Woodford's unknown venture capital picks

Invesco Perpetual's Neil Woodford is a longtime backer and major shareholder in some of the largest dividend paying stocks in the UK market.

However, he also backs start-up businesses, offering venture capital to help new companies grow, in the hope they will add alpha at the margins of his portfolios. Within the £11bn Income fund, about 4% to 5% is invested across 30 unquoted companies across sectors such as life sciences, environmental technology and IT, according to Charles Stanley Direct. Rob Morgan, pensions and investments analyst at the group, recently met a member of Woodford’s investment team, and he explained the thinking behind these niche investments. He said Woodford (pictured) usually invests alongside ven...