Dear friends, club members and those interested in investing.
As you may know, the Venture Club is now in its fourth year of successful operation. We have grown to 195 members and together we have invested over CZK 270 million in various forms in multiple projects. Today, seven companies operate under the club, we run a non-public club investment platform, all based on the voluntary work of the club’s management or members and with occasional support from outsiders.
We have invested in, for example, PetExpert general health insurance for dogs and cats (in December the number of insured animals increased by 28% and we are now approaching 5,000 policies, entering Slovakia and one other European country), we have built more than 100 apartments in the Byty Klíčanka project (and the project is now successfully ending and we expect payments in March), managed to significantly support the establishment of He3da battery production in MES (which has started mass production and we expect an official start of production in late March – and a nice dividend in 2021), we have invested in Behavee and others.
The growing demands and scope of the agenda demand changes, so at the Club Committee on 4 February 2020 (presentation here) we approved more news for 2020. I would like to assure you that we are driven by the desire to professionalize everything we do.
We want to increase safety, quality, maintain the scope of the Club’s program and in the future have better support for the projects we seek, select, invest in and accompany and about which all of us investors need to receive regular quality information. At the same time, we are navigating the legislative environment and taking advantage of the registration with the CNB under par. 15 of the ISIF, which is a management of funds comparable to asset management, as a non-public service and offering, subject only to notification (we are not subject to CNB supervision). The current interpretation of non-public means, among other things, that we can only offer an investment internally to 20 members within the club if they do not meet the qualified investor requirement – the original number used to be up to 149 retail investors. Still, qualified investors are not counted in the number of offers monitored. At the same time, the limit of total theoretical funds under management is still high enough for our activities – €500 million. In 2020, we want to open new offices, strengthen the team, introduce additional services, and improve the investment platform. However, all of the above needs resources, human and financial.
For the above reasons, we have made the following changes:
As of 1 March 2020, we are increasing the membership fees as follows: basic membership now costs CZK 2,000 per year. Regular membership costs 20.000 CZK per year. The new prices apply only for the next membership renewal on the anniversary of the membership. However, for new registrations they are valid immediately from 1.3.2020. One-off entries to D-Days for basic members are still CZK 1,000, similarly for all members entries to breakfasts are CZK 200. Individual events will have admission determined in proportion to the cost of the event, but it is usually expected that full members can bring a guest for free, always. In contrast, basic membership entitles one person to entry, and even to “more expensive events” with a charge.
At the same time, with immediate effect, the number of retail investors, basic members, who can be offered an investment is limited to the first 20 to join the investment platform – regardless of how many investors end up investing. In contrast, full members can invest without restriction, either directly in the companies they establish or through the club fund.
In February, there is an option to upgrade membership for basic members, at a cost of 9k CZK and valid for a further 12 months, provided they meet the investor qualification requirement and the change of membership is approved by the committee. If you are interested, just find My Account, Manage Membership, on the club website, after logging in, and request a membership change via the link. We recommend that if you are serious about investing, a full membership is a good option – upgrading for a year is now a bargain! Of course, this is just an option, even a basic membership is enough to participate in events and occasionally use the investment platform. For more information, please contact the club committee members or me.
We are keen to expand our membership base and continue to offer quality activities for all our members. In the future, we hope to find ways to better support both retail and qualified investors. All while maintaining a diverse range of activities, both in the social and educational arena and in the exploration of investment opportunities.
See you soon at one of our events. By the way, did you know that we will be opening a new investment in watchmaking on the investment platform on February 6 at 8:00 pm, meeting you at breakfast at Jalta on February 14 and at D-Day on February 18 where we will be opening another investment?
Thank you for your understanding, cooperation and we look forward to seeing you again. Happy investing and investing!
MUDr. Petr Šedivý
Chairman of the Venture Club Committee and Managing Director of Venture Club Invest