• Investment Week: No Rush to Get AI Exposure - You Probably Have it Already (14 June 2023)

Awards

• Best Investor Event (small cap) Winner
• Best Retail IR Strategy Finalist

• Team of the Year Finalist
• Director of the Year (Tim Levene) Finalist

• Team of the Year Finalist
• Director of the Year (Tim Levene) Finalist

¹The Board considers the NAV per share after any performance fees payable to be the most accurate way to reflect the underlying value of each share.
² Annualised IRR on invested capital and realisations since inception using valuations at the last reporting date. This measure does not include the impact of net expenses and the performance fee provision.
³ Average months of cash runway based on current burn rate for non-cash generative companies in Top 10, using latest available data as of June 2023, excludes Cushon exited post year end.
⁴ NAV before performance fee.