Connection Capital

Connection Capital LLP is a UK-based alternative investments platform, founded in 2010 and headquartered in the UK. It is directly authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under FRN 705640, and deals with professional clients rather than retail clients; it is not an Appointed Representative.

The firm provides high-net-worth individuals, family offices and other professional clients with access to private equity, private debt (direct lending), co-investments, commercial property and alternative investment funds typically reserved for institutional investors.

Connection Capital states it has invested over £600 million across its deal activity and fund commitments. This is described as capital invested to date rather than a formally disclosed Assets Under Management (AUM) figure.

Connection Capital sources and executes alternative investments on a deal-by-deal (syndicate) basis, pooling capital from eligible professional clients per opportunity. Minimum subscription sizes are typically around £25,000 per opportunity, lowering the entry point compared with most institutional minimums.

Investors register online, are assessed and validated as Elective Professional Clients under FCA rules, and once validated can view live opportunities through a secure client portal. The firm states there is no joining fee for the syndicate; however, detailed ongoing management and performance fees are typically disclosed per deal to registered investors rather than published in full on public pages.

Connection Capital does not provide general investment, financial or tax advice; prospective investors must obtain independent advice before committing capital.

Primary offerings span four areas of private markets:

• Direct Private Equity — lead investments into established UK SMEs on a syndicated basis.
• Private Debt (Direct Lending) — structured debt opportunities, often via secured loan notes.
• Co-investments — single-asset co-investments alongside other private equity firms across PE, debt and commercial property.
• Alternative Investment Funds — selected third-party specialist funds (e.g. 17Capital Fund 3) for fund commitments.

Typical minimum: £25,000 per opportunity. There is no joining fee, but full fee schedules and modelled net return scenarios are released to registered professional clients on a per-deal basis. Public examples cited by the firm include exits such as TeamSport.

Connection Capital's services are available only to professional clients — high-net-worth and sophisticated investors who satisfy the firm's and the FCA's criteria to be treated as Elective Professional Clients. Retail clients are not eligible.

Professional-client status entails fewer regulatory protections than retail-client status (for example, less prescriptive client protection and disclosure rules). Prospective investors should confirm their categorisation, expect long holding periods and illiquidity, and seek independent advice before investing.

Strengths

• Direct FCA authorisation (FRN 705640) — supervised directly rather than as an Appointed Representative, so permissions and restrictions are verifiable on the FCA Register.
• Institutional-style access to private equity, private debt and co-investment deals usually reserved for institutional investors.
• Lower headline minimums (£25,000) make private-market exposure accessible relative to most institutional ticket sizes.

Risks & watch points

• Illiquidity — private equity, private debt and most fund commitments require multi-year capital lock-ups with limited exit mechanics.
• Limited public fee transparency — detailed ongoing and performance fees are only disclosed to registered clients on a per-deal basis; investors should request full schedules before committing.
• Fewer professional-client protections compared with retail client status.
• Selectively disclosed track record — published exits and headline "invested" figures are not equivalent to audited net realised returns; request audited performance and default data before investing.
• No public FCA enforcement actions or warnings were identified against FRN 705640 at the time of review, but investors should reconfirm the live FCA Register entry before transacting.