The new EIS Index brings transparency and structure with UK’s first EIS intelligence platform with company data verified against Companies House register.
The new EIS Index has launched as the UK’s first dedicated structured market intelligence platform, focused exclusively on the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS). Britain channels £1.6bn a year into nearly 4,000 EIS companies and until today, investors had no single, verified way to find, compare or track them in one place
The platform provides investors, advisers, and founders with a centralised hub to discover, compare, and monitor EIS-eligible companies and fundraising activity through structured, Companies House-verified data. This initiative is positioned as a direct response to the challenges faced by the market, where stronger incentives have not translated into increased visibility or investment, highlighting what has been described as the “UK EIS paradox”: despite stronger incentives and expanded eligibility, investors face declining visibility and reduced access to EIS opportunities.
The significant positive impact of the EIS on the UK economy was laid bare in data published in 2024 (The Beauhurst EIS 30th Anniversary Report), which revealed more than 386,000 jobs were created by EIS-backed companies in 2023 alone. Meanwhile, EIS-backed companies generated £192 billion in revenue between 2014 and 2023.
Today’s launch comes at a pivotal moment for the UK, as despite recent EIS reforms doubling investment limits and expanded qualifying thresholds HMRC statistics for 2023/24 reveal a 20% decline in EIS investment deployment. In a recent survey conducted by Sustainable Wealth Group, nearly 50% of 100 investors identified the need for a centralised EIS database, highlighting the UK EIS market’s widening transparency gap in the wake of the major reforms introduced on 6 April 2026.
Samih Ghandhour, Investor commented “The EIS Index delivers the transparency stakeholders deserve in order for this already successful government scheme to reach even more exponential benefits by creating the information that will catalyse more dynamism to rival Silicon Valley.”
EIS investments can also qualify for Business Relief. From 6 April 2026, qualifying unquoted shares attract 100% relief on the first £2.5m of an individual’s combined allowance and 50% above, after a two-year holding period and where conditions are met with AIM-listed shares thereafter attracting relief at only 50% (effective 20% IHT). In an environment where traditional reliefs are being curtailed and inheritance tax thresholds remain frozen; EIS is increasingly viewed as one of the few remaining tax-efficient structures offering full relief for larger estates and growth-focused investors.
EIS Index offers company data verified against the official Companies House register (via the Companies House API and structured market intelligence tools for the EIS ecosystem.
Key features:
· Discover companies by sector, stage, raise size, and EIS status
· Track live and upcoming raises with detailed timing and status
· Compare companies and raises side-by-side
· Create watchlists and receive filing alerts
· Integrated data verified against the official Companies House register
· Founders can claim and structure investor-focused profiles
· Source-based EIS evidence and confidence indicators
The platform launches with almost 2,000 registered users and indexed data covering 628 UK companies associated with EIS activity. The index supports both groups with pricing from free discovery to enterprise intelligence. Access is currently application-only as data coverage expands.
Angel Investor Gabrielle Omar stated, “The EIS Index is the first EIS-specific, Companies House-verified, openly discoverable index source I’ve come across that publishes architecture guidance the way Morningstar publishes fund ratings, independently, with editorial firewall, and grounded in HMRC data rather than vendor narrative.”
The launch responds to rising demand for UK tax-efficient investment options, even as startup funding faces obstacles. Although incentives and support have improved, EIS activity has declined. The EIS Index seeks to simplify market insights and modernize a sector that has relied on closed networks and manual methods.
Harvey Knight, EIS Index Founder added, “Investors can now discover, compare, and monitor EIS-relevant companies with the same kind of intelligence they expect in every other asset class.” Knight added “EIS and SEIS have directed £34 billion to 59,000 UK businesses, with nearly half of the country’s unicorns benefiting from EIS support. A market of this magnitude warrants infrastructure that meets the expectations associated with these figures.”
Investors and advisers can now apply for early platform access ahead of broader rollout, while Founders raising under EIS can claim and optimise their company profiles for investor discovery.
EIS Index expects phased expansion throughout 2026 as coverage and onboarding scale across the UK private capital market. The launch marks a shift toward a more transparent, discoverable, and data-driven EIS ecosystem.
