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Almirall

alm · LSE Basic Materials
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Ticker alm
Exchange LSE
Sector Basic Materials
Industry Other Precious Metals
Employees 201-500
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FY2015 Annual Report · Almirall
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Annual Report and Accounts 
For the year ended 31 December 2015

T R A N S F O R M I N G   U . S .   I N V E N T I O N   I N T O   I N N O V A T I O N

T R A N S F O R M I N G   U . S .   I N V E N T I O N   I N T O   I N N O V A T I O N

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Contents

  Overview  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 2

  Chairman’s Report  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 3

Strategic Report  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 5

  Highlights  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 5

  CEO’s Report  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 10

  Company Overview  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 12

  Portfolio Summary   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 16

  Subsidiary Valuation  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 20

  Partner Network  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 22

  Key Performance Indicators   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 23

  Portfolio Review and Developments   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 24

  Financial Review  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 36

  Risk Management  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 40

Management and Governance   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 46

  The Board  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 46

  Directors’ Report   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 49

  Corporate Governance Report   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 57

  Sustainability  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 68

  Directors’ Remuneration Report  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 70

  Audit Committee Report  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 98

Financial Statements  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 102

Independent Auditor’s Report  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 102

  Consolidated Financial Statements  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 107

  Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 111

  Company Balance Sheet   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 158

  Notes to the Financial Statements  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 161

  Company Information  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015 
   
   
   
 
  
Overview

Allied Minds plc (“Allied Minds” or the “Company”) is an innovative US-focused science and technology 
development  and  commercialisation  company .  Allied  Minds  and  its  subsidiaries  (together  referred  to  as 
the “Group”) commenced operations in 2006 to invest in and advance science and technology innovation 
developed at many of the leading US universities . Our business model is to form, fund, manage and build 
start-up companies which undertake research and product development and ultimately to commercialise 
the scientific research and innovations emerging from the universities and US federal research institutions 
with which we collaborate .

The Group currently has 23 subsidiary businesses at varying stages of maturity across the life sciences 
and technology sectors . These businesses are founded on technological innovations in medical devices, 
biopharmaceuticals, cyber security, wireless communications, semiconductors, low earth orbit space, and 
food safety markets .

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015 
Chairman’s Report

I  am  delighted  to  present  this  Annual  Report  to 
shareholders  for  the  full  year  2015,  which  was  a 
highly productive period for Allied Minds . This is my 
first Annual Report as Chairman and I would start by 
extending my thanks to Mark Pritchard, the Group’s 
founder  and  Executive  Chairman  until  September 
2015,  for  his  vision  in  developing  such  a  unique 
company . The culture of focusing on the successful 
commercialisation  of  innovation  he  fostered  is  alive 
and well in the senior leadership team .

The  Board  embraces  its  responsibility  to  set  the 
Group’s strategic aims, ensure the senior leadership 
is  in  place  to  put  them  into  effect,  supervise 
the  management  of  the  business,  and  report  to 
shareholders  on  this  stewardship .  We  are  focused 
on  providing  Board  leadership,  guidance  and  support  to  facilitate  effective,  entrepreneurial  and  prudent 
management that can deliver long-term and sustainable success for the Group and its shareholders .

The Company’s business model is to form, fund, manage and build start-up companies which undertake 
product  development  and  commercialise  innovations  emerging  from  US  universities  and  US  federal 
government research laboratories in the life sciences and technology sectors . Our ultimate strategy is to 
build a significant and diversified group of businesses and achieve strong growth, which in turn rewards 
our shareholders . In 2015, the Board ensured that the Group was both bold in executing this strategy and 
prudent in the way it deployed capital and resources .

Board Changes
During 2015, the Board sought to ensure there was an appropriate and diverse mix of skills, knowledge 
and experience on the Board . In addition to my appointment as Non-Executive Chairman in June 2015, 
Rick Davis, who has served on our Board since 2011, became our Senior Independent Director in August 
2015 . The Board was further strengthened with the appointment of two new Independent Non-Executive 
Directors; Kevin Sharer in June 2015, and Jill Smith, post period end, in January 2016 .

Kevin  spent  more  than  20  years  leading  Amgen,  the  world’s  largest  independent  biotechnology  firm, 
starting as President and Chief Operating Officer and then served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer . 
Having  previously  served  on  the  Boards  of  Directors  of  Chevron  Corp .  and  Northrop  Grumman  Corp ., 
Kevin is currently a faculty member at Harvard Business School, where he teaches General Management 
and other classes .

Jill has more than 25 years of experience as an international business leader, including 16 years as Chief 
Executive  Officer  of  private  and  public  companies  in  the  technology  and  information  services  markets . 
Most recently, Jill served as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of DigitalGlobe Inc ., a global 
provider of satellite imagery products and services . Currently, Jill serves as an independent director on the 
Boards of Directors of Endo International plc, Hexagon and JM Huber .

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015 
Chairman’s Report (continued)

Incentive Alignment
The Remuneration Committee carried out a thorough review of all elements of remuneration for Executive 
Directors  and  senior  management  and  considered  feedback  received  from  major  shareholders  and 
shareholder  advisory  services  in  2015 .  Notable  revisions  to  the  Remuneration  Policy  which  will  be  put 
to  a  binding  shareholder  vote  at  the  2016  AGM  include:  annual  cash  incentive  bonus  awards  shall  be 
determined  solely  by  the  level  of  achievement  against  the  financial,  operational,  technical  and  other 
performance  targets  (MBOs)  set  by  the  Remuneration  Committee  at  the  start  of  the  financial  year;  and 
100% of awards under our long term incentive plan (LTIP) shall be subject to performance conditions based 
on  the  Company’s  relative  total  shareholder  return  (rTSR)  performance  as  compared  to  broad  indices 
and industry peer companies . The Board believes that the new Policy will serve to reward entrepreneurial 
milestone achievement, increased subsidiary valuation and the creation of shareholder value over time .

Our Model to Build Value
Allied  Minds  made  significant  progress  in  2015,  executing  against  its  strategy  to  identify  early-stage 
technologies  and  innovations  from  leading  US  research  facilities,  form  and  invest  in  companies  with 
differentiated intellectual property rights and key scientific, engineering and management talent, and develop 
the resulting subsidiaries into potentially disruptive businesses which address large and growing markets . 
We  currently  have  23  subsidiary  businesses  at  varying  stages  of  maturity  across  the  life  sciences  and 
technology sectors, the majority of which met or exceeded their key technical and operational milestones 
in 2015 .

We look to 2016 as a year of crystallising value as we attract further investments into the existing portfolio, 
welcome further partnerships with industry leaders, and continue to achieve other financial, operational and 
technical milestones . I would like to thank our shareholders for their continued support and our management 
team and staff for their hard work and commitment .

Peter Dolan 
Chairman

25 April 2016

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Highlights

Investment Highlights

During  2015,  an  aggregate  of  $102 .8  million  was  invested  into  new  and  existing  portfolio  companies, 
including:

•	 $63 .6  million  from  two  fundraisings  led  by  Allied  Minds,  with  $42 .2  million  coming  from  third-party 
investment, to further accelerate the development of two of the Group’s existing companies, SciFluor 
Life Sciences and Precision Biopsy;

 ™ SciFluor Life Sciences, a drug discovery company developing a portfolio of best-in-class compounds 
through the strategic use of fluorine, raised $30 .0 million at a post money valuation of $130 .7 million, 
up from $37 .1 million . These funds in part are being used to accelerate its two lead compounds, a 
topical treatment for retinal diseases and a treatment for neurological diseases, into the clinic . These 
compounds are expected to result in three Investigational New Drug (IND) applications to the US 
Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in 2016 and subsequent commencement of Phase I trials .

 ™ Precision  Biopsy,  a  company  developing  early  intervention  technology  that  detects  in  real  time 
suspicious tissue during prostate biopsy examinations, raised $33 .6 million at a post money valuation 
of $90 .4 million, up from $19 .0 million, to accelerate the commercialisation of its ClariCore™ Biopsy 
System, and develop its Focal Therapy programme . The funds support the continuation of taking 
clinical  core  samples  to  optimise  the  tissue  classification  system,  as  well  as  planned  FDA  clinical 
trials to support final development and regulatory approvals for the prostate market .

•	

In  addition  to  these  two  fundraisings,  $39 .2  million  was  invested  by  the  Group  into  new  and  other 
existing portfolio companies, including investments in four new businesses: BridgeSat, ABLS I (Yale), 
HawkEye 360 and ABLS II (Harvard) .

•	 Post-period-end, on 29 January 2016, Federated Wireless raised $22 .0 million at a post money valuation 
of  $82 .0  million,  up  from  $10 .0  million  previously .  The  raise  will  enable  it  to  complete  its  Spectrum 
Access System (SAS) and Environmental Sensor Capability (ESC) certification process, conclude the 
development and accelerate the commercialisation of its cloud-hosted CINQ platform, and conduct field 
trials throughout 2016 and 2017 with technology partners to include Ruckus Wireless, Google, Intel, 
Qualcomm, and Nokia . Allied Minds invested $5 .0 million in this fundraising, and third-party investment 
totaled $17 .0 million .

Operational Highlights

•	 During  the  year,  Allied  Minds  engaged  with  over  90  new  research  institutions,  bringing  the  total  US 
universities and federal laboratories in the Allied Minds partner network to 160, from 68 at the end of 
2014 .

•	 The investment team reviewed more than 5,000 new technologies developed by the partner network . 
Following extensive due diligence on over 20 of the most promising, the Group formed and funded four 
new businesses, resulting in a total Group portfolio of 23 subsidiary businesses at December 2015, and 
executed options to license three additional technologies .

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Highlights (continued)

•	 The Group currently has 21 technologies in early due diligence, two technologies in final due diligence, 

and a number of opportunities in active negotiations .

•	 During 2015 and post-period, several Allied Minds businesses entered into collaborations with industry 
leaders  including  Bristol-Myers  Squibb,  Intel,  Advanced  Micro  Devices  (AMD),  Lockheed  Martin, 
Google, Cisco, Ruckus Wireless, Qualcomm, Nokia and others, validating the quality of the companies’ 
platforms, people and technologies .

•	 The accelerating pace of developing new and existing companies during 2015 led to significant expansion 
in  the  total  workforce  from  approximately  234  to  359  employees  and  consultants .  The  workforce 
increase was almost entirely concentrated into the operating subsidiaries, where new hires consisted 
of  approximately  61%  engineering  and  technical  development  professionals,  27%  leadership  and 
management professionals, and 12% sales, marketing and other business development professionals .

Financial Highlights

•	 Net cash and investments* of $194 .8 million, (2014: $261 .5 million)

* includes funds in form of fixed income securities

•	 Revenues of $3 .3 million, (2014: $7 .7 million) primarily reflecting revenue shortfall compared to prior year 
at RF Biocidics (RFB), which following initial regulatory approval requires certification for each individual 
installation and is extending the sales cycle and delaying revenue .

