The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA 2000) requires a private investor to self-certify as either a ‘High Net Worth Individual’ or a ‘Self-Certified Sophisticated Investor’ to receive investment proposals as will be the case when you join HBA.

Self-certification is straightforward and requires private investors to declare they are either a ‘High Net Worth Individual’ or a ‘Self-Certified Sophisticated Investor’ as described below.

A: High Net Worth Individual

A person with:

an annual income of £170K or more (not including any one-off pension withdrawals, or
net assets of £430K or more, beyond your pension fund assets and your private residence

Being a High Net Worth Individual means:

I can receive financial promotions that may not have been approved by a person authorised by the Financial Services Authority
The content of such financial promotions may not conform to rules issued by the Financial Services Authority;
I may lose significant rights;
I may have no right to complain to the Financial Services Authority or the Financial Ombudsman Scheme;
I may have no right to seek compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme;
I am aware that it is open to me to seek advice from someone who specialises in advising on investments;
I accept that I could lose all of the money I invest.

B: Self-Certified Sophisticated Investor

A person who:

has worked in a professional capacity in the private equity sector, or in the provision of finance for small and medium enterprises, in the last two years;
has been/is the director of a company with an annual turnover of at least £1.6 million in the last two years;
is a member of a network or syndicate of business angels for at least six months.

Being a Self-Certified Sophisticated Investor means:

I can receive financial promotions that may not have been approved by a person authorised by the Financial Services Authority
The content of such financial promotions may not conform to rules issued by the Financial Services Authority;
I may lose significant rights;
I may have no right to complain to the Financial Services Authority or the Financial Ombudsman Scheme;
I may have no right to seek compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme;
I am aware that it is open to me to seek advice from someone who specialises in advising on investments;
I accept that I could lose all of the money I invest.

I accept that investing in private companies carries a high risk and that I can lose my property and other assets from making investment decisions based on financial promotions.

I am aware that it is recommended that I take advice from someone who is authorised under the FSMA 2000 to give advice on investments in private companies.

Investor Application Form

If you’ve read through the information about our membership, and you’re interested in joining our network, fill in the investor application form below to start the process.

If you would like to receive some more information, or you are interested in discussing membership further, please contact Chris Rees at c.rees@henley.ac.uk before completing this form.