Five Wealth Club-backed companies in the Sunday Times 100 2026
Don't invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.
Estimated reading time: 2 min
Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.
What are the key risks?
- You could lose all the money you invest
- If the business you invest in fails, you are likely to lose 100% of the money you invested. Most start-up businesses fail.
- You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
- Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker here.
- Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here.
- You won’t get your money back quickly
- Even if the business you invest in is successful, it may take several years to get your money back. You are unlikely to be able to sell your investment early.
- The most likely way to get your money back is if the business is bought by another business or lists its shares on an exchange such as the London Stock Exchange. These events are not common.
- If you are investing in a start-up business, you should not expect to get your money back through dividends. Start-up businesses rarely pay these.
- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
- Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
- A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments.
- The value of your investment can be reduced
- The percentage of the business that you own will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment reduces, depending on how much the business grows. Most start-up businesses issue multiple rounds of shares.
- These new shares could have additional rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, which could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment.
If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here.
The Sunday Times’ two prestigious league tables – The ST 100 and ST 100 Tech – rank the fastest-growing private companies in the UK each year by revenue growth over the past three years.
The ST 100 Tech released earlier this year featured 15 technology companies backed by Wealth Club investors – you can read the full article.
In June, the more recently released ST 100 revealed another five – this time, outside the technology sector.
To qualify, the companies must be fast-growing, independent, privately owned and UK-based. Unlike for the 100 Tech list, they must also be profitable. They must have generated revenue of more than £5 million in their latest year and at least £250,000 four years earlier and have at least five employees.
Collectively, this year’s ST 100 companies have generated over £4 billion in annual sales – increasing their takings by £3.5 billion over three years, with an average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 108%. They created 8,900 jobs over the period, and now employ 13,700 people – and plan to hire a further 4,200 over the next 12 months.
Which companies were backed by Wealth Club investors? How might you invest in similar companies via VCT, EIS and SEIS?
Please note, new investors will gain exposure to similar companies in the respective EIS/SEIS funds, though most likely not the mentioned companies themselves.
Important: The information on this website is for experienced investors. It is not a personal recommendation to invest. If you’re unsure, please seek advice. Investments are for the long term. They are high risk and illiquid and can fall as well as rise in value: you could lose all the money you invest.
Read more on the companies
By ranking in the ST 100 2026
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Viewture – Wealth Club
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Free Soul – Startup Funding Club SEIS and EIS funds
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Hunter & Gather – Startup Funding Club SEIS and EIS funds
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COAT Paints – Pembroke VCT
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Farmer J – ProVen VCTs
Ranked #4
1. Viewture - content creator services
265.56% annual sales growth over three years
Viewture is a fintech company that provides funding and revenue-growth services to top-tier digital content creators, particularly YouTubers.
This is in exchange for a share of their future digital income streams, usually revenue from ads placed on their videos. The idea is similar to buying the rights to a musician’s back catalogue. Viewture has developed analytics to accurately assess future earnings and help decide how much to invest and on what terms.
The Viewture platform was launched in 2020 by serial entrepreneur David Page, who recognised digital content creators as an underserved asset class. David had previously grown – and sold for £300 million – a similarly data-driven risk analytics business focused on acquiring non-performing debt, another underserved asset class.
Viewture’s clients include ultra-high-profile YouTubers like The Sidemen, Ali-A and Slogo – who draw tens of billions of views – as well as up-and-coming influencers and traditional celebrities expanding into the digital sphere. The company turned over £22.2 million in 2025.
Wealth Club investors first backed Viewture in 2024 and can participate again in its current fundraise. You can read more and see how to apply online.
Ranked #10
2. Free Soul - Women's health supplements
210.10% annual sales growth over three years
Mother-and-son team Rohini and Arjun Sofat launched Free Soul in 2017 after a family health scare highlighted a gap in the market for supplements that support women’s wellbeing. They felt at the time the market mainly offered women slimming products and watered-down versions of men’s supplements.
The company set out to create and sell science-backed products for women, addressing hormonal balance, energy, focus, gut health and mood. Viral success on TikTok has helped boost sales of its signature Mango Greens supplement – the company reports it has sold 17 million servings of the powdered drink that delivers 21 different greens and superfoods with a twist of mango.
Turnover was £35.4 million last year, and the brand is now expanding into more than 600 Boots and Tesco stores.
In 2020 the UK’s most active seed-stage investor SFC Capital led a funding round for the company. Including subsequent rounds, SFC has invested a total of c.£390k across two SEIS and three EIS tranches to date. Currently, the combined value of the holding is c.£983k. This follows a partial exit from both SEIS tranches, which generated c.£58k in proceeds. Past performance is not a guide to the future.
Ranked #84
3. Hunter & Gather – food and supplements brand
62.54% annual sales growth over three years
Hunter & Gather creates nutrition supplements, such as collagen peptides from grass-fed cattle, from otherwise wasted byproducts. It recently launched the UK’s first electrolyte powder using monk fruit as a keto-friendly, low-carb natural sweetener. It also makes a range of condiments free from refined sugars and seed oils, now stocked by the likes of Tesco, Holland & Barrett and Ocado, and shipped across Europe. Many of these – such as unsweetened tomato ketchup and avocado oil mayonnaises – have won Great Taste Awards.
The founders, partners Amy Moring and Jeff Webster, met as teens growing up with serious food intolerance. Turning their first-hand knowledge of “healthier choice” foods into a business plan, they established Hunter & Gather in 2017 and were recognised as Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneurs (Europe Retail & Commerce) in 2021.