•	 Net  loss  of  $97 .9  million,  (2014:  $57 .9  million)  primarily  reflecting  an  increase  in  the  overall  growth 
of the Group’s investment in research and development activities, reflecting the creation of four new 
businesses in 2015 and ramping up full scale of research and development (R&D) activities of companies 
created in late 2013 and into 2014 .

•	 The Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value (GSOAV) of $535 .8 million as of 31 December 2015, 
compared  to  $488 .0  million  at  31  December  2014,  was  an  increase  of  $47 .8  million,  or  9 .8% .  The 
increase  in  2015  is  primarily  attributed  to  the  increase  in  value  at  Precision  Biopsy  and  Federated 
Wireless demonstrated by the consummation of third-party fundraisings into such subsidiaries, offset by 
decreases in value at RF Biocidics and CryoXtract as a result of slower than anticipated sales growth, 
and the closing of SiEnergy .

•	 Share price performance: 421 .9p share price, the 30-day trailing average as at 31 December 2015, an 
increase of 32 .5% over the 318 .3p share price, the 30-day trailing average as at 31 December 2014 .

Key Subsidiary Highlights

•	 Spin Transfer Technologies (STT), a next-generation computer memory company:

 ™ signed a co-development agreement with a major memory company; and

 ™ successfully developed a fully functional technology demonstrator memory integrated circuit (DM1) 

to generate commercially relevant data for evaluation by potential partners and customers .

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Highlights (continued)

•	 Optio Labs, a mobile security technology company protecting employees’ mobile phones/tablets from 

malware and control security:

 ™ partnered with AMD and Sonim;

 ™ acquired Oculis Labs expanding product line to include PrivateEye;

 ™ released OptioCore 2 .0 to include integration with Android L and M operating systems and engaged 

range of original equipment manufacturers (OEM) partners and pipeline; and

 ™ launched several new products, including OptioGrizzly and OptioServices (in January 2016) .

•	 Federated Wireless, a spectrum sharing company:

 ™ received Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) authorisation to share government spectrum;

 ™ partnered with Intel and launched CINQ XP, a product that allows carriers to unlock 3 .5 GHz band;

 ™ initiated the first industry trial with the US Department of Defense to test and pilot Federated Wireless 

spectrum sharing and sensing capabilities;

 ™ collaborating with Ruckus Wireless, Google, Intel, Qualcomm, and Nokia on pioneering commercial 

initiatives; and

 ™ post-year-end, successfully raised $22 .0 million in equity financing to conclude the development and 

accelerate the commercialisation of its products and platform .

•	 SciFluor, a drug discovery and development company making strategic use of fluorine:

 ™ readying to enter the clinic with SF0166, an eye drop formulation of a drug intended to treat retinal 
diseases . The company aims to initiate two Phase I/2 studies in patients in 2016 addressing the 
wet, age-related macular degeneration (Wet AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME) populations .

 ™ held pre-investigational new drug (IND) meeting with the FDA for SF0166 .

 ™ readying  to  enter  the  clinic  with  SF0034,  a  patented  CNS  drug  which  activates  potassium 
channels  and  hence  stabilizes  neurons  intended  to  various  diseases  such  as  epilepsy,  pediatric 
encenphalopathy and possibly Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gerhig’s disease, and 
tinnitus . The company aims to initiate a Phase I study in healthy volunteers in 2016 .

 ™ held pre-IND meeting with the FDA for SF0034 .

 ™ generated a peer-reviewed publication highlighting the key attributes of lead compound SF0034 .

 ™ expanded  intellectual  property  (IP)  portfolio  around  SF0166  and  SF0034  and  in  fibrosis  and  pain 

management with 2 new issued patents of four total in 2015 .

•	 LuxCath, a catheter-based visualisation technology company:

 ™ completed proof of concept testing with success on bench, in preclinical and clinical tests .

 ™ performed First-In-Man (FIM) testing in 11 patients with Drs . Vivek Reddy and Petr Neuzil in Prague 
including  atrial  fibrillation  patients .  All  cases  were  successful  without  complications  showing  the 
system  worked  and  as  intended .  Demonstrated  ability  to  determine  electrode-tissue  contact  in 

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Highlights (continued)

real time, to characterize tissue composition underneath ablation electrode, and to monitor lesion 
progression during ablation .

 ™ published abstracts and posters at leading conferences: Atrial Fibrillation Symposium in Orlando, FL 

and Heart Rhythm Society in Boston, MA .

 ™ expanded IP portfolio with three issued patents and additional filings globally .

•	 RF Biocidics (RFB), a food safety company:

 ™ as  reported  in  our  half  yearly  results,  sales  of  RFB’s  state-of-the-art  food  safety  equipment  were 

lower than expected due in large part to delayed regulatory approval;

 ™ initial regulatory validation was completed by the Almond Board of California Technical Expert Review 
Panel (TERP), whose decision confirmed third-party test results that showed RFBs’ chemical-free 
process effectively eliminates pathogens like Salmonella from almonds, making them safe to eat; and

 ™ RFB is required to obtain certification at each new installation of its system, delaying roll-out . The 
company  is  actively  working  with  regulators  to  streamline  the  process  and  at  the  same  time  is 
implementing sales and marketing focused initiatives . 

•	 Allied Minds formed four new businesses during the year:

 ™ ABLS,  a  collaborative  and  interactive  partnership  with  Bristol-Myers  Squibb,  entered  into  license 

agreements and initiated feasibility phase testing with:

 n Yale  University  (ABLS  I)  with  respect  to  research  and  intellectual  property  developed  in  the 
laboratory  of  Dr .  David  Spiegel .  The  proprietary  platform  and  associated  small  molecule  lead 
compounds known as Antibody-Recruiting Molecules (ARMs) provide a novel approach for the 
treatment of prostate cancer by recruiting the body’s own immune system; and

 n Harvard  University  (ABLS  II)  with  respect  to  research  and  intellectual  property  developed 
by  Professor  Malcolm  Whitman,  and  commenced  a  project  to  create  novel  small  molecule 
therapeutics for the treatment of fibrotic and autoimmune diseases .

 ™ BridgeSat,  which  is  a  collaboration  with  The  Aerospace  Corporation  and  Draper  Laboratory,  to 
develop  an  on  orbit  optical  connectivity  system  that  aims  to  increase  the  speed,  security  and 
efficiency of data transmissions from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites and high altitude unmanned 
aerial vehicles (UAVs) compared to traditional radio frequency solutions .

 ™ HawkEye 360, a collaboration with Mr . Chris DeMay, (who worked for the US National Reconnaissance 
Office,  leading  programs  for  satellite  development),  Dr .  Charles  Clancy  and  Dr .  Bob  McGwier  of 
Virginia Tech’s Hume Center for National Security and Technology, (both of whom developed the 
technology for complex radio frequency (RF) signal processing) . The company seeks to build and 
launch a constellation of small satellites flying in clusters of three satellites each in LEO, capable of 
geo-locating, detecting, and  analysing wireless signals  to  track  and  monitor global  transportation 
networks and comprehensively map spectrum resources .

•	 Post-period-end, on 15 March 2016, ABLS entered into an agreement with New York University (NYU) 
for ABLS III d/b/a ißeCa Therapeutics, to license proprietary compounds from NYU School of Medicine 
that  target  the  Wnt  signaling  pathway,  which  were  developed  by  Dr .  Ramanuj  Dasgupta,  Research 

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Associate Professor at NYU School of Medicine, and NYU’s drug discovery accelerator, the Office of 
Therapeutics Alliances (OTA) . The Wnt pathway plays a key role in the development and progression 
of a number of cancers affecting large numbers of patients . ißeCa Therapeutics will focus on further 
discovery and development activities needed to identify candidates for human clinical testing .

Board and Management Highlights

The  Group  has  continued  to  evolve  and  strengthen  its  Board  and  management  with  the  following  key 
appointments:

•	 Joseph Pignato, Chief Financial Officer, (former CFO of Upserve, Charles River Ventures, Prism Ventures 

and Lightbridge);

•	 Kevin Sharer, Independent Non-executive Director, (former Chairman and CEO of Amgen); and

•	 Post year end — Jill Smith, Independent Non-executive Director (former Chairman, CEO and President 

of DigitalGlobe) .

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CEO’s Report

In 2015, Allied Minds made significant progress across key areas 
of the Group . With support from third-party investors, we were 
able to make substantial investments in our portfolio businesses, 
fueling  their  ability  to  achieve  key  development  milestones . 
The  considerable  number  of  corporate  collaborations  further 
demonstrated  the  commercial  progress  of  our  subsidiaries . 
During  2015  and  post-period,  our  businesses  established 
important  relationships  with  leading  companies  such  as  Intel, 
AMD,  Lockheed  Martin,  Google,  Cisco,  Ruckus  Wireless, 
Qualcomm, Nokia and many others . Our partnership with Bristol-
Myers Squibb (BMS), Allied-Bristol Life Sciences, continued to 
generate  new  companies  focused  on  developing  future  drug 
candidates addressing large underserved medical needs . All of 
these  achievements  are  indicative  of  the  commercial  potential 
of our subsidiary businesses and Group’s ability to create value 
from potentially disruptive, early stage technologies .

We also benefited from strong additions to the leadership team, including the appointment of new members 
to our Board of Directors, as well as the recruitment of several high-calibre advisors and the successful 
appointment  of  seasoned  executives,  scientists  and  engineers  for  our  subsidiaries .  We  increased  our 
workforce by over 53% during the year, bringing our headcount of employees and consultants to 359 . This 
increase was almost entirely concentrated into the operating subsidiaries, with the new hires being 61% 
engineers and technical developers, 27% leadership and management executives and 12% sales, marketing 
and other business development professionals . We implemented a new annual bonus attainment process, 
which we believe best aligns shareholder value creation with employee performance . More information is 
available in the Remuneration Report of this Annual Report .

Our pipeline of new technologies expanded dramatically as we grew and strengthened our relationships 
with our US research university and US federal laboratory partners . Our network more than doubled to 160 
partners from 68 partners at the end of the prior year . The investment team reviewed a record number 
of  over  5,000  new  technologies  from  our  network  and,  following  extensive  due  diligence  on  more  than 
20 of the most promising, formed four new businesses, bringing the total count to 23 subsidiaries at the 
end of the year . We also executed options to license three additional technologies . The Group currently 
has  21  technologies  in  early  due  diligence,  two  in  final  due  diligence  and  a  number  of  opportunities  in 
active negotiations . We have clearly established an industry-leading pipeline of cutting-edge technologies 
from the US research community, which we believe will result in the sustainable generation of disruptive 
businesses for years to come .

