Miss Sophie Wu, Graduate

We received Sophie’s CV in March 2016, and after a telephone meeting, we realized that she was a serious and well-qualified candidate for the Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa scheme.

Having completed her A-Levels at Roedean school in Brighton, she then went on to receive a first-class degree in Media Studies from York University, followed by a Masters degree in Media from University College London.

Sophie, after spending several years in the UK, decided that she would then like to gain citizenship. She found that this was possible through investing and working in a thriving media business. We met with Sophie in April and discussed several investee options which we felt were suitable.

Sophie felt that she wanted to move to the next step – meeting with two of the companies to determine how strong and relevant the actual fit would be. After the initial meetings and some further email exchanges between both parties, she agreed terms with her number one choice. In return for an equity investment of £200,000, she would receive an 8% shareholding plus the opportunity to work within the company.

In addition, the investee company agreed to make her a Director with a seat on the Board as well as hiring two full-time employees as a consequence of her investment. The documentation, including the shareholders’ agreement and business plan, were then drawn up.

In July 2016 Sophie returned to Beijing and submitted her visa application along with the business plan, and she was called for an interview at the end of August. By the third week of September, Sophie was informed she had been granted her visa and in November she returned to the UK and completed her investment.