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125 EIS & VC Basics: How venture capital exits work in EIS & VCTs with Kealan Doyle of Symvan Capital
Episode 1259th December 2025 • The EIS Navigator • Brian Moretta, Hardman & Co
00:00:00 00:16:12

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In the last in the EIS & VC basics series for the EIS Navigator podcast we discuss exits and why they matter to investors. Symvan Capital are building a track record of successful exits. Co-founder Kealan Doyle also has prior experience in capital markets so has lots of knowledge of the different kind of exits, as well as some of the wrinkles that investors need to watch out for.

Kealan covers all the different kinds of exits that an investor might come across. These include:

  • why exits matter to EIS and VCT investors
  • failures are still exits
  • why failures come before successes
  • how trade sales work
  • getting shares versus cash
  • what is a secondary sale
  • why IPOs are less popular than before
  • how timing matters

Kealan has had some unusual exit experiences in the past couple of years, so has some interesting examples to throw into the mix. Enjoy!

Links

Symvan Capital - https://www.symvancapital.com/

HMRC page on tax reliefs for venture schemes: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-tax-relief-for-investors


Subscribe to the EIS Navigator podcast on most services here: https://the-eis-navigator.captivate.fm/listen


You can see this episode on video too here. https://youtu.be/gRXiZ8pTkwQ

The playlist for all the videos of the Basics series will be found here.


Bio

Kealan Doyle

Co-founder and CEO, Symvan Capital

Before co-founding Symvan Capital and moving into venture capital investing, Kealan led a structured equity products team at HSBC, where he was responsible for developing and managing innovative investment solutions.

Kealan holds degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Toronto and his earlier career included roles at Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch, and UBS - where he gained extensive experience in capital markets and complex financial products.

For over 20 years, he has worked closely with venture capital-backed businesses, initially in a corporate finance advisory capacity and more recently as a fund manager. This dual perspective has given him a deep insight into the challenges early-stage companies face and how best to support their growth and long-term success.


Disclaimer

Please note this podcast/interview does not constitute a financial promotion and is provided for informational purposes and should not be construed as an invitation or offer to buy or sell any investments. Please be aware that investments into unquoted companies are high risk, long term and illiquid investments. Your capital is at risk. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Target returns are not guaranteed and forward looking statements are illustrative only and must not be relied upon. Investors should only invest on the basis of reading the full offer documentation. Listeners must make their own independent decisions and obtain their own independent advice regarding any information, projects, securities, tax treatment or financial instruments mentioned herein.

For more information, please read our full disclaimers:

www.hardmanandco.com/research-disclosures

www.hardmanandco.com/disclaimer

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