Continued Significant Investment
During 2015, Allied Minds strategically deployed $102 .8 million into new and existing businesses, which 
followed the $125 .0 million deployed last year . We made new investments in key subsidiary businesses 
including Federated Wireless, SciFluor Life Sciences, Precision Biopsy and others, to accelerate important 
activities  such  as  commencing  clinical  trials,  launching  new  products,  and  entering  into  strategic 
collaborations with leading industry participants .

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CEO’s Report (continued)

The Group continued to attract third-party investments directly into several subsidiaries, providing for the 
acceleration of their growth . These investments included a $33 .6 million financing for Precision Biopsy; a 
$30 .0 million financing for SciFluor Life Sciences; and post-period, a $22 .0 million financing for Federated 
Wireless .

We started four new subsidiary businesses based on ground-breaking government technologies, as well 
as innovative new drugs to treat diseases . These included the formation of two space-based subsidiaries, 
BridgeSat  and  HawkEye  360;  and  the  licensing  of  life-science  technologies  from  Harvard  and  Yale 
Universities, building upon our Allied-Bristol Life Sciences (ABLS) partnership with BMS .

As  a  result  of  continued  significant  investment  and  the  subsidiary  milestones  achieved,  the  Group 
Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value increased by 9 .8% to $535 .8 million as of 31 December 2015, from 
$488 .0 million at 31 December 2014 .

Outlook
The  outlook  for  Allied  Minds  remains  very  promising .  Our  focus  is  on  validating  events  in  2016,  which 
we  expect  to  include  significant  achievements  such  as  increased  customer  engagement,  corporate 
partnerships  with  leading  industry  players,  potential  asset  monetisations  and  the  continued  disciplined 
investment into our key subsidiaries . We have built a strong foundation in both our existing portfolio and 
our  technology  pipeline,  which  will  support  the  creation  of  new  subsidiaries  and  continued  commercial 
progress, each enhancing shareholder value .

Chris Silva 
Chief Executive Officer

25 April 2016

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Company Overview

Allied  Minds  is  an  innovative  US-focused  science  and  technology  development  and  commercialisation 
company . The Group commenced operations in 2006 to invest in transformative technologies developed 
at the leading US universities . The Company’s business model is to form, fund, manage and build start-
up companies which undertake product development and commercialise innovations emerging from US 
universities and US federal government research laboratories in the life sciences and technology sectors .

Allied  Minds’  strategy  is  to  build  a  diversified  group  of  businesses  and  achieve  significant  growth  over 
the medium to long term through the maturation of its products through the commercialisation cycle . We 
believe  the  strength  of  the  Group’s  strategy  is  its  ability  to  access  a  wide  range  of  innovative  scientific 
research  and  technology  by  leveraging  its  relationships  with  leading  research  institutions .  In  2015,  the 
Group engaged with 160 research universities and US federal government laboratories, providing it with an 
extensive pipeline of innovations from which the Group can identify technology for potential development to 
commercially viable products . In addition, Allied Minds’ business model centralises the support functions at 
the parent Company level, thereby enabling its businesses to focus efforts primarily on commercialisation 
activities whilst achieving operational and financial efficiency .

Since  inception,  the  Group  has  invested  significant  capital  and  resources  in  its  subsidiary  businesses . 
The  Group  currently  comprises  of  23  subsidiary  businesses  in  the  life  sciences  and  technology  sectors 
based upon a broad range of underlying innovative technologies ranging from molecular compounds to 
memory integrated circuit technology . Allied Minds benefits from a highly skilled workforce, with valuable 
expertise throughout the Group across a range of science and technology disciplines . By leveraging this 
expertise, and through its extensive research and development activity to date, Allied Minds has established 
a significant portfolio of intellectual property to support and protect its research and innovation programme .

Allied Minds is structured as a diversified holding company with a strong central management team active 
in the strategic development of its subsidiary businesses . We believe this is a key distinguishing feature 
of the Company when compared with investment funds . Allied Minds’ core aim is to focus on early-stage 
disruptive technologies that it believes have significant upside potential and to realise that potential through 
supporting commercial development .

The Opportunity
The  US  is  the  world’s  largest  market  for  research  and  development  (R&D)  investment,  with  more  than 
$125 billion in annual spending by the US federal government . The investment by the US federal government 
in  research  through  the  nation’s  universities,  federal  laboratories,  and  non-profit  institutions  generates 
innovations and inventions with considerable commercial potential . These innovations and inventions result 
in thousands of US patent applications per annum . Though US universities and federal research institutions 
have an established technology transfer process designed to commercialise this intellectual property, they 
face  a  number  of  challenges .  Marketing  early-stage  innovations  to  investors  that  often  seek  lower-risk, 
more mature technologies is challenging . Universities also often lack the resources necessary to adequately 
and efficiently identify the most marketable opportunities, coordinate between technology transfer offices 
and researchers to render opportunities marketable, and locate investors and entrepreneurs to license the 
invention and carry concepts forward . As a result, many universities license only a relatively small number 
of patents per year from a base of thousands, of which only a small fraction progress to the next stage of 
development .

Allied  Minds  was  established  with  the  objective  of  collaborating  with  universities,  and  subsequently,  US 
federal government labs, to better identify high-potential innovations and inventions at an early stage, and 

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subsequently licensing those inventions into subsidiaries formed and funded by the Company . By providing 
requisite  commercial  direction  and  management  talent  together  with  funding  the  product  development 
activities of its businesses, we believe Allied Minds has the opportunity to be able to unlock the significant 
market potential inherent in promising technologies .

Our Strategy
Allied  Minds  aims  to  identify,  develop  and  commercialise  potentially  transformative  technologies .  The 
Company seeks to maximise growth by creating new businesses based around proprietary and innovative 
intellectual property . Allied Minds is actively engaged in focused scientific research and product development 
within its businesses, and bringing products to significant identifiable markets . The Company’s objective is 
to build its businesses into commercially successful and valuable enterprises .

A key component of the Company’s strategy is to maintain strict capital discipline within an operationally 
efficient model for new companies while the commercial viability of the technology is explored and tested . 
The Company aims to ensure that only when there are sufficient additional proof points that the technology 
is satisfactorily de-risked and could succeed commercially, is additional scale-up capital provided . Should 
those  proof  points  no  longer  support  on-going  commercialisation  activity,  a  subsidiary’s  business  is 
terminated .  As  part  of  Allied  Minds’  strategy,  it  is  recognised  that  failure  is  an  inherent  but  necessary 
component of early-stage investing .

In order to execute this strategy, and more broadly to ensure alignment of stakeholder interests, we believe 
that for early-stage businesses, it is important to retain initial control of projects . Accordingly, the Company 
currently maintains operating control of all of its businesses and we anticipate maintaining such control for 
as long as necessary subject to the demands and needs of each subsidiary and the overall management of 
the Company’s business . We review the development path of each business on an on-going basis and, at 
the appropriate time, it is expected that each business will look to secure strategic, commercial and capital 
partners, as appropriate, with a view to accelerate and maximise value appreciation .

The Company’s strategy is to drive each subsidiary business toward commercialisation . The development 
time of each technology can vary enormously, particularly if regulatory approvals need to be secured before 
the  product  can  reach  the  market .  Inherent  in  the  commercialisation  strategy  is  a  belief  that  realisation 
of assets should not be attempted until significant value inflection milestones have been reached . These 
milestones are typically commercial traction and revenue generation .

The achievement of such milestones is expected to provide the Board with strategic flexibility to explore 
a range of avenues for value realisation, including initial public offerings, trade sales (in whole or in part), 
licensing arrangements and joint ventures .

Our Business Model and Approach
Since inception, Allied Minds has sought to deliver the commercial potential of selected university owned, 
early-stage  intellectual  property  by  working  with  technology  transfer  offices  (TTOs)  and  establishing  a 
structure to form, fund, manage and build start-up companies to develop innovative technologies . Allied 
Minds maintains regular contact with its university partners, which includes campus visits and interaction 
between  Allied  Minds  staff  and  university  technology  transfer  personnel  and  researchers .  The  strategic 
relationships  with  universities  provide  Allied  Minds  with  direct  access  to  scientific  research  which  is 
potentially capable of developing into transformative technologies and products .

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Company Overview (continued)

As an extension of its university model, in September 2012, Allied Minds reached agreements for first-of-
their-kind Public Private Partnerships (PPP) with several US Department of Defense laboratories and federal 
government agencies, and subsequently reached agreements with other federal government agencies such 
as the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy . Under these PPPs, the Company 
typically  receives  certain  access  and  licensing  rights  to  inventions  originating  from  the  US  Department 
of  Defense  laboratories  and  other  federal  government  agencies .  We  believe  that  these  PPPs  create  a 
closer relationship between the Company and the respective institutions, thereby increasing the amount of 
potential deal flow available in new intellectual property for the Company .

Through these collaborative relationships with research universities and federal government laboratories, 
the Company and the corresponding research institutions work together to form, fund, manage and build 
early stage companies to commercialise US innovation .

Form
The Company’s extensive network of relationships with universities and US federal government laboratories 
provides  access  to  the  outcome  of  substantial  research  and  development  expenditure .  In  2015,  Allied 
Minds evaluated more than 5,000 potential projects from across a broad range of university and federal 
laboratories  and  addressing  a  broad  range  of  underlying  technologies .  These  proposals  frequently 
represent the culmination of years of scientific research within university and federal government laboratory 
environments .

Using a screening and investment selection process and supported by data on technical merit, commercial 
potential and patentability, we believe Allied Minds is able to make timely and effective decisions on which 
projects merit further consideration . We believe that use of this opportunity assessment system and the 
efficiency  of  this  process  can  substantially  reduce  transactional  costs  and  enhance  timely  and  effective 
decision making for the Group .

In order for a project to proceed past the first review stage, it must score highly in key technical assessment 
criteria . The starting point for this process is an assessment of the technologies that underpins the project . 
Projects are assessed on the following criteria: value proposition; disruptive technology; initial commercial 
application;  addressable  market;  business  model;  potential  intellectual  property  protection;  competitive 
landscape, and regulatory path, where applicable .

Approximately  5%  of  those  projects  reviewed  are  typically  selected  for  further  evaluation .  At  this  stage 
Allied Minds coordinates the involvement of sector experts, academic peers and, in certain cases, external 
advisers to perform a deeper evaluation of the scientific and commercial potential of the project . Following 
this second review stage, approximately 1% of those projects initially reviewed are selected for detailed 
due  diligence .  The  Company’s  full  due  diligence  process  involves  coordination  with  the  inventor(s)  and 
institution  to  gain  acceptance  of  the  Allied  Minds  operating  model  as  well  as  preparation  of  a  detailed 
product and business development plan and budget structured around key milestones . We intend to form 
approximately five new projects per annum in the near and medium term .

