Venture investing for everyone

Recently Management Company " Atlanta " announced the beginning of the formation of closed-end venture capital fund, which will finance facilities Internet projects at an early stage of development. Thus, almost everyone can now invest in nascent Russian startups - the cost of one share is 5,000 rubles.

Atlanta is not the first company to offer such tools on the market. For three years there has been a Finam - Information Technology mutual fund that has been investing in the securities of IT companies involved in software development, Internet projects and other innovative products.

But what are mutual funds and how does this investment mechanism work? What advantages does it provide for an investor and what pitfalls can lurk in his way? What is the peculiarity of investing through mutual funds in the field of technological and internet startups?

What is a venture mutual fund?

Venture mutual funds are simply the funds of shareholders pooled together for which the management company (UK) acquires shares or shares in Internet projects. The right of the shareholder to the share of the UIF property is certified by a security - an investment share that can be sold on the secondary market. As a result of changes in the cost of projects, the value of the mutual funds, and therefore the value of the unit, changes (the difference between the cost of buying and selling the unit is the income / loss of the shareholder).



I must say that compliance with the laws and interests of shareholders is monitored by a separate independent company - a specialized depository. She controls the transactions of the Criminal Code and without her consent there can be no disposal of the funds of the mutual funds. It is important to know that the owners of all the assets of the mutual fund are shareholders. The management company only carries out trust management of the financed projects, receiving remuneration for this.

Thus, the venture mutual fund is the tool that allows you to participate in the investment of several Internet projects with little money.

What are the advantages of investing through mutual funds?

• To purchase a unit, the minimum amount of money is relatively small (for example, a unit in Atlanta costs 5,000 rubles), while to buy or invest in an Internet project yourself, you need a larger amount;
• Mutual fund management and management control are divided between independent companies that are professionals in this field and have all the necessary licenses;
• You can exit from mutual funds by selling shares in the secondary market;
• Mutual funds are strictly regulated by laws. Unit investment management activities are regulated by law down to the smallest detail. The execution of the law is monitored by the Federal Service for Financial Markets. The consequence of this regulation is that at the moment there is not a single case of “bankruptcy” of mutual funds;
• In mutual funds, as a rule, several projects are acquired, which makes it possible to receive income from different companies. On the other hand, this way the risks are reduced: if one project is unprofitable, its losses are compensated by others.

What are the disadvantages of mutual funds?

• The management company receives remuneration for the management of mutual funds, which is paid at the expense of property and mutual funds and reduces the value of the share;
• By investing in a venture mutual fund, the shareholder assumes certain risks, since Internet projects are characterized by market uncertainty, and no one can guarantee the growth of the share (in addition, such guarantee is prohibited by law);
• The shareholder is limited in project management - the management company does it for him. Thus, many decisions and mutual fund transactions are carried out without the participation of the shareholder.

What venture mutual funds working with Internet projects are on the market?

Mutual fund “ Atlanta Start ” , which invests in shares and shares of small and medium-sized IT companies implementing projects in the field of “Internet and new media”.

At present, the mutual fund is being formed, and the minimum amount of funds for the purchase of a share is 5,000 rubles. Preliminary application for the purchase of shares of the Atlanta Start Fund.

Among the projects in which the fund invests:

• “ Internet things ” - a place where daily reviews of new interesting sites, programs, news of web 2.0 projects and various opinions about the Internet are published;
• “ MyMesto ” - a service for storing bookmarks and personal information on the Internet;
• “ Football Factory ” - 3D online soccer simulator with management elements;

PIF " Finam - Information Technologies " , which invests in securities of IT-companies.

Currently, units of this fund can only be bought in the secondary market.

Among the projects in which the fund invests:

• " Mamba " - A dating and communication system that unites dozens of well-known portals and sites;
• " E-generator " - a service for the implementation of remote projects in the field of advertising and web development;
• " Buka " - a leading company in the Russian market of computer games;
• " Ashmanov and Partners " - a company that specializes in Internet consulting and development of intelligent software.

Thus, a venture mutual fund may be suitable for those who want to invest relatively small amounts in innovative projects, but do not have a specialized financial education to carry out full-fledged asset management.

Questions to the habrasociety:
1. What investment tools did you use and what conclusions did you draw from this experience?
2. In what areas should investors invest now, during a difficult economic situation?
3. What else would you be interested to know about mutual funds - foreign experience, real examples of investment, opinions of reputable experts?