Every year around this time, two things happen across the UK startup ecosystem.

Founders start rushing to close the final part of their funding rounds. At the same time, investors begin reviewing their tax exposure before the end of the financial year.

This is when SEIS and EIS suddenly become very relevant.

These two government schemes were created to encourage investment into early-stage companies. In return, investors receive some of the most generous tax incentives available in the UK.

Yet many investors either forget about them or realise too late that they could have used them.

If you understand how these schemes work, startup investing becomes significantly more attractive from a risk and tax perspective.

And right now, the window to use those benefits before the financial year ends is closing fast.

That is exactly why we are hosting a special investor event next week in London.

“F*ck Taxes: The Last Minute SEIS & EIS Pitch.”

Tuesday, 17 March.

The goal is simple: bring together investors who want to deploy capital before the tax deadline and founders who still have SEIS or EIS allocation available.

The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) was designed by the UK government to encourage early-stage investment into startups.

Early-stage companies are risky by nature. Many of them fail before reaching scale. To compensate investors for taking that risk, the government provides significant tax relief.

This creates a unique investment structure where the downside is heavily protected while the upside remains unlimited.

SEIS provides several powerful tax advantages that significantly change the risk profile of startup investing.

Income tax relief

Investors receive 50% income tax relief on their investment.

For example, if you invest £10,000 in a SEIS-qualified startup, you can reduce your income tax bill by £5,000.

Your real exposure immediately drops from £10,000 to £5,000.

Loss relief protection

If the company fails, investors can claim loss relief against their income tax.

Depending on your tax bracket, this can reduce your real downside even further.

In many situations, the true risk on a £10,000 investment ends up being around £2,000–£2,500.

In other words, roughly 20–25% of the original investment.

Tax-free upside

If the company succeeds and the shares are held for at least three years, any capital gains are completely tax free.

This means investors keep 100% of the upside.

When you combine these elements, SEIS creates a highly asymmetric investment structure.

Downside protection is strong.

Upside potential remains unlimited.

This is one of the reasons many experienced angel investors build diversified portfolios using SEIS-qualified startups.

How EIS Expands the Opportunity

For companies that are slightly more mature, the UK offers a second scheme: the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS).

EIS works in a similar way but applies to companies that are further along in their development.

The key benefits include:

While the protection is slightly lower than SEIS, EIS still provides significant tax advantages and is widely used by angel investors across the UK.

Together, SEIS and EIS form the backbone of early-stage startup investment in Britain.

Why Timing Matters

These tax advantages only apply within the financial year when the investment is made.

Once the tax year ends, the opportunity resets.

That means investors who were planning to use SEIS or EIS benefits must deploy capital before the deadline.

As a result, the final weeks before the end of the financial year tend to be the busiest period for angel investments.

Founders are closing rounds.

Investors are finalising allocations.

Deals move faster.

A Last-Minute Opportunity for Investors

Because of this timing pressure, we organised a special event to bring both sides together.

Next Tuesday, on March 17, we are hosting:

“F*ck Taxes: The Last Minute SEIS & EIS Pitch.”

The format is simple.

Ten startups that are currently raising and still have SEIS or EIS allocation available will pitch to a curated room of investors.

Each founder will present:

This fast format allows investors to quickly understand the opportunity before continuing deeper conversations during networking.

The Startups Pitching

We received more than 100 applications and carefully selected the companies pitching at the event.

The lineup includes startups across several sectors including AI, SaaS, health tech, sports tech and marketplaces.

The companies pitching include:

All of these companies are currently raising and have SEIS or EIS allocation available for this financial year.

For investors this means two things.

Access to curated startup deal flow.

And the ability to deploy capital in a tax-efficient way before the deadline.

A Curated Room of Investors and Founders

This is not a large conference.

We intentionally keep the room curated.

Every attendee is reviewed before approval to ensure the right mix of founders and investors.

The goal is not volume.

The goal is meaningful conversations and real investment opportunities.

Over the past two years Rare Founders has hosted more than 50 events across the UK, bringing together thousands of founders and investors.

The focus has always been the same: creating environments where real connections and deals can happen.

Join Us Before the Financial Year Ends

If you are an investor looking to reduce your tax bill while accessing high-quality startup deal flow, this event is designed for you.

The financial year deadline is approaching quickly, and once it passes the opportunity resets until next year.

If you found this roundup useful, share it with another investor who should be in the loop. The bigger our community, the more opportunities we can create together.