After selecting a project, Allied Minds typically establishes a subsidiary that receives an exclusive license 
for the commercial rights to the underlying intellectual property . The subsidiary is usually majority owned by 
Allied Minds in either a limited liability company or incorporated structure, with the originating university and 
inventor(s) each typically receiving a minority shareholding in that entity .

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Fund
Following due diligence procedures, the subsidiary validates the core scientific principles of the intellectual 
property, and evaluates the progress and likelihood of commercial success of a technology prior to making 
any significant additional commitment to fund, develop and commercialise such technology . Following this 
initial seed funding from the Company, Allied Minds provides further incremental funding to support the 
product development activity within its subsidiaries .

Disbursement  of  funding  and  future  rounds  of  financing  for  further  development  are  often  based  on 
achievement of key milestones, which are designed to measure technological and commercial progress . 
Where  a  project  has  failed  to  deliver  sufficient  additional  proof  points,  no  longer  supports  on-  going 
development  and  commercialisation  activity,  and  cannot  be  successfully  redirected  to  an  alternative 
commercial path, Allied Minds will look to terminate the investment early .

As its businesses mature further, Allied Minds will also seek funding from third parties for such businesses 
should it be in the Group’s strategic interests to do so . Allied Minds has a track record with certain corporate 
and institutional investors which have co-invested with Allied Minds to finance its subsidiary businesses .

Manage
Allied  Minds  actively  manages  and  monitors  its  businesses  as  they  advance  research  and  product 
development towards commercialisation . During the early stages, Allied Minds typically provides technical 
and executive leadership to oversee the progress of its businesses toward preliminary milestones . As those 
businesses evolve, Allied Minds contributes to the board composition of the companies and hires seasoned 
industry executives to advance the businesses towards commercialisation . We believe the Company will 
continue to attract talented executives to its businesses .

Allied Minds expects to directly control each start-up company in its early stages, and retain board seats in 
the later stages of such company’s development . Throughout this process, Allied Minds expects to provide 
strategic and other advice or retain expert advisors for the businesses, where necessary .

Build
Allied Minds applies a structured approach to building the business infrastructure that is critical to the growth 
of its businesses . In addition to providing executive leadership, Allied Minds provides sales and marketing 
research, consulting, competitive analysis, technology analysis, commercial development support, shared 
services such as payroll and IT support, and operational advice . In doing so, Allied Minds’ business model 
maintains  central  support  functions  at  the  parent  Company  level,  thereby  enabling  its  businesses  to 
focus on research and product development activity whilst achieving operational and financial efficiency . 
We believe that the support provided to each of the Group’s businesses distinguishes them from many 
comparably-sized and -aged businesses in terms of availability of resources that aid in their planning and 
decision making .

Allied Minds is focused on pursuing projects with the objective of bringing commercially viable products to 
significant identifiable markets . Accordingly, we evaluate on an on-going basis the progress and potential 
of each of the Company’s businesses, and make strategy and funding decisions based on the achievement 
of key milestones . The Company sets out to identify key achievements within each subsidiary that indicate 
growth momentum such as revenue, industry partnerships, and go-to-market agreements, as a means of 
commercially validating the technology and business case .

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Portfolio Summary

During 2015, an aggregate of $102 .8 million was invested into new and existing portfolio companies . This 
included $63 .6 million from two fundraisings led by Allied Minds, with $42 .2 million coming from third-party 
investment, to further accelerate the development of two of the Group’s existing companies, SciFluor Life 
Sciences and Precision Biopsy . In addition to these two fundraisings, $39 .2 million was invested by the 
Group  into  new  and  other  existing  portfolio  companies,  including  investments  in  four  new  businesses: 
BridgeSat, ABLS I (Yale), HawkEye 360 and ABLS II (Harvard) .

Allied Minds currently has majority ownership in, or operating control of, all of its subsidiary investments . 
Below we provide an overview of our current existing subsidiary companies, including year formed, and 
Allied Minds’ ownership interest .

Subsidiary

Year 
Formed

Ownership 
Interest (1) Overview

Life Sciences
Allied-Bristol Life Sciences, LLC

2014

80 .00% Created with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) to 
identify and conduct preclinical development 
of therapeutic candidates which are intended 
to be sold to BMS prior to clinical development

ABLS I, LLC

2014

74 .00% Proprietary platform and associated small 

ABLS II, LLC

2014

molecule lead compounds known as 
Antibody-Recruiting Molecules (ARMs) provide 
a novel approach for the treatment of prostate 
cancer by recruiting the body’s own immune 
system, developed in the Yale University 
laboratory of Dr . David Spiegel
80 .00% Novel small molecule therapeutics for 

the treatment of fibrotic and autoimmune 
diseases, developed in the Harvard University 
laboratory of Professor Malcolm Whitman

ABLS III, LLC,
d/b/a ißeCa Therapeutics

2016

80 .00% Proprietary compounds developed by 

Dr . Ramanuj Dasgupta at the NYU School of 
Medicine that target the Wnt signaling pathway 
and nuclear beta catenin, which plays a key 
role in the development and progression of a 
number of cancers affecting large numbers of 
patients

Biotectix, LLC

2007

64 .35% Aiming to enable the next generation of 

implantable electrostimulation and sensing 
products through the development of 
proprietary, high-performance, conducting 
polymer coatings

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Subsidiary

Life Sciences (continued)
Cephalogics, LLC

CryoXtract Instruments, LLC

Year 
Formed

Ownership 
Interest (1) Overview

2006

95 .00% Developing a non-invasive, bedside 

neuroimaging system, which seeks to provide 
real-time continuous ischemia detection and 
perfusion status in a variety of stroke and CNS 
injury settings

2008

93 .24% A suite of automated product solutions that 

seeks to allow the global scientific community 
to access valuable frozen biosamples without 
exposing them to damaging freeze/thaw 
cycles

LuxCath, LLC

2012

98 .00% A catheter-based real-time tissue and lesion 

visualisation technology for use during cardiac 
ablation procedures initially focused on atrial 
fibrillation ablation

Precision Biopsy, Inc .

2008

68 .32% A medical device platform, Claricore™, 

ProGDerm, Inc .,
d/b/a Novare Pharmaceuticals

2008

utilising tissue spectroscopy, which seeks 
to distinguish tissue characteristics in real-
time and to guide clinicians toward areas of 
disease for optimum therapy initially focused 
on prostate cancer . Developing focal therapy 
system using Claricore for abnormal tissue 
targeting in the prostate

90 .38% A biologic that aims to represent a natural 
approach to generate subcutaneous fat to 
enhance the appearance of skin using the 
body’s own processes; developing novel 
peptides based on the Rhamm protein for 
inflammatory, fibrotic, aesthetic and other 
market opportunities

SciFluor Life Sciences, Inc .

2010

69 .89% Developing a best-in-class portfolio of 

SoundCure, Inc .

2009

compounds based on the strategic use of 
fluorine initially focused on retinal, CNS, fibrotic 
and pain related diseases

84 .60% Developed an FDA-cleared consumer medical 
device for tinnitus therapy offering customised 
acoustic technology, while also developing an 
online audiology-based telehealth business 
including an expanding broad network of 
corporate and provider partners

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Portfolio Summary (continued)

Subsidiary

Technology
Allied Minds Federal 
Innovations, Inc .

Year 
Formed

Ownership 
Interest (1) Overview

2012

100 .00% Through a series of public-private partnerships 

BridgeSat, Inc .

2015

Federated Wireless, Inc .

2012

Foreland Technologies, Inc .

2013

HawkEye 360, Inc .

2015

(PPPs) with the US federal government, 
aims to develop and commercialise the next 
generation of transformative technologies from 
US federal research institutions
100 .00% Developing an optical connectivity system 

that aims to increase the speed, security and 
efficiency of data transmissions from Low 
Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, unmanned aerial 
systems, and remote terrestrial infrastructure 
compared to traditional radio frequency 
solutions

73 .04% A leader in the emerging market for Shared 
Spectrum, their CINQ cloud-based platform 
provides coordinated shared spectrum 
resources to enterprise customers, network 
operators, and service providers
100 .00% A cyber security platform company which 

aims to discover, incubate and commercialise 
emerging technologies with greater speed and 
agility than the rest of the market
75 .00% Building a constellation of small satellites in 

low Earth orbit to generate reports on wireless 
signals that can be used to track and monitor 
global transportation networks and assist with 
emergencies

Optio Labs, Inc .

2012

81 .23% Developer of mobile security technologies for 

the evolving cyber operating environment

Percipient Networks, LLC

2014

100 .00% Developing threat-intelligence driven cloud-

RF Biocidics, Inc .

2008

Seamless Devices, Inc .

2014

based cyber security technologies for 
proactive enterprise network defence
67 .14% Developer of equipment that seeks to disinfect 

food from insects and pathogens through a 
process that does not use chemicals

79 .41% Developer of semiconductor devices using 
a novel approach to analog-to-digital signal 
processing based on switched-mode signal 
processing technology and algorithms

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Portfolio Summary (continued)

Subsidiary

Technology (continued)
Spin Transfer Technologies, Inc .

Whitewood Encryption 
Systems, Inc .

Notes:

Year 
Formed

Ownership 
Interest (1) Overview

2007

48 .40% MRAM computer memory that is being 

developed with the aspiration of becoming 
a leading universal memory technology to 
address a segment of the $60 billion per 
annum worldwide computer memory market

2014

100 .00% Developer of the next-generation systems 
of data encryption that leverage advanced 
quantum cryptography technologies

(1)   Ownership interests are as at 25 April 2016 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this document), and are 
based upon percentage interest of issued and outstanding common shares and preferred shares (on an as-converted into voting 
common share basis) . Allied Minds’ ownership of Federated Wireless was 90 .58% as at 31 December 2015, prior to a funding 
round (involving both Allied Minds and external investors) of $22 .0 million in January 2016 . Allied Minds’ ownership of HawkEye 
360 was 81 .25% as at 31 December 2015, prior to a transfer of HawkEye 360 shares by Allied Minds to an external investor in 
February 2016 .

(2)   In 2016, Allied Minds ceased operations at its subsidiary SiEnergy Systems, LLC (SiEnergy) . The company was formed to develop 
thin film Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology . Allied Minds determined that the technology would not meet key milestones 
which were designed to measure technological and commercial progress within a reasonable timeframe and within a reasonable 
budget,  and  that  the  market  for  clean  energy  alternatives  continued  to  be  potentially  adversely  impacted  by  the  low  cost  of 
traditional energy sources .

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Subsidiary Valuation

The Group currently has 23 subsidiary businesses, whose activities are principally in the life sciences and 
technology sectors .

