2 January 2025
Tern Plc
("Tern" or the
"Company")
Investment in Sure Ventures plc
Tern Plc (AIM:TERN), the investment company
specialising in supporting high growth, early-stage, disruptive
Internet of Things ("IoT") technology businesses, announces that
the Company has invested £175,000 of its cash balance in new
ordinary shares in Sure Ventures plc ("Sure Ventures"), which are
to be issued as part of a placing to raise a total of approximately
£275,000 undertaken by Sure Ventures (the "Placing").
For its cash consideration of £175,000, Tern will
acquire 213,414 new ordinary shares in Sure Ventures at a price of
82 pence per new ordinary share (the "Placing Price"). The
Placing Price equates to the mid-market closing price of Sure
Ventures' ordinary shares on 31 December 2024 and Tern's
participation in the Placing will provide Tern with an approximate
2.7% holding in Sure Ventures on admission of the Placing shares to
trading on the London Stock Exchange on or around 8 January
2025. Tern will have no restrictions on its ability to trade
the Sure Ventures shares acquired in the Placing.
Sure Ventures is a venture capital fund which invests
in early-stage software companies in the rapidly growing technology
areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR),
Virtual Reality (VR) and IoT. It is listed on the
Specialist Fund Segment of the London Stock Exchange with a
reported net asset value per share, as at 30 September 2024, of 139
pence and a market capitalisation of £6.27 million, as at 31
December 2024 prior to the announcement of the Placing. Sure
Ventures' unaudited interim report and financial statements
announced on 5 December 2024 reported an
unaudited loss before taxation and after finance costs for the six
months ended 30 September 2024 of £181,746 and unaudited total net
assets as at 30 September 2024 of £10,614,533.
Sure Ventures' principal investments are a
25.9% interest in Sure Valley Ventures Fund ("SVV1") and an
approximate 6% interest in Sure Valley Enterprise Capital Fund
("SVV2"). Tern already has a direct 5.9% interest in
SVV2.
The Tern directors believe that this investment
in Sure Ventures will provide Tern with the following
benefits:
·
Exposure to a complimentary portfolio of specialist
technology businesses at an attractive discount to Sure Ventures'
current net asset value, in particular its interest in SVV1's
portfolio.
·
Provide Tern with increased diversity of exposure to
specialist technology businesses at different stages of development
to Tern's current key portfolio companies, Device Authority,
FundamentalVR and Talking Medicines.
·
Further enhance Tern's existing relationship with SVV2 and
the ability to leverage potential synergies between Tern's
portfolio companies and those held by SVV1 and SVV2.
·
Potentially provide income to Tern from any distributions
undertaken by Sure Ventures following SVV1 and SVV2 portfolio
exits, including liquidity events already announced by Sure
Ventures.
Online Investor Presentation and Q&A
Session
As previously announced, the Company
will be hosting an online presentation and Q&A session at 5.30
p.m. GMT on Thursday 9 January 2025.
Presenting will be members of Tern's
management team and management from Tern's portfolio companies
Device Authority, FundamentalVR and Talking Medicines, together
with a representative of Vortex IQ, a SVV2
portfolio company. This session is
open to all existing and prospective shareholders. Those who
wish to attend should register via the following link where they
will be provided with access details:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_95cYxDkWQPqzY9IK-nLoUQ
Participants will have the
opportunity to submit questions during the session, but questions
are welcomed in advance and may be submitted prior to 3 p.m. GMT on
8 January 2025 to: tern@investor-focus.co.uk.
Enquiries
Tern Plc
Ian Ritchie (Chairman)
|
via IFC Advisory
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Allenby Capital Limited
(Nominated Adviser and
Broker)
Alex Brearley / Dan Dearden-Williams
(Corporate Finance)
Kelly Gardiner / Guy McDougall
(Sales and Corporate Broking)
|
Tel: 0203 328 5656
|
IFC
Advisory
(Financial PR and IR)
Tim Metcalfe
Graham Herring
Florence Chandler
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Tel: 0203 934 6630
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