THE INVENTION FACTORY LIMITED

⚰️Wound downdissolved
04720918 · ltd · incorporated 2003-04-02
Investment thesis
Company dissolved — not a live target.
Why interesting: Historical record only; useful for precedent research.
Why risky: Not transactable.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
59/100
Worth a look
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-trading company
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed dormant / non-trading — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 59/100 (worth a look), bankability 70/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (63/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (58/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
67 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
59/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.

Business quality
30
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
65
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
  1. 2021-09-28
    📄
    gazette-dissolved-voluntary
    gazette · GAZ2(A)
  2. 2021-09-28
    🏁
    Company dissolved
  3. 2021-06-18
    📄
    dissolution-voluntary-strike-off-suspended
    dissolution · SOAS(A)
  4. 2021-05-25
    📄
    gazette-notice-voluntary
    gazette · GAZ1(A)
  5. 2021-05-15
    📄
    dissolution-application-strike-off-company
    dissolution · DS01
  6. 2021-05-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-11-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-03-25
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  9. 2018-08-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-04-11
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  11. 2017-11-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  12. 2016-05-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-05-05
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  14. 2016-01-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  15. 2015-09-22
    📄
    appoint-corporate-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP04
  16. 2015-08-17
    ➕
    KAC SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  17. 2015-05-11
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  18. 2015-02-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  19. 2014-06-04
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  20. 2014-06-04
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  21. 2014-06-04
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  22. 2014-02-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  23. 2011-02-10
    ➖
    CLARK, Karen Ann resigned
    secretary
  24. 2010-01-07
    ➕
    CLARK, Karen Ann appointed
    secretary
  25. 2010-01-07
    ➖
    WATLINGTON SECURITIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  26. 2009-07-24
    ➕
    ROCHFORD, Anna Marie appointed
    director
  27. 2004-09-29
    ➖
    WOODIWISS, Mark Andrew resigned
    director
  28. 2004-01-23
    ➕
    ROCHFORD, Craig Malcolm, Dr appointed
    director
  29. 2004-01-23
    ➖
    CLARK, Karen Ann resigned
    director
  30. 2004-01-23
    ➕
    WOODIWISS, Mark Andrew appointed
    director
  31. 2003-04-02
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As THE INVENTION FACTORY LIMITED
  32. 2003-04-02
    ➕
    WATLINGTON SECURITIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  33. 2003-04-02
    ➕
    CLARK, Karen Ann appointed
    director

Owner dependency

76/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

66/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

1 high ·
Company dissolved
high

Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.

Evidence: Dissolved on 2021-09-28

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Dr Craig Malcolm Rochford
Individual · British · DOB 04/1970 · age 56
25–50%
—25-50% shares06/04/2016
Mrs Anna Marie Rochford
Individual · United Kingdom · DOB 12/1969 · age 57
25–50%
—25-50% shares06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusdissolved
Typeltd
Incorporated2003-04-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC74990 — Non-trading company

Registered office

17 Carlton House Terrace
London
SW1Y 5AH
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2020-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —

Officers (0 active · 4 resigned)

KAC SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2015-08-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ROCHFORD, Anna Marie→
director · ~57y · appointed 2009-07-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ROCHFORD, Craig Malcolm, Dr→
director · ~56y · appointed 2004-01-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CLARK, Karen Ann→
secretary · appointed 2010-01-07 · resigned 2011-02-10
Resigned
WATLINGTON SECURITIES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2003-04-02 · resigned 2010-01-07
Resigned
CLARK, Karen Ann→
director · ~77y · appointed 2003-04-02 · resigned 2004-01-23
Resigned
WOODIWISS, Mark Andrew→
director · ~67y · appointed 2004-01-23 · resigned 2004-09-29
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (67 total)

gazette-dissolved-voluntary
gazette · GAZ2(A)
2021-09-28
dissolution-voluntary-strike-off-suspended
dissolution · SOAS(A)
2021-06-18
gazette-notice-voluntary
gazette · GAZ1(A)
2021-05-25
dissolution-application-strike-off-company
dissolution · DS01
2021-05-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-05-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-04-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2019-11-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-05-01
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2019-03-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2018-08-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2018-04-30
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2018-04-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2017-11-08
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2017-05-10