All of the Company’s subsidiary companies are currently majority owned and/or controlled and therefore 
fully  consolidated  in  the  Company’s  consolidated  financial  statements  prepared  in  accordance  with 
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) . As a result, the Consolidated Statements of Financial 
Position  incorporated  within  the  Company’s  consolidated  financial  statements  do  not  include  current 
valuations  of  the  Company’s  subsidiary  companies .  As  a  means  of  promoting  transparency,  we  also 
present,  as  supplementary  information,  ownership  adjusted  valuations  of  each  of  the  Group’s  top  ten 
subsidiary  businesses  by  value,  as  well  as  an  aggregated  sum-of-the-parts  valuation  of  all  the  Group’s 
subsidiary  businesses .  This  supplementary  valuation  disclosure  has  been  prepared  on  the  basis  of  the 
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities 
Issued as Compensation (AICPA Guidelines) . The AICPA Guidelines do not represent, but are consistent 
with  valuation  principles  adopted  under  IFRS .  The  subsidiary  company  valuations  are  not  presented  as 
alternative  measures  to,  and  should  be  read  in  conjunction  with,  the  Company’s  consolidated  financial 
information prepared in accordance with IFRS as set out in the Annual Report .

There can be no guarantee that the aforementioned valuation of the Group will be considered to be correct 
in light of the future performance of the various Group businesses, or that the Group would be able to realise 
proceeds in the amount of such valuations, or at all, in the event of a sale by it of any of its subsidiaries .

At  the  close  of  each  annual  financial  period,  the  Directors  formally  approve  the  value  of  all  subsidiary 
businesses in the Group which is used to derive the “Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value” . The 
Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value was $535 .8 million as at 31 December 2015, as set out in 
the table below, which has been extracted without material adjustment from the Company’s consolidated 
financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS as set out in the Annual Report . We believe there 
has been no significant change in the Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value since 31 December 
2015 .

The  Group  Subsidiary  Ownership  Adjusted  Value  (GSOAV)  of  $535 .8  million  as  of  31  December  2015, 
compared  to  $488 .0  million  at  31  December  2014,  was  an  increase  of  $47 .8  million,  or  9 .8% .  The 
increase in 2015 is primarily attributed to the increase in value at Precision Biopsy and Federated Wireless 
demonstrated by the consummation of third-party fundraisings into such subsidiaries, offset by decreases 
in value at RF Biocidics and CryoXtract as a result of slower than anticipated sales growth, and the closing 
of SiEnergy .

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Subsidiary Valuation (continued)

Subsidiary Business

Spin Transfer Technologies, Inc .
SciFluor Life Sciences, Inc .
Precision Biopsy, Inc .
Federated Wireless, Inc .
RF Biocidics, Inc .
Optio Labs, Inc .
Cephalogics, LLC
ProGDerm, Inc . d/b/a Novare Pharmaceuticals
CryoXtract Instruments, LLC
Biotectix, LLC
Top 10 Subsidiaries by Value
Other Subsidiaries
Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted 
Value

Notes:

Allied Minds
Invested 
Capital
$’000

Total 
Invested 
Capital
$’000

OAV as at 
31 December
2015
$’000

OAV as at 
31 December
2014
$’000

28 .4
19 .6
19 .5
16 .9
30 .4
9 .4
13 .7
6 .2
17 .3
9 .2

55 .7

107 .3
44 .8
36 .5
33 .9
38 .4
11 .9
13 .7
6 .2
17 .3
9 .5

57 .7

121 .0
91 .3
61 .8
59 .9
40 .0
33 .6
22 .9
16 .8
12 .6
12 .2
472.1
63 .7

535.8

121 .0
91 .4
16 .2
9 .1
69 .6
32 .8
22 .3
16 .7
17 .8
11 .7
408.6
79 .4

488.0

(1)   Ownership adjusted value represents Allied Minds’ interest in the equity value of each subsidiary: = (Business Enterprise Value 
–  Long  Term  Debt  +  Cash)  x  Allied  Minds  percentage  ownership  plus  the  value  of  debt  provided  by  Allied  Minds  plc  to  each 
subsidiary business . Allied Minds commits post-seed funding to its subsidiaries in the form of loans .

(2)   The Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value includes cash balances held by Allied Minds subsidiaries at 31 December 2015 
amounting  to  $79 .7  million  (including  those  valued  based  on  recent  financing  rounds)  on  an  ownership  adjusted  basis .  As  at 
31 December 2015, the Group reported total consolidated net cash and other investments balances of $194 .8 million, the balance 
being net cash and investments of $115 .0 million held at the parent level and available for investment in the Group .

(3)   Where subsidiaries have raised financing from external parties since 31 December 2015, the ownership adjusted value in the table 
above has been updated to reflect the current percentage ownership and the valuation implied by that external investment on a 
post new money basis, as well as the current Allied Minds’ and total invested capital . Federated Wireless completed a funding 
round of $22 .0 million in January 2016 .

(4)   Total invested capital represents the aggregate funds invested in the business by Allied Minds or third parties in the form of equity 

or loans from Allied Minds .

The Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value above excludes net cash and other investments balances 
of $115 .0 million held at the parent level as at 31 December 2015 (2014: $175 .4 million) .

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Partner Network

The Group has established relationships with the most prestigious academic research institutions across 
the United States . Allied Minds aims to gain direct access to technologies at the forefront of research by 
working to develop the existing university network and selectively adding highly regarded research centres 
across the US .

In  addition,  the  Group  has  established  relationships  with  US  Department  of  Defense  laboratories  and 
other federal agency laboratories, such as the Department of Energy, with the objective of systematically 
commercialising  the  technological  inventions  developed  in  the  corresponding  US  federal  government 
laboratory .

During  the  year  Allied  Minds  engaged  with  over  90  new  research  institutions,  bringing  the  total  US 
universities and federal laboratories in the Allied Minds partner network to 160, from 68 at the end of 2014 . 
The investment team reviewed more than 5,000 new technologies developed by the partner network, and 
following extensive due diligence on over 20 of the most promising, formed and funded four new businesses, 
resulting in a total Group portfolio of 23 subsidiary businesses at December 2015, and executed options to 
license three additional technologies .

Below is a list of research institutions engaged with in 2015 .

Aerospace Corporation
Air Force Institute of Technology
Air Force Research Lab – Rome
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Argonne National Laboratory
Arizona State University
Army Research Lab CERDEC
Beaumont Health System
Boston University
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brown University
California Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western University
Cedars-Sinai Hospital
City of Hope
City University of New York
Cleveland Clinic
Columbia University
Cornell University
Cyclotron Road
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Dartmouth College
Draper Labs
Drexel University
Duke University
Emory University
Fermi National Accelerator 
Laboratory
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida State University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Harvard University
Houston Methodist Hospital
Idaho National Laboratory
Indiana University
Iowa State University
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University – Applied 
Physics Lab
Lawrence Berkeley National 
Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National 
Laboratory

Lehigh University
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Louisiana State University
Marshall University
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology
Mayo Clinic
McLean Hospital
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer 
Center
Michigan State University
Missouri University of Science and 
Technology
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
MITRE
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
NASA – Armstrong Flight Research 
Center
NASA – Kennedy Space Center
NASA – Langley Research Center
NASA – Stennis Space Center
National Energy Technology 
Laboratory
National Institutes of Health
National Radio Astronomy 
Observatory
National Security Agency
Naval Air Weapons Station China 
Lake
Naval Research Laboratory
Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane
New Jersey Innovation Institute
New York University
North Carolina State University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Ohio State University
Ohio University
Oregon State University
Partners Healthcare
PATH
Picatinny Arsenal
Princeton University
Purdue University
Rice University

Rockefeller University
Rutgers University
Sandia National Laboratories
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical 
Discovery Institute
Savannah River National Laboratory
Scripps Institute
Southern Illinois University
Southern Methodist University
SPAWAR
St Jude’s
Stanford University
State University of New York – 
Binghamton
State University of New York – 
Downstate
State University of New York – 
Stony Brook
Stevens Institute of Technology
Temple University
Texas AandM University
Texas Tech
Tufts University
US Army AMRDEC
US Army ARDEC
US Army Engineer Research and 
Development Center
Uniformed Services University of the 
Health Science
University of Alabama
University of Arizona
University of California – Berkeley
University of California – Davis
University of California – Irvine
University of California – Los 
Angeles
University of California – Merced
University of California – Riverside
University of California – San Diego
University of California – San 
Francisco
University of California – Santa 
Barbara
University of California – Santa Cruz
University of California – System
University of Central Florida
University of Chicago

University of Colorado
University of Delaware
University of Florida
University of Houston
University of Illinois – Chicago
University of Illinois – Urbana 
Champaign
University of Kansas
University of Louisville
University of Maryland – Baltimore
University of Maryland – College 
Park
University of Massachusetts – 
Amherst
University of Massachusetts – 
Dartmouth
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of Missouri – Columbia
University of Nebraska
University of Nebraska – Lincoln
University of New Hampshire
University of North Texas
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Rochester
University of South Carolina
University of South Dakota
University of Southern California
University of Texas – Austin
University of Texas – Southwestern
University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Utah State University
Vanderbilt University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and 
State University (Virginia Tech)
Wake Forest University
Washington State University
Washington University in St . Louis
Wayne State University

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Key Performance Indicators

The following Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were selected to measure the performance of the Company 
in 2015:

•	 Number of subsidiary businesses;

•	 Ownership adjusted value (OAV) of subsidiary companies;

•	 Group revenue growth; and

•	 Graduation of subsidiaries to the next development level, with the two levels being consistent with the 

Group’s reporting segments as follows:

(a)   Early  Stage:  subsidiary  businesses  that  are  in  the  early  stage  of  their  lifecycle  characterised  by 

incubation, research and development activities;

(b)  Commercial  Stage:  subsidiary  businesses  that  have  substantially  completed  their  research  and 
development activities, and that have developed one or more products that are actively marketed .

Performance against 2015 KPIs are set forth below:

KPI

Subsidiary Businesses

2015

23

2014

22

Performance

+1 (net)

Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted 
Value

$535 .8 million

$488 .0 million

+$47 .8 million / 9 .8% growth

Revenue

$3 .3 million

$7 .7 million

-$4 .4 million

Commercial Stage Subsidiaries

4

3

+1

During  2015  and  into  2016,  the  Board  continued  to  evaluate  the  selected  KPIs .  The  Board  undertook 
a  comprehensive  review  of  the  objectives  of  the  Group,  and  set  detailed  management  and  Group 
objectives for 2016, including those discussed in the Remuneration Report . These revised objectives link 
financial, operational, technical and other performance milestones established by the Board directly to the 
remuneration of Executive Directors . As a result of the review, the following KPIs were selected to measure 
the performance of the Group in 2016 .