The brand reported £16.6 million in sales in 2025.
SFC Capital first invested in Hunter & Gather in 2018. To date, it has invested c.£244k across two SEIS and two EIS tranches. The combined holding is currently valued at c.£1.95 million, following a recent partial exit from one of the SEIS funds, which returned c.£236k. Past performance is not a guide to the future.
Ranked #87
4. COAT Paints – premium paint retailer
60.26% annual sales growth over three years
Premium paint brand COAT hand-mixes paint to order. It uses the best ingredients sourced from the UK – including fresh water, clay and limestone – and ships it the same day.
COAT aims to help redress how the paint industry discards millions of litres of unsold paint each year in landfills – and other environmentally damaging practices. It was founded in 2020 by close friends Rob Abrams and Rob Green to be “the first Climate Positive paint company in the world” – meaning it removes more carbon than it emits. The solvent-free, ultra-low-toxin paints are cruelty-free and certified safe for children and pets.
The company generated £12.8 million of revenue in 2025. In the last financial year, it grew revenue 70% – its strongest financial year to date, with Q1 2026 the highest-revenue quarter in the company’s history.
Pembroke VCT first invested in 2021, building to a total investment of £5 million. The position is currently valued at £15.9 million (March 2026) – up from £10.3 million in March 2025. Past performance is not a guide to the future.
Ranked #98
5. Farmer J - restaurant operator
54.70% annual sales growth over three years
Farmer J is a popular fast-casual restaurant chain that began in London’s financial district and now has a footprint in the US. Positioning itself between grab-and-go and fine dining – so ‘finer’ than Pret, Leon, Pod and Itsu – its mission is to serve proper food, fast. Steak is grilled to order, veg is prepped fresh daily, and dishes cooked from scratch using seasonal ingredients sourced from high-welfare British farms.
Former banker Jonathan Recanati launched the business in 2016 to address the woes, shared by fellow workmates in the City, of long workdays that usually meant eating three meals at the desk. Jonathan craved food that was cooked properly yet available quickly.
Farmer J has since grown to 18 restaurants in London – and in January this year opened its first in New York. It was named Best Quick Serve Restaurant Brand at the MCA Hospitality Awards 2026, and its recently published cookbook The Farmer’s Pantry made The Sunday Times Non-Fiction Top 100. The business turned over £41.1 million in 2025.
The ProVen VCTs first invested in 2024 and followed on in 2025 to support the company’s UK expansion, launch of its inaugural site in New York, and plans for a further rollout on the US East Coast. The two ProVen VCTs have invested a combined total of £7.65 million to date – a holding currently valued at £11.3 million (February 2026).
How to invest in similar companies
Viewture is currently raising funds through Wealth Club. The minimum investment is £20,820 – you can read more and see how to apply online.
Experienced investors can get exposure to companies like FreeSoul and Hunter & Gather (albeit not necessarily the companies themselves) by investing in Startup Funding Club SEIS fund or Startup Funding Club All-Star Follow-on Fund EIS.
Both are currently open for investment – the minimum investment is £10,000, and you can apply online.
COAT Paints and Farmer J are current holdings of the Pembroke VCT and ProVen VCTs, respectively. Pembroke VCT is currently closed. You can register your interest to hear when the new offer opens. The ProVen VCTs, however, are still open – you can read more and apply online.
See SFC All-Star Fund EIS performance
Performance per £100 invested in each tax year
Source: SFC, as at May 2026. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The chart shows realised returns (where share proceeds have been returned to investors as cash) and unrealised returns (where cash has not yet been returned and the value of the investments is based on the manager’s own valuation methodology). There is no ready market for unlisted shares. The figures shown are net of all fees and do not include any income tax relief or loss relief.
See SFC Angel Fund SEIS performance
Performance per £100 invested in each tax year
Source: SFC, as at May 2026. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The chart shows realised returns (where share proceeds have been returned to investors as cash) and unrealised returns (where cash has not yet been returned and the value of the investments is based on the manager’s own valuation methodology). There is no ready market for unlisted shares. The figures shown are net of all fees and do not include any income tax relief or loss relief.
See Pembroke VCT performance
NAV and cumulative dividends per share over five years (p)
Source: Morningstar. Past performance is no guide to the future. Dividends are variable and not guaranteed. The bar chart shows net asset value and cumulative dividends per share for the period 31/12/2020 – 31/03/2026.
See ProVen VCTs performance
NAV and cumulative dividends per share over five years (p)
Source: Morningstar. Performance figures are calculated net of fees, on a NAV to NAV basis. Past performance is no guide to the future. Dividends are variable and not guaranteed. The bar chart shows net asset value and cumulative dividends per share for the period 31/12/2020 – 31/03/2026.
Wealth Club aims to make it easier for experienced investors to find information on – and apply for – investments. You should base your investment decision on the offer documents and ensure you have read and fully understand them before investing. The information on this webpage is a marketing communication. It is not advice or a personal or research recommendation to buy, sell or hold any of the investments mentioned, nor does it include any opinion as to the present or future value or price of these investments. It does not satisfy legal requirements promoting investment research independence and is thus not subject to prohibitions on dealing ahead of its dissemination.
Alex Davies
Chief Executive
Alex was a board director at Hargreaves Lansdown, where he worked for 15 years. He was responsible for building Hargreaves Lansdown into the biggest direct-to-consumer SIPP provider in the UK with more than 150,000 clients and over £12 billion under management. He is a keen investor with a portfolio of shares, funds, student property, EIS and VCT investments.