Advance assurance plus SEIS/EIS-active investors, all with one application
Free
Eligibility check after you sign up
4 routes
Grants, family offices, angel investors & VCs
SEIS lets a company raise up to £250K with 50% income-tax relief for investors, EIS adds 30% relief up to a £24M lifetime limit per company, higher for knowledge-intensive companies.
The founder's guide
Why SEIS & EIS Matter for Your Raise
The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) are government schemes that give UK investors generous tax relief for backing early-stage companies. They aren't grants and they don't pay money to your company directly, but they are arguably the most powerful fundraising tool a UK founder has: they make investing in you far less risky, so angels say yes faster and at better valuations.
Most serious UK angels expect advance assurance before they commit. Get your SEIS/EIS status confirmed, then put your round in front of investors who actively use these schemes. Our free check confirms which schemes you qualify for and connects you with SEIS/EIS-active UK investors.
Side by side
SEIS vs EIS: What's the Difference?
SEIS is for the earliest, riskiest stage with the most generous relief. EIS picks up as you grow. Most founders use SEIS first, then EIS.
Feature
SEIS
EIS
Investor income-tax relief
✓50%
✓30%
Max a company can raise
£250K (lifetime under SEIS)
£10M/year, £24M lifetime
Company age limit
Under 3 years
Under 7 years (longer for KIC)
Employees
Fewer than 25
Fewer than 250 (500 for KIC)
Gross assets before raise
Up to £350K
Up to £15M
Investor CGT benefit
✓CGT exemption on gains; 50% reinvestment relief
✓CGT exemption on gains; CGT deferral
Who qualifies
SEIS & EIS Eligibility
Your company, your shares, and your trade all have to qualify. Getting this confirmed before you pitch is what advance assurance is for.
Your company likely qualifies if…
It's a UK-based, unquoted trading company
It meets the age, employee, and gross-asset limits for the scheme
It carries on a qualifying trade (most tech and product businesses do)
Shares are new, full-risk ordinary shares, paid up in cash
Funds are used for a qualifying business activity within set time limits
Commonly excluded trades
Banking, insurance, and most financial services
Property development and property-backed activities
Dealing in land, commodities, shares, or financial instruments
Legal and accountancy services; energy generation benefiting from subsidies
Operating or managing hotels and nursing homes
A founder's guide
How to Use SEIS & EIS to Raise
The schemes only help if investors trust your status. Here's the path from advance assurance to a closed round.
Step 1
Get Advance Assurance
Apply to HMRC for advance assurance, a non-binding confirmation that your company is likely to qualify. It typically takes 4–8 weeks. Most experienced UK angels won't invest under SEIS/EIS without it, so start early.
Step 2
Find SEIS/EIS-Active Investors
Lead with your advance assurance in your pitch. Target angels and funds that actively invest under the schemes. Search SEIS/EIS-active UK investors on AngelsPartners, filter by sector and ticket size, and reach out directly.
Step 3
Close and Issue Shares
Issue new full-risk ordinary shares, paid in cash. Use SEIS first (most generous relief), then EIS for larger cheques. Keep your SEIS and EIS allocations clearly separated to stay within the limits.
Step 4
Issue SEIS/EIS Certificates
After the shares have been held and the trade has run for the required period, submit the compliance statement (SEIS1/EIS1) to HMRC and issue SEIS3/EIS3 certificates so your investors can claim their relief. This is the step that makes the tax benefit real.
Done-for-you service
Don't want to write it yourself? We build the application for you.
The steps above are the do-it-yourself route. If you would rather hand it off, our grant specialists write, package and manage the whole application for you, working alongside you so the technical detail stays yours while we handle the process.
1ApplyTell us about your startup and the grant you are targeting. It takes a few minutes.
2Chat with a specialistA grant specialist checks your fit, confirms the right programme, and scopes the work with you.
3We build your applicationWe write the narrative, budget and supporting documents to the funder's exact scoring criteria.
4We guide every stageMany grants run in several rounds (assessment, interviews, sometimes multiple phases, then reporting). We handle each step and explain everything as we go.
Transparent, mostly success-based pricingA modest upfront fee to scope and start the work (not always tied to your metrics), plus a success fee based on the grant, the amount awarded, and your business. Every engagement is quoted individually.
Apply and we'll come back with a tailored budget for your specific grant.
Interactive Tool
Check Your UK Grant Eligibility in 30 Seconds
Every UK grant is listed below by default. Tell us your stage and sector to narrow them to the Innovate UK grants, R&D credits, and SEIS/EIS routes that match your startup. Getting matched is 100% free - no fee, no commission, no credit card.
Choose your stage and sector below to see which UK grants you may be eligible for
Want a definitive eligibility report? It's free.
This is a first-pass match based on stage, sector, and geography. Complete the application form and we'll automatically match you with the most relevant grants - including the one you're researching - cross-referencing your technology, IP, team, and traction against every active UK programme. This matching service is completely free: no fee, no commission, no credit card required.
The strongest raises stack multiple non-dilutive programmes. Here are the other UK grants you can apply for, all matched in one free eligibility check.
SEIS targets the very earliest stage: a company under 3 years old can raise up to £250K, and investors get 50% income-tax relief. EIS is for slightly later companies (under 7 years, up to £10M a year and £24M lifetime for shares issued on or after 6 April 2026) with 30% relief. Most founders use SEIS first, then move to EIS once the SEIS limit is reached.
Not directly. They're investor tax-relief schemes. The benefit is that they make investing in you much more attractive, so you can raise equity faster and often at a higher valuation. The cash still comes from angels and funds, which is why we help you find SEIS/EIS-active UK investors.
Advance assurance is HMRC's non-binding indication that your company is likely to qualify for SEIS/EIS. It isn't legally required, but in practice most serious UK angels expect to see it before investing. It usually takes 4–8 weeks, so apply before you start pitching.
Yes. SEIS/EIS funds your equity round while Innovate UK grants and R&D tax credits cover R&D non-dilutively. Combining them is the standard playbook for UK tech startups. Our free check shows everything you qualify for in one place.
A KIC is a company carrying out significant R&D or innovation that meets specific HMRC criteria. KICs qualify for higher EIS limits: more employees, a longer age window, and larger annual and lifetime investment allowances, which is valuable for deep-tech and science-led startups.
The Full Capital Stack
Grants Are Only Part of the Stack
Innovate UK grants and R&D tax credits cover early-stage R&D, but most UK startups need equity capital to scale. The strongest raises combine grants with SEIS/EIS-qualifying angel or VC investment.
AngelsPartners is the only platform where a founder can access all three capital pathways in one place: grants (this page), debt financing, and 120,000+ equity investors.
Equity funding
UK Angels & VCs
Search a database of SEIS/EIS-active angels, micro-VCs, and funds investing in UK startups. Filter by sector, geography, ticket size, and stage. Direct contact details included - no gatekeepers, no pay-to-pitch.
Venture debt, revenue-based financing, and startup loan programmes - without diluting your cap table. Our AI matches you to a curated lender network based on your revenue, traction, and geography.