•	 The  number  of  new  subsidiary  businesses,  strategic  transactions,  financing  transactions  and  other 

validating events consummated;

•	 Ownership adjusted value (OAV) of subsidiary companies;

•	 Group revenue growth; and

•	 The number of subsidiaries that achieve the majority of their financial, operational, technical and other 

performance milestones established by the Board .

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Portfolio Review and Developments

For the purposes of this section, the Company’s top 10 operating businesses by estimated value, accounting 
for approximately 76% of the Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value as at 31 December 2015, have 
been identified as Material Subsidiaries .

Material Subsidiaries
Spin Transfer Technologies, Inc.
Spin  Transfer  Technologies,  Inc .  (STT)  engages 
in  the  development  of  Orthogonal  Spin  Transfer 
(OST) Magneto-Resistive Random Access Memory 
(MRAM),  an  innovative  memory  integrated  circuit 
technology .  OST-MRAM  aims  to  combine  the 
advantages  of  high-speed  volatile  memory  (i .e . 
DRAM and SRAM) and non-volatile memory (Flash) in 
a single memory element . OST- MRAM’s potentially 
unique combination of fast write speed, low power, 
and  virtually  unlimited  endurance  is  expected  to 
enable  it  to  address  a  wide  range  of  applications 
in the standalone and embedded memory markets, 
which collectively had a combined estimated value 
of greater than $60 billion per annum worldwide in 
2014 .

In  2015,  the  company  recorded  some  notable 
achievements  building  on  2014  progress  when 
the  company  completed  integration  of  magnetic 
and  CMOS  wafer  technology,  raised  $70 .0  million 
of  new  capital,  and  expanded  the  technical  team 
and  intellectual  property  portfolio .  During  2015, 
STT  developed  a 
technology 
demonstrator memory integrated circuit (Diagnostic 
Memory  1),  demonstrating  desired  functionalities 
for evaluation by potential customers and partners . 
STT  also  completed  expansion  of  the  company’s 
clean  room,  process  line,  and  measurement  and 
test  capabilities  to  allow  complete  end-to-end 
fabrication with much reduced cycle time .

functional 

fully 

On 10 October 2013, Crocus Technology S .A . filed 
a petition at the US Patent Office (PTO) requesting 
that  the  PTO  grant  an  inter  partes  review  (IPR)  of 
US Patent No . 6,980,469 which relates to magnetic 
devices  for  memory  cells  that  can  serve  as  non-
volatile  memory .  This  patent  is  licensed  by  STT 
from  the  New  York  University  (NYU) .  The  IPR  is 
a  form  of  proceeding  permitted  under  the  Leahy- 

Smith  America  Invents  Act,  which  permits  third 
parties  to  challenge  the  validity  of  issued  patents . 
No damages are available in such IPR proceedings .

On  26  March  2015,  the  US  Patent  Office  (PTO) 
entered a judgment on the inter partes review (IPR) 
of US Patent No . 6,980,469 and cancelled several 
claims under this single NYU patent as being invalid 
over  prior  art  references .  This  judgment  provides 
no  legal  authority  and  the  Company  believes  that 
STT’s ability to develop and market its technology 
and products will not be materially impaired by this 
judgment,  that  the  claims  remaining  under  other 
licensed  NYU  patents,  as  well  as  under  STT’s 
owned patents, provide substantial defense against 
other competitors who may enter the market .

Engagement with partners is very important to the 
company .  In  2015,  the  company  entered  into  a 
co-development agreement with one of the largest 
global data storage companies . STT also partnered 
with an Asian foundry, whereby the foundry provides 
CMOS wafers to interface with STT’s OST-MRAM 
devices,  as  well  as  jointly  develop  embedded 
MRAM  products .  Joint  customer  engagement  is 
also envisioned with early discussions in progress .

For 2016, key targeted milestones include the further 
development  of  the  STT  technology  incorporating 
perpendicular  MTJ  structures  into  its  devices  and 
the  establishment  of  additional  partnerships  and 
potential early customer relationships .

SciFluor Life Sciences, Inc.
SciFluor Life Sciences, Inc . (SciFluor) aims to develop 
a best-in-class portfolio of compounds through the 
strategic use of fluorine . It engages in drug discovery 
and  development  and  is  building  a  portfolio  of 
proprietary fluorinated compounds seeking to serve 
various billion dollar markets . Fluorine modification 
of the underlying chemical structure of a drug has 
been demonstrated to improve potency, selectivity, 

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rates of absorption, metabolic stability, and half-life . 
These  factors  all  improve  the  drug  and  positively 
impact  delivery,  dosing,  side  effects  and  more . 
As  such,  approximately  25%  of  drugs  currently 
marketed  or 
fluorine . 
SciFluor’s  principal  products  are  based  on  two 
patented lead compounds:

in  the  pipeline  contain 

•	 SF0166,  a  patented  small  molecule  integrin 
antagonist  wholly  owned  by  SciFluor  and 
intended  to  treat  eye  conditions  including  age-
related macular degeneration, diabetic macular 
edema  and  retinal  vein  occlusion,  representing 
an  estimated  50  million  patients  worldwide . 
SF0166 is a topical drug to be delivered via eye 
drops and is intended to replace drugs requiring 
repeated injection into the eye .

•	 SF0034,  a  KCNQ2/3  modulator  and  a 
fluorinated  derivative  of  ezogabine,  is  also 
patented  and  is  wholly  owned  by  SciFluor .  It 
is  a  potent  potassium  channel  activator  and 
in  effect  it  electrically  stabilises  neurons  by 
opening  their  potassium  channels .  SF0034 
could  eliminate  key  safety  issues  associated 
with  ezogabine 
retention, 
including  urinary 
cardiac 
interactions,  pigmentation  problems 
which  could  lead  to  blindness,  and  dosing .  It 
could  potentially  serve  markets  totalling  $5 .0 
billion in aggregate including: epilepsy/seizures; 
tinnitus;  amyotrophic  lateral  sclerosis  (ALS  or 
Lou  Gehrig’s  disease);  and  channelopathies 
(genetic orphan rare diseases) .

In  April  2015,  SciFluor  raised  $30 .0  million  in  a 
Series A preferred stock financing at a pre-money 
valuation of $100 million to progress development of 
its two lead compounds and to expand its portfolio . 
By the end of 2015, the company had advanced the 
pre-clinical  development  of  SF0166  and  SF0034 
and completed pre-IND meetings with the US Food 
and  Drug  Administration  (FDA)  to  agree  on  the 
data needed to support clinical studies, which are 
now planned to start in mid-2016 . Additionally, the 
company intends to execute pre-clinical tests on its 
existing  pipeline  compounds  in  fibrosis,  immuno-

oncology,  and  pain  therapy .  SciFluor  also  intends 
to  continue  to  pursue  patent  protection  for  its 
compounds in various select global markets and to 
evaluate the potential for partnerships with a variety 
of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies .

Inc . 

(Precision  Biopsy) 

Precision Biopsy, Inc.
is 
Precision  Biopsy, 
developing ClariCore™, a next generation prostate 
cancer biopsy medical device system, as well a focal 
therapy  ablation  system  to  treat  prostate  cancer 
patients  using  ClariCore  as  the  targeting  system . 
The  aim  of  the  ClariCore  system  is  to  provide  the 
capability  to  analyse  prostate  tissue  in  real-time 
for  signs  of  cancer  during  the  biopsy  procedure, 
thereby  minimising  unnecessary  tissue  biopsies 
as well as the associated pathology costs . Current 
biopsy  procedures  require  random  or  ‘‘blind’’ 
sampling, and often multiple and repeated biopsies 
per  procedure .  The  Precision  Biopsy  system  is 
intended  to  be  used  within  the  typical  biopsy 
procedure  and  the  company  aims  to  develop  a 
system along with a disposable needle biopsy unit, 
creating a capital equipment and recurring revenue 
model . It is estimated that in the US alone, 1 million 
men undergo a needle biopsy procedure each year .

In  October  2015,  Precision  Biopsy  raised  $33 .6 
million  to  accelerate  the  commercialisation  of 
its  ClariCore™  Biopsy  System,  and  develop  its 
Focal  Therapy  programme .  The  funds  support 
the  continuation  of  taking  clinical  core  samples 
to  optimise  the  tissue  classification  system,  as 
well  as  planned  FDA  clinical  trials  to  support  final 
development  and  regulatory  approvals  for  the 
prostate market .

In  2015,  Precision  Biopsy  completed  its  product 
development  and  verification  and  validation 
testing  of  its  ClariCore™  system .  The  company 
successfully initiated a clinical trial of the system by 
enrolling patients . Precision Biopsy also submitted 
the  IDE  (investigational  device  exemption)  of  the 
ClariCore system to the FDA in the first quarter of 
2016 . The current US regulatory strategy includes 
two  separate  clinical  trials  and  submissions  to 

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Portfolio Review and Developments (continued)

support commercialisation and intended approvals 
based on the indications for use . Precision Biopsy 
intends to complete its first clinical trial in 2016 and 
submit the results to the FDA . A second clinical trial 
initiation  is  planned  for  early  2017  and  those  trial 
results are expected to support commercial release 
and system launch in the US and EU .

In  2016,  Precision  Biopsy  also  initiated  definition 
and  development  of  its  focal  therapy  program 
where the identified/diagnosed cancer tissue within 
the prostate is expected to be ablated in the same 
procedure using ClariCore to target the suspicious 
tissue . If this program is successful, the company’s 
objective is to replace the majority of invasive radical 
prostatectomy  procedures  with  targeted  minimally 
invasive focal therapy .

Inc . 

Federated Wireless, Inc.
(Federated  Wireless) 
Federated  Wireless, 
cloud-based  wireless 
provides 
innovative 
infrastructure  solutions 
the  access 
to  extend 
of  carrier  networks  through  sharing  of  wireless 
spectrum  amongst  multiple  tiers  of  users .  As 
discussed  below,  significant  bands  of  wireless 
spectrum have traditionally been allocated strictly for 
government use despite actually needing or utilising 
that  spectrum  a  small  fraction  of  time .  Federated 
Wireless  has  developed  a  dynamic  Spectrum 
Access  System  (SAS)  that  could  revolutionise  the 
way in which spectrum is allocated, managed, and 
optimized .  The  company’s  innovative  approach 
incorporates  a  neural  network  of  radio  sensors 
allowing  interference  free  access  to  low-cost, 
licensed  spectrum  while  meeting 
high-quality, 
the  required  exclusion  periods  required  by  US 
government  users .  Spectrum  sharing  capability 
is  intended  to  be  a  core  building  block  of  next 
generation  wireless  systems,  sometimes  called 
5G . In effect, the company intends for its spectrum 
sharing  capabilities  to  provide  ubiquitous,  high-
quality  spectrum  with  the  ease  of  implementation 
and low cost of Wi-Fi .

