2000: Creative Advantage Fund (CAF) established as the first venture capital fund for the creative industries.
2000 – 2011: First round of investments made in 16 in companies including television, film, software, theatre, toy design and jewellery, with levels of investment typically between £75,000 and £150,000
2008: Hotbed Media and Maverick Television exit the fund and it is replenished with around £1m
2011: Birmingham City Council approved the creation of a new Creative Industries Fund, building on the achievements of CAF
2011 – 2016: A second round of investments made in 8 companies
2013: The CAF Guide to Investment Readiness launched alongside the Patient Money whitepaper
2014: CAF academic prize established with Birmingham City University (BCU) and awarded to Simon Spink for research into the local film economy
2014: Maverick and North One acquired in £550m deal
2016: RE:Position Roadshows and CAF Mentoring Sprint
2016: CAF academic prize with BCU awarded to Matthew Davidson for research into the role of actors in video games
2018: Options explored for the next iteration of CAF to continue the legacy of investment into the creative industries
2019: Creative Advantage Fund re-launches with a new industry finance initiative: a peer to peer lending platform.
