 |
The EIS NavigatorHelping investors and entrepreneurs understand the UK venture capital industry, EIS, SEIS & VCTs Author: Brian Moretta, Hardman & Co
For those interested in the venture capital, particularly in the UK and investors through the Enterprise Investment Scheme, EIS, Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme, or SEIS, and Venture Capital Trusts. Guests are leading people in the industry, whether fund managers, company founders or experts from other service providers. The aim is to dig deeply into topics, getting away from the promotional material that predominates elsewhere. Venture capital investing is a long-term endeavour and we will focus on topics that are relevant at any time. New episodes come out every two weeks (although we do take holidays!) Your host, Brian Moretta, is Head of Tax Advantaged Services at Hardman & Co. The latter supplies independent research in the industry and he has examined many EIS funds, VCTs and companies. His background is an actuary turned fund manager who then moved into equity research. He also has some academic chops, being an Honorary Fellow at Heriot-Watt University where he does some lecturing. He has always had a strong interest in getting underneath companies, getting beyond the superficial and understanding how they really work and finds this space fascinating. Some of this is because transparency is hard, some because the industry is not well understood. This podcast is an attempt to shine a bit more light on what is going on. Every episode has show notes at https://hardmanandco.com/podcast. If you want to contact us or give feedback, whether about the podcast or anything else you can email us at enquiries@hardmanandco.com. Any feedback from listeners is welcome as well as suggestions for future guests. We really hope you enjoy the podcast! Language: en Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Investing Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
Listen Now...
128 Founding and building a female-led VC firm with Jessica Rasmussen of Two Magnolias
Episode 128
Monday, 26 January, 2026
Founding a new VC firm isn't easy, and one headed by two women is exceptionally rare in the UK. Jessica Rasmussen co-founded Two Magnolia to invest in underrepresented founders and the regions so can tell us all about the challenges of founding and building a female-led firm.Amongst other topics, we talk about:how Jessica got into angel investingwhy she started a VC firmthe gaps she found in the marketthe challenges of there being no playbook for starting a fundraising money to invest in underrepresented foundersthe investment casedeveloping the right investment pipelinehow VCs just need to do the right thing!comparing first and second time fundraisingJessica's journey has been really interesting and she gives great insight into what she has learnt along the way. Enjoy!00:50 What is Two Magnolias03:10 how Jessica got into angel investing06:50 why start a venture capital firm09:00 how she identified a gap in the market10:15 why choose running GP/LP over EIS fund or VCT13:10 the lack of a playbook for starting a VC fund18:00 is UK venture capital protectionist?21:20 the challenges of raising money to invest in underrepresented founders and regions26:40 investment case for underrepresented founders29:00 how do you find companies with underrepresented founders30:45 support for companies in the regions - role of government and local networks33:40 has support for underrepresented founders stalled recently?37:00 changing the numbers - just do the right thing38:40 comparing fundraising for a first & second fund40:00 favourite questionsLinksTwo Magnolias website: https://www.twomagnolias.co.uk/Subscribe to the EIS Navigator podcast on most services here: https://the-eis-navigator.captivate.fm/listenSuggested books and mediaTrillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg & Alan EagleBioJessica Rasmussen, Co-Founder & CEO, Two MagnoliasJessica Rasmussen is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Two Magnolias, an early-stage UK venture capital firm established to address structural opportunity gaps within the UK venture ecosystem.Prior to founding Two Magnolias, Jessica spent three decades in investment banking as a Global Markets specialist in Fixed Income. She held senior leadership roles across international markets, including ten years at Bank of America where she led Macro Sales within the Fixed Income Division, covering both Foreign Exchange and Rates. Her career was defined by managing complex market risk, advising institutional clients, and building high-performing teams in highly regulated, global environments.Since co-founding Two Magnolias in 2019 with Marie Korde, Jessica has led the firm from its origins as an angel investment...