In  April  2015, 
the  Federal  Communications 
Commission  (FCC)  approved  the  formal  Rule  & 

Order  governing  the  dynamic  sharing  of  federal 
spectrum  in  the  3 .5  GHz  band,  thereby  ensuring 
the  necessary  regulatory  authority  for  Federated 
Wireless  to  go  to  market  with  its  proprietary  SAS . 
Federated  Wireless  has  been  very  active  in  its 
relationship  with  the  FCC  since  the  company’s 
inception and has been instrumental in determining 
the  standards  for  commercial  use  of  the  band . 
Between  that  relationship  and  the  company’s 
involvement in the industry working group, Wireless 
Innovation Forum (WInnForum), Federated Wireless 
has  emerged  as  a  leading  voice  in  developing 
the  standards  for  a  shared  spectrum  model .  In 
September  2015,  the  company  announced  a 
partnership  with  the  US  Government  entity,  The 
National Advanced Spectrum and Communications 
Test  Network  (NASCTN)  to  conduct  the  first  pilot 
test  of  an  Environmental  Sensing  Capability  (ESC) 
for  the  SAS .  Federated  Wireless  also  launched  its 
first  product,  CINQ  XP,  which  allows  carriers  to 
access  shared  spectrum  and  unlock  the  value  of 
the 3 .5 GHz band .

Post-period-end 
in  January  2016,  Federated 
Wireless  raised  a  $22 .0  million  Series  A  preferred 
stock  financing  round  representing  an  attractive 
increase in the value of the company . In February, 
the company announced an alliance with five other 
wireless  industry  leaders  to  develop,  promote, 
and  market  solutions  in  the  3 .5  GHz  band .  The 
other  companies  in  the  alliance  are:  Google,  Intel, 
Qualcomm 
Incorporated,  Nokia,  and  Ruckus 
Wireless . Federated Wireless is working with these 
companies and others in developing plans for pilot 
tests and field trials of the solution that are expected 
to  begin  in  the  second  half  of  2016 .  Additionally, 
Federated Wireless continues to work with the FCC 
and  other  government  agencies  on  certification  of 
the  company’s  SAS  and  sensors  as  they  prepare 
the 3 .5 GHz band for commercial usage .

RF Biocidics, Inc.
in 
RF  Biocidics, 
the  development,  manufacturing,  and  sale  of 
environmentally  friendly,  chemical-free  food  safety 

(RF  Biocidics)  engages 

Inc . 

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solutions  using  radio  frequency  (RF)  technology . 
RF  Biocidics  operates  in  the  area  of  disinfection 
and  disinfestation  of  agricultural  products,  against 
pathogens,  pests  and  fungi  in  a  variety  of  food 
commodities .  Today,  RF  Biocidics’  addressable 
market includes the dried fruit, tree nut and seed/
grain markets representing an estimated 500 million 
metric  tonnes  (MMt),  in  aggregate,  globally  per 
annum . The company currently has two lines of RF 
processing equipment:

•	 The  SENTINEL  line  uses  high  frequency  RF  to 
process high moisture products, such as prunes 
and raisins .

•	 The APEX line uses low frequency RF to process 
lower  moisture  products,  such  as  nuts,  grains, 
seeds and flours .

Fiscal year 2015 represented a disappointing year 
for  the  company  as  sales  declined  from  2014 . 
There are a number of potential factors behind this 
decline and foremost among them we believe has 
been  the  introduction  of  the  new  Generation  IV 
Apex machine and delays in receiving key industry 
regulatory  approvals .  Reflecting  the  uncertainties 
around sales growth, as highlighted elsewhere, the 
valuation for the company declined by 42 .5% .

Allied  Minds  remains  optimistic  about  the  long-
term  future  for  the  food  safety  and  treatment 
sector . Many of the drivers remain strongly in place 
including:  repeated  recalls  of  target  commodities; 
high  cost  and  reputation  damage  from  a  recall; 
potential  prison  time  for  executives  involved  in 
recalls; consumer desire for organic food products 
including  avoidance  of  toxic  chemicals;  regulation 
banning or limiting use of chemicals such as methyl 
bromide;  and,  government  demands  for  improved 
food safety (e .g ., Food Safety Modernization Act in 
the US) .

In  2015,  the  company’s  APEX  machine  received 
regulatory  approval  for  use  in  the  roasting  of 
almonds .  This  validation  was  completed  by  the 
Almond  Board  of  California  Technical  Expert 
Review  Panel  whose  decision  confirmed  third-

party tests that showed RF Biocidics’ chemical-free 
process  effectively  eliminates  pathogens  including 
Salmonella  from  almonds,  ensuring  their  safety . 
The  company  continues  to  pursue  other  required 
approvals  as  certification  is  required  for  each 
individual installation and is attempting to streamline 
the process for regulatory approval .

A high level of interest and some early orders point 
to  at  least  modest  improvement  in  2016  at  the 
revenue  level .  We  expect  adoption  to  accelerate 
over  time .  Key  targets  for  2016  include  extension 
in the number of treated commodities, achievement 
of further regulatory approvals for pasteurisation of 
raw almonds, and expansion of sales revenues and 
financial performance of the company .

Optio Labs, Inc.
Optio Labs, Inc . (Optio) is a cybersecurity company 
focused  on  creating  unique  sensor  technologies 
to  recognise  and  protect  against  malware  and 
taking  the  outputs  of  the  sensor’s  findings  into 
Optio’s  cloud-based  Insight  Platform .  The  sensor 
technology  combines  Optio’s  original  product 
OptioCore™, which is embedded on mobile devices 
and  provides  user  based  controls  and  malware 
blocking,  with  its  newer  product,  PrivateEye™, 
which provides for insider threat detection securing 
the last two feet of the network . PrivateEye joined 
Optio’s product suite through the company’s April 
2015  acquisition  of  Oculis  Labs .  The  joint  offering 
combined  with  Optio’s  new  server  technology  will 
provide  enterprise  and  government  customers 
with a unique cross domain view of the mobile and 
computer network environment . Optio’s platform will 
be able to discover distinctive malicious behaviour 
and alert and thwart these actions quickly .

The team at Optio expanded over the course of the 
fiscal  year  to  approximately  30  people,  including 
the  addition  of  industry  veterans  experienced  in 
North  American  and  international  sales,  product 
management,  research  and  engineering  to  its 
management team . Other changes in 2015 included 
the  launch  of  the  company’s  services  business  to 
assist  in  the  sales  and  marketing  of  its  products, 

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and the closure of the Kodomo™ product which no 
longer met Optio’s business model .

Over  the  course  of  2015,  the  engineering  team 
concentrated on bringing OptioCore version 2 .0 to 
market .  While  OptioCore  was  originally  built  as  a 
toolkit, the engineering team has produced a much 
more  comprehensive  updated  version  that  is  fully 
integrated  with  the  newest  versions  of  Android, 
which  remains  by  far  the  single  most  attacked 
mobile  operating  system .  With  those  tasks  nearly 
complete,  the  business  development  team  has 
successfully  created  relationships  with  additional 
handset  vendors,  including  ruggedised  handset 
vendor Sonim .

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) selected Optio Labs’ 
PrivateEye as a key security partner for release of its 
new  chipset .  In  connection  with  such  partnership, 
AMD is assisting Optio to market PrivateEye to the 
computer and laptop manufacturers .

The  profile  of  Optio  Labs  has  grown  throughout 
the  year  as  well .  The  company  was  awarded  two 
prestigious  product  awards  at  the  leading  trade 
show RSA in March 2016, for both OptioCore and 
PrivateEye .  Optio’s  products  were  also  featured 
in  the  Wall  Street  Journal,  USA  Today,  Network 
World  and  Security  Week,  in  addition  to  Optio’s 
management being featured on both television and 
radio . Additionally, Optio Labs has been issued two 
new patents .

In the coming year Optio Labs will focus on further 
product  development,  global  market  expansion, 
business  development  deals  with  handset 
manufacturers,  and  achieving  direct  sales  to  the 
government and enterprises .

Cephalogics, LLC
Cephalogics,  LLC  (Cephalogics)  is  developing  a 
non-invasive  bedside  neuroimaging  system  which 
it  intends  to  commercialise .  The  primary  target 
market  is  stroke  victims .  The  Cephalogics  system 
aims to provide continuous data and imaging from 
clinically  relevant  cerebrovascular  regions  to  allow 
clinicians at the bedside or in emergent conditions 

to quickly identify perfusion deficits and enable early 
interventions  to  avoid  ischemia  and  associated 
adverse  outcomes .  Cephalogics  estimates  that 
bringing  its  non-invasive  neuro  monitoring  and 
imaging system to the bedside potentially represents 
over a $1 .0 billion market opportunity .

During 2015, the company successfully completed 
its 
third  generation  system .  This  commercial 
prototype went through initial bench top testing and 
achieved  all  technical  performance  targets .  As  a 
result, the company initiated bench top studies on 
blood phantoms, animal studies at Tufts University 
Animal  Lab,  and  lab  studies  on  healthy  human 
subjects .  Preparations  for  patient  studies  at  Duke 
University  and  Tufts  University  were  also  initiated . 
The results from these multiple testing environments 
are  being  used  to  demonstrate  performance,  to 
generate  publications,  and  to  justify  commercial 
system build . Initial results from the blood phantom 
studies and healthy human studies were the basis 
for  submitted  abstracts  to  the  Optical  Society  of 
America  and  the  Human  Brain  Mapping  Society . 
Both  were  accepted  for  presentation  at  their 
respective 2016 conferences .

Cephalogics’s  focus  for  2016  is  to  continue  to 
demonstrate  the  strong  performance  of  its  third 
generation system in multiple environments focusing 
primarily  on  patient  studies,  as  well  continue  its 
Algorithm  development  and  testing .  The  company 
will  initiate  business  development  activities  aimed 
at  fueling  commercial  system  build,  testing,  and 
submissions for an anticipated 510(k) submission .

license 

ProGDerm, Inc., d/b/a Novare Pharmaceuticals
ProGDerm,  Inc .,  d/b/a  Novare  Pharmaceuticals 
(Novare)  holds 
rights 
the  exclusive 
to  a  technology  that  represents  a  potentially 
revolutionary  breakthrough  in  tissue  engineering 
and  disease  control  –  based  on  the  observation 
by  Dr .  Eva  Turley  (founder)  that  blocking  RHAMM 
(Hyaluronan-  mediated  Motility  Receptor,  CD168) 
inflammation  and  enhances  normal 
reduces 
tissue  formation  through  novel  anti-inflammatory 
properties and directed stem cell activation .

