In this latest episode of the Tax-Efficient Investment podcast from IFA Magazine, we turn our focus to Venture Capital Trusts and what advisers need to be thinking about as the busy tax year-end approaches.
Hosted by Editor Sue Whitbread and Deputy Editor Jenny Hunter, this special edition of IFA Talk is produced in partnership with Foresight Group and explores how the VCT landscape is evolving in response to shifting market conditions, new technologies and changing investor expectations.
Joining the conversation is Lucy Clarke, Investment Manager at Foresight Group, who shares an investment manager’s perspective on how to identify genuinely sustainable competitive advantage in today’s VCT-backed companies. Drawing on her background as both a venture investor and a former founder, Lucy discusses how traditional indicators of competitive advantage are changing, how the VCT investment process is adapting, and what this means in practice when assessing early-stage opportunities.
The episode also looks at the sectors and themes Lucy finds particularly compelling right now, offering advisers timely insight as they prepare for what is expected to be a busy period for VCT planning.
Be sure to check out this episode and all other episodes of IFA Talk on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon!
Lucy Clarke
Lucy joined the Foresight Ventures Team in 2025 after spending two years co-founding and scaling a construction technology start-up to £1 million of Gross Market Value (GMV) within 12 months of launch. Prior to her founder experience, she spent two years specialising in Seed-Series A B2B investments at Octopus Ventures where she made several new investments as well as working closely with the existing portfolio. Prior to her VC experience, Lucy worked at Goldman Sachs in Investment Banking across M&A and Equity Capital Markets. Lucy has a degree in Classics from the University of Oxford.
Disclaimer
IFA Talk is for financial professionals only. All material has been carefully checked for accuracy, but no responsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies. Wherever appropriate, independent research and whatever necessary legal advice should be sought before acting
on any information contained in this podcast. Value of investments and income from them go down as well as up, so you may not get back the amount you originally invested.
Disclaimer
IFA Talk is for financial professionals only. All material has been carefully checked for accuracy, but no responsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies. Wherever appropriate, independent research and whatever necessary legal advice should be sought before acting on any information contained in this podcast.
Value of investments and income from them go down as well as up, so you may not get back the amount you originally invested.
