UK-based industrial group Marshall has launched a seed fund for Greater Cambridge and East Anglia.
Marshall had more than a decade earlier invested in a four to five seed-stage deals, including Abcam, a provider of medical antibodies that has subsequently listed with a market capitalisation of more than £750m.
Marshall has hired Peter Cowley as investment director for the fund, Martlet, which will each year invest £25,000 ($40,000) to £100,000 in several early-stage companies alongside other angels and seed funds.
Cowley is a board member of the Cambridge Angels network, has run the Computing Laboratory Ring mentoring scheme for eight years and is chair of the IdeaSpace supporter group that launches next month.
Cowley said: "Martlet will aim to do four to eight deals per year and investing £25,000 to £100,000 initially. The aim is not to relatively swamp other angel or seed funds but work with them. There is money to follow on with portfolio companies but that will come from Marshall’s cash flow."
He added Marshall was using the fund as a way to gain potential returns and boost its branding for its four engineering divisions, which includes cars and aerospace. Marshall is regarded as a relatively paternalistic organisation, run by the fourth generation of the Marshall family, and a third aim behind Martlet is to give back to the community and help local entrepreneurs.