OCTOPUS THIRD AIM VCT PLC
⚰️Wound downdissolved
SC215733 · plc · incorporated 2001-02-13
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
52/100
Worth a look
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 7487
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed unclear — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 52/100 (worth a look), bankability 50/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. 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 (53/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.
Data confidence
Overall: low (51/100)Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
10 officers (4 active, 10 linked, 4 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
15 connected companies via shared directors
90
Filing history
172 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
52/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Business quality
10
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
49
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
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 (43 events)Click to expand
- 2011-10-29⚠️gazette-dissolved-liquidationgazette · GAZ2
- 2011-10-29🏁Company dissolved
- 2011-07-29⚠️liquidation-voluntary-return-of-final-meeting-scotlandinsolvency · 4.26(Scot)
- 2010-08-31📄capital-cancellation-treasury-shares-with-date-currency-capital-figurecapital · SH05
- 2010-08-20📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2010-08-17📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2010-08-13📄capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-datecapital · SH03
- 2010-08-12✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2010-08-12📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2010-04-27📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2010-04-23📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2010-04-20📄capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-datecapital · SH03
- 2010-03-23📄capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-datecapital · SH03
- 2010-03-22📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-bulk-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2010-02-12📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2010-01-20📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2009-12-30📄capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-datecapital · SH03
- 2009-12-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2009-12-01📄legacycapital · OC138
- 2009-12-01📄certificate-capital-reduction-issued-capitalcapital · CERT15
- 2009-11-26📄capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-datecapital · SH03
- 2009-11-02📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2009-10-14📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2009-10-14📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2009-09-08📄legacyofficers · 288c
- 2009-08-25📄legacycapital · 169(1B)
- 2008-08-01➕WHITTEN, Celia Linda appointedsecretary
- 2008-08-01➖CLOSE VENTURES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2006-07-16➖FOSH, Julian Edward Campbell resigneddirector
- 2005-07-31➖KINNEAR, Catherine resignedsecretary
- 2005-07-31➕CLOSE VENTURES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2004-01-22➕KINNEAR, Catherine appointedsecretary
- 2004-01-22➖STANFORD, Henry Julian Aglionby resignedsecretary
- 2003-12-01➕STANFORD, Henry Julian Aglionby appointedsecretary
- 2003-12-01➖BNP PARIBAS SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2001-02-14➕BROCKLEBANK, Aubrey Thomas, Sir appointeddirector
- 2001-02-14➕RITCHIE, Alastair James appointeddirector
- 2001-02-14➕BNP PARIBAS SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2001-02-14➖MD SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-02-13🏢Company incorporatedAs OCTOPUS THIRD AIM VCT PLC
- 2001-02-13➕KENNEDY, Elizabeth Anita appointeddirector
- 2001-02-13➕MD SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-02-13➕FOSH, Julian Edward Campbell appointeddirector
Owner dependency
75/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
90/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 79 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 25 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 25 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
2 high ·Company dissolved
highCompany has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.
Evidence: Dissolved on 2011-10-29
2 insolvency-related filings on record
highFilings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.
Evidence: 2011-10-29: gazette-dissolved-liquidation; 2011-07-29: liquidation-voluntary-return-of-final-meeting-scotland
🔒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 →Similar companies
Active · Professional services · EH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES EDINBURGH LIMITED→ SC091725 · est 1985 | £131.60M £96.97M–£166.24M | £135.39M | — | 135900 | 41y | 85 | 67y |
| ROBERTSON EDUCATION (ABERDEENSHIRE) HOLDINGS LIMITED→ SC209010 · est 2000 | £5.47M £4.03M–£6.91M | — | — | 0 | 25y | 85 | 60y |
| DSF (2003) LIMITED→ SC144009 · est 1993 | £4.70M £3.46M–£5.93M | — | — | 7 | 33y | 87 | 61y |
| FCC (EAST AYRSHIRE) HOLDINGS LIMITED→ SC300470 · est 2006 | £3.99M £2.94M–£5.03M | — | — | 0 | 20y | 87 | 60y |
| NWH HOLDINGS LIMITED→ SC303441 · est 2006 | £3.67M £2.70M–£4.64M | — | — | 373 | 19y | 88 | 61y |
| BLYTH & BLYTH CONSULTING ENGINEERS LIMITED→ SC241155 · est 2002 | £2.78M £2.05M–£3.52M | — | — | 93 | 23y | 87 | 85y |
| SIBCAS LIMITED→ SC052604 · est 1973 | £1.88M £1.39M–£2.38M | — | — | 165 | 53y | 88 | 68y |
| HORIZON (GP) LIMITED→ SC493523 · est 2014 | £45.2k £33.3k–£57.1k | — | — | 6 | 11y | 95 | 66y |
| BURNDENE INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ SC015613 · est 1929 | £14.3k £10.5k–£18.0k | — | — | 0 | 96y | 83 | 63y |
| 3 ED HOLDINGS 2 LIMITED→ SC328040 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | 83 | 65y |
| ABACUS FINANCIAL MARKETING LIMITED→ SC197503 · est 1999 | — | — | £3.4k | — | 26y | 83 | 59y |
| ACCOUNTING & TAXATION SERVICE LTD→ SC360357 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | 83 | 58y |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
10 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
Typeplc
Incorporated2001-02-13
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC7487 — SIC 7487
Registered office
7 Drumsheugh Gardens
Edinburgh
EH3 7QH
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2009-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —
Officers (0 active · 6 resigned)
WHITTEN, Celia Linda→
Activesecretary · appointed 2008-08-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BROCKLEBANK, Aubrey Thomas, Sir→
Activedirector · ~74y · appointed 2001-02-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KENNEDY, Elizabeth Anita→
Activedirector · ~71y · appointed 2001-02-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
RITCHIE, Alastair James→
Activedirector · ~79y · appointed 2001-02-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KINNEAR, Catherine→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-01-22 · resigned 2005-07-31
STANFORD, Henry Julian Aglionby→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-12-01 · resigned 2004-01-22
BNP PARIBAS SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2001-02-14 · resigned 2003-12-01
CLOSE VENTURES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2005-07-31 · resigned 2008-08-01
MD SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-02-13 · resigned 2001-02-14
FOSH, Julian Edward Campbell→
Resigneddirector · ~63y · appointed 2001-02-13 · resigned 2006-07-16
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (172 total)
gazette-dissolved-liquidation
gazette · GAZ2
2011-10-29
liquidation-voluntary-return-of-final-meeting-scotland
insolvency · 4.26(Scot)
2011-07-29
capital-cancellation-treasury-shares-with-date-currency-capital-figure
capital · SH05
2010-08-31
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2010-08-20
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2010-08-17
capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-date
capital · SH03
2010-08-13
certificate-change-of-name-company
change-of-name · CERTNM
2010-08-12
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2010-08-12
change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
accounts · AA01
2010-04-27
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2010-04-23
capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-date
capital · SH03
2010-04-20
capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-date
capital · SH03
2010-03-23
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-bulk-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2010-03-22
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2010-02-12
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2010-01-20