Q&A with Shane Gallwey

We had a chance to catch up with Shane Gallwey, CEO and Founder of Guinness Ventures, for a quick Q&A on ‘then and now’. 

Guinness Ventures was established by Shane in 2010, initially investing in renewable energy projects and identifying opportunities that qualified for EIS tax relief. 

“In 2017, the decision was taken to broaden our remit, focusing on growth companies across three areas where the best investment opportunities were to be found: business services, healthcare and consumer.  We target businesses that help individuals and organisations work more effectively, improving the day-to-day life of employees and clients.”

 What’s your focus now?

“We invest in ambitious British companies with clear vision, established revenues, and management teams who understand their markets. These are not speculative ventures - they are established companies looking to scale-up and capable of long term, sustainable growth with the right backing.

 Over time, we have expanded the ways in which investors can access these investments via Guinness Ventures:

• In 2022, we launched the Guinness VCT.
• In 2024, we introduced our Guinness Co-Investment Service, which allows sophisticated investors the opportunity to invest alongside Guinness Ventures on a deal-by-deal basis.
• In March 2025, we launched the first Guinness Knowledge Intensive EIS offer, allowing us to support a broader range of companies with strong R&D capabilities.”

And what’s next?

“Most recently, we have launched the Guinness Founders SEIS, partnering with members of our founder network to unearth exciting early-stage businesses that qualify for Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) tax reliefs.  The aim is to fund around 20 homegrown British start-ups which qualify for SEIS.

Each of these products reflects our ambition to provide our investors with access to high-quality, high-growth British companies.

Last year, we were pleased to be recognised as Best EIS Manager at the 2024 Growth Investor Awards and this year, we have once again been shortlisted as a Finalist in the same category – wish us luck!  For us, the recognition affirms the strength of our investment approach and the care we take with investor communications and portfolio management.

We are grateful to the founders, advisers and investors who continue to work with us. Your support remains central to what we do.”

 If you would like to learn more about our approach or current offers, please visit: Investing With Us