S-Ventures plc, the Aquis-listed investment company focused on high-growth opportunities, has raised £300,000 through a subscription of more than 8.5 million new ordinary shares.

The 8,571,428 new shares, which carry a nominal value of 0.01p, were issued at a price of 3.5p a share. On completion, investors will also receive one warrant for each new share subscribed for, exercisable at 5p a share for a period of two years from today’s announcement.

The company has also announced the appointment of Oberon Capital as its joint corporate broker with immediate effect, joining its existing corporate adviser and joint broker, VSA Capital.

The majority of the funds raised will be invested into Hybrid Drones Limited, which trades as Hydra Drones. The defence technology business is developing next-generation hybrid unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that combine jet propulsion with battery-powered systems to deliver impressive payload and distance capabilities.

Hydra Drones, which operates from a facility in Thruxton, Hampshire, is also backed by MBDA. As Europe’s premier missile systems group, MBDA generates over €4bn in annual revenues and is jointly owned by BAE Systems, Airbus and Leonardo.

This new venture sits alongside S-Ventures’ material stake in Tooru plc. The directors intend to build S-Ventures into a dynamic public investment group focusing on special opportunities across emerging sectors.

To allow wider participation, the company intends to launch a retail offer to raise up to an additional £100,000. Up to 2,857,142 ordinary shares will be made available at the same 3.5p issue price via the Winterflood Retail Access Platform (Wrap).

• Participants in the retail offer will receive warrants on the exact same terms as the subscription investors.
• A separate announcement detailing the terms of the retail offer will be made in due course.

The subscription is conditional on the admission of the new shares to trading on the Aquis Growth Market, which is expected to take place on April 23 2026. Following admission, S-Ventures will have a total of 140,787,015 ordinary shares in issue, each carrying one voting right.

The fundraising includes significant backing from the company’s leadership. Scott Livingston, chairman and chief executive, and Bhanu Choudhrie, a director, have each committed £50,000 to acquire 1,428,571 shares.

This combined subscription of 2,857,142 shares constitutes a related party transaction under Aquis rules. The company’s corporate adviser has confirmed that the transaction is fair and reasonable for existing shareholders.

Following the completion of the subscription, the directors’ updated shareholdings will be as follows:

“I am delighted to announce this fundraising today,” said Bhanu Choudhrie. “We are very excited about the potential of Hybrid Drones Limited and certain other potential opportunities for investment by the company. This fundraising is a very welcome statement of support for our strategy and we welcome new shareholders to our company.”