The London-listed and Scotland-headquartered fund manager, Braveheart Investment Group and equity crowdfunding platform, Crowdcube Ventures, have launched the Crowdcube Venture Fund, a portfolio co-investing in crowd-funded ventures.

The London-listed and Scotland-headquartered fund manager, Braveheart Investment Group, has partnered with equity crowdfunding platform, Crowdcube Ventures, in establishing the Crowdcube Venture Fund.

The fund, which Braveheart believes to be the first of its kind, will enable passive investors to build a portfolio of investments by co-investing in crowd-funded ventures which have been screened by a professional fund manager.

“This will appeal to investors who love the idea of equity crowdfunding as part of their investment strategy but don't have the time, or inclination, to fully research opportunities and create their own diversified portfolio,” said Darren Westlake, chief executive and co-founder of Crowdcube.

The two firms will work together, with Essex and London-based Crowdcube sourcing investments and Strathtay Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary of Braveheart, carrying out the fund management role.

“The fund has been designed to suit people who want to invest in start-up and early stage businesses but perhaps lack the resources and/or time commitment to fully research and review pitches, carry out their own due diligence, and build structured, balanced portfolios,” the firms said in a statement following the fund launch.

The fund will seek to take advantage of EIS and SEIS tax reliefs, and entails a minimum investor subscription of £2,500 ($4,151).

With offices in Perth, Belfast and London, Braveheart currently has around £120 million of funds under management across various regional and national funds, while financial tech firm Crowdcube has more than 57,000 investors in the UK.