Tom Wilde helped start and now heads up the EIS and VCT tax practice at Shoosmiths. He has seen a wide range legal issues founders, companies and investors make when setting up and receiving EIS or VCT investment. He pulled together some for a recent presentation and we get him to expand on them.

In a wide ranging discussion we talk about:

• starting the right way
• the independent investor rule
• raising SEIS and EIS funds together
• the challenges that buybacks present
• doing subsidiaries correctly
• the types of shares that can be used
• the current state of the EIS and VCT market
• mental health in the workplace

00:40 Tom introduces himself

01:35 what Shoosmiths does in EIS

03:40 starting the right way

04:10 need to use a new company

06:10 get founder shareholdings right

08:00 independent investor rule

11:20 raising SEIS and EIS funds together

13:45 risks of buybacks and losing tax reliefs

19:10 changing trades

25:10 getting subsidiaries right

29:15 types of shares that can be used

33:50 do the rules work effectively?

38:50 state of the market

42:15 current challenges for companies

47:10 favourite questions - mental health discussion

Links

Tom on Shoosmiths website - https://www.shoosmiths.com/people/cvdetails/tom-wilde

Tom on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomwildeshoosmiths/

Subscribe to the EIS Navigator podcast on most services here: https://the-eis-navigator.captivate.fm/listen

Suggested books and media

A Path Through the Jungle by Steve Peters

Bio

Tom Wilde

Partner, Shoosmiths

Tom is the head of Shoosmiths’ EIS tax practice. Tom is one of the UK’s leading experts in this field and has extensive experience advising a wide range of investors and investee companies on structuring and implementing tax efficient investments, reorganisations and exits in compliance with the EIS regime. Tom is also a qualified Chartered Tax Adviser, a member of the EIS Association’s Tax and Technical Committee, and a member of the QCA’s Tax Expert Group.