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We  believe  that  Novare  is  the  only  biotechnology 
company that is dedicated to treating catastrophic 
disease by using RHAMM-based cellular responses 
to  aid  the  body’s  natural  regenerative  processes . 
Novare  is  positioned  to  provide  novel  therapies 
to  multiple,  billion  dollar  markets  that  range  from 
promoting  women’s  health  and  post-mastectomy 
breast  regeneration,  to  reducing  pain  and  joint 
damage  in  crippling  arthritis,  to  aesthetics  and  to 
preventing  life-threatening  lung  damage  in  infants 
with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) and adults 
with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) .

the 

licensing  of  additional  RHAMM 
Through 
compounds 
(developed  by  RHAMM  pioneers, 
Dr . Turley and Dr . Luyt) as first-in-class therapeutics 
for  inflammatory  conditions,  the  company’s  focus 
has  been  expanded  beyond  the  original  target 
market  of  cosmetics  and  aesthetics .  In  2015,  the 
company  began  to  optimise  peptide  targets  for 
the  new  indications  highlighted  above .  Potential 
drug  candidates  have  now  been  synthesised  and 
characterised in a variety of in-vitro tests, as well as 
limited animal studies . Novare is aiming to identify 
lead  compounds  in  2016  to  perform  subsequent 
toxicity  and  formulation  testing  with  the  intention 
of  advancing  them  into  the  clinic  in  the  future .  In 
2016  and  beyond,  Novare  intends  to  conduct 
further  enabling  animal  studies  with  its  lead  drug 
candidates and will continue to expand the patent 
portfolio in support of these advancements .

CryoXtract Instruments, LLC
CryoXtract  Instruments,  LLC  (CryoXtract)  delivers 
proprietary  automated  solutions  to  the  global 
medical  research  community  that  preserve  the 
integrity  of  frozen  biospecimens  that  advance 
life  science  R&D .  The  company’s  commercial 
automated  solutions  enable  repeated  and  safe 
frozen  biospecimen  sampling  (aliquotting)  from 
frozen  tissue,  biofluids  and  other  unique,  high-
value  biospecimens  –  eliminating  their  potential 
degradation due to thawing, maximising biosample 
integrity,  and  optimising  scientific  outcomes . 
CryoXtract’s  products  support  various  critical 

applications 
in  genomics,  proteomics,  human 
gut  microbiome  research,  research  pathology, 
analytical chemistry and QA/QC . They are intended 
for use in scientific research and advancement and 
are  not  intended  for  Human  Diagnostic  Purposes; 
as such, they are not regulated as medical devices . 
The company’s commercial solutions are marketed 
and  sold,  and  have  been  adopted,  both  in  and 
outside the US .

CryoXtract  has  developed  two  principal  products 
to  date,  which  the  company  believes  are  the  only 
automated frozen sample aliquotting solutions:

•	 The  CXT  750  Automated  Frozen  Sample 
Aliquotter, a fully-automated instrument directed 
at  large-scale  automated  access  to  frozen 
biofluids and feces .

•	 The CXT 350 Frozen Sample Aliquotter, a semi-
automated,  bench-top  solution  for  the  frozen 
aliquotting  of  a  wide  range  of  sample  types, 
including  tissue,  feces,  serum,  plasma,  whole 
blood,  urine,  cells,  bone,  and  other  specifically 
designed  to  service  a  lower  volume  lab  or 
biobank .

In  2015,  the  company  focused  on  sales  and 
expanding  its  installed  base  of  units .  For  the  year 
ending  31  December  2015,  CryoXtract  recorded 
a  32%  increase  in  revenue  from  the  prior  year, 
resulting  in  a  cumulative  base  of  37  CryoXtract 
instruments  sold  or  installed  in  16  countries  in 
North  America,  Europe  and  Asia-Pacific .  Notably, 
orders  for  the  Company’s  CXT  35X  models  have 
grown  by  more  than  2x  year-on-year  from  the 
platform’s introduction at the end of 2013 . Despite 
these advances, sales growth has been slower than 
expected  thus  pushing  out  the  time  to  profitability 
and  positive  cash  flow .  This  has  been  reflected 
in  the  decline  of  the  company’s  valuation  as  of 
31 December 2015 .

The company also expanded its geographic reach 
with new distributors in Germany/Switzerland, Korea 
and Singapore . A Japanese distributor was added 
in  2016 .  Scientific  data  supporting  the  company’s 

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products  is  critical  for  the  sales  process  and  is 
best achieved with industry partners . The company 
completed  strategic  data  development  initiatives 
with  a  number  of  key  marquee  collaborators  and 
partners worldwide that included GlaxoSmithKline, 
the Integrated Biobank of Luxembourg (IBBL) and 
others .

In  2016,  the  company  will  continue  to  focus  on 
expanding  its  installed  base,  strengthening  its 
global  distributor  network,  restructuring  its  work 
force, developing application specific data sets and 
working with customers to enhance and potentially 
expand the company’s products .

LLC 

develops 

Biotectix, LLC
Biotectix, 
and 
(Biotectix) 
manufactures a new class of conductive polymer-
based coatings and materials for medical electrodes 
on devices including cardiac and neuromodulation 
catheters,  implants,  and  wearables,  as  well  as  for 
other  markets .  The  company’s  technology  seeks 
to  address  key  limitations  faced  by  the  medical 
device  industry  including  foreign  body  reactions, 
surgical invasiveness, miniaturisation, signal quality, 
precious  metal  use,  and 
long-term  electrical 
performance in vivo . In 2015, the company’s leading 
commercial  product,  the  Amplicoat™  electrode 
coating,  was  licensed  to  Acutus  Medical  for  their 
cardiac EP mapping catheter . The coating materials 
are  produced  in  Biotectix’  ISO  13485-compliant 
facility .  In  2015,  Biotectix  had  three  US  patents 
and  one  European  patent  granted .  These  patents 
serve  to  further  protect  and  improve  on  Biotectix’ 
key  technologies .  In  2016,  the  company  plans  to 
continue  to  enhance  its  product  offerings,  and 
importantly, to pursue further customer applications, 
contracts and licenses .

Other Subsidiaries
Allied-Bristol Life Sciences, LLC
Allied-Bristol  Life  Sciences,  LLC 
is  a 
drug  discovery  and  development  company 
created  in  August  2014  through  a  partnership 
between  Allied  Minds  and  Bristol-Myers  Squibb 

(ABLS) 

(BMS) .  The  company’s  mission  is  to  create  novel 
drug  candidates  against  serious  diseases  with 
large  market  potential .  These  include  fibrosis, 
cardiovascular, immunescience, immuno-oncology, 
oncology,  and  genetically-defined  diseases .  The 
focus on these diseases aligns, by design, with the 
strategy of BMS . It is intended that up to 10 scientific 
discoveries  and  innovative  breakthroughs  will  be 
sourced from US universities, and a new subsidiary 
will be formed around each of these programs .

This  partnership  provides  Allied  Minds  with  a 
seasoned  large  pharmaceutical  partner  as  well 
a  natural  early  stage  (pre-clinical)  acquirer  of 
developing  assets . 
It  provides  BMS  access 
to  Allied  Minds’  broad  university  network  and 
experienced  licensing  practices  and  provides  a 
capital disciplined, structured format through which 
early  university  breakthrough  research  can  be 
advanced  into  the  formal  drug  discovery  process 
at BMS . This partnership is structured to potentially 
reduce risk for both partners since it is intended to 
drive exits of early stage pre-clinical candidates to 
BMS prior to clinical trials and human testing . Both 
parties intend to agree on development milestones 
for each subsidiary program prior to launching any 
given subsidiary and, upon successful achievement 
of such milestones, it is anticipated that BMS would 
acquire the subsidiary or asset . We believe that this 
model of upfront agreement on exits based on pre-
clinically  achieved  milestones  and  pre-determined 
exit terms could be highly beneficial to Allied Minds’ 
shareholders .

reviewed  more 

The  company  is  very  active  in  sourcing  new 
opportunities  and 
than  900 
technologies  in  2015 .  As  of  this  date,  three 
subsidiaries  have  been  launched  as  described 
below .  Pre-clinical  work  on  these  three  programs 
is  underway  in  collaboration  with  BMS  at  its  R&D 
Site  in  India,  called  Biocon-BMS  Research  Center 
(BBRC) .

ABLS I, LLC
ABLS  I  is  a  is  a  company  pursuing  preclinical 
development of a Yale University based technology, 

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named  Antibody  Recruiting  Molecules  (ARMs) . 
ARMs  use  the  body’s  own  immunity  to  target 
various cancers by attaching to a given cancer and 
then attracting the body’s innate antibodies to the 
ARM  to  destroy  the  target;  ABLS  I  is  developing 
ARM  against  prostate  cancer .  The  company  has 
synthesised multiple different types of ARMs which 
are  currently  being  evaluated  for  their  safety  and 
efficacy  in  various  prostate  pre-clinical  cancer 
models .

ABLS II, LLC
ABLS  II  is  a  company  undertaking  the  preclinical 
discovery and development of molecules against a 
novel target (Prolyl tRNA Synthetase) for treatment 
of fibrotic diseases . Harvard University researchers 
had earlier identified the mechanism of halofuginone 
(a  natural  product  with  anti-fibrotic  properties)  as 
an  inhibitor  of  Prolyl  tRNA  Synthetase .  ABLS  II’s 
objective  is  to  discover  and  develop  halofuginone 
analogues with novel IP, better safety and superior 
efficacy . ABLS II has synthesised various molecules 
and is evaluating them for safety and efficacy .

ABLS III, LLC, d/b/a ißeCa Therapeutics
ißeCa  Therapeutics  is  a  newly  formed  subsidiary 
in 2016 with IP licenced from New York University 
(NYU)  School  of  Medicine .  NYU  researchers  have 
identified novel inhibitors of nuclear beta catenin, a 
key player in the Wnt signaling pathway and a major 
driver  of  various  cancers .  These  molecules  are 
targeted  specifically  against  nuclear  beta  catenin 
(vs  cytoplasmic)  with  potentially  better  safety  and 
efficacy .  The  company’s  objective  is  to  develop 
molecules  with  improved  potency,  efficacy  and 
better pharmaceutical properties .

Inc . 

Innovations, 

Allied Minds Federal Innovations, Inc.
Allied  Minds  Federal 
(AMFI) 
was  created  as  a  vehicle  designed  specifically  to 
commercialise  US  federal  laboratory  inventions, 
via  a  series  of  public  private  partnerships  (PPP) 
with  a  number  of  US  federal  research  institutions . 
first  and  most 
The  company  represents  the 
comprehensive  PPP  formed  between  the  US 
Department  of  Defence  and  a  US  technology 

firm  dedicated 

commercialisation 
to  bringing 
government inventions to market . The company has 
developed  formal  relationships  with  partner  labs, 
providing the company with thousands of pieces of 
Intellectual Property per year for commercialisation 
evaluation .  Since  inception,  six  companies  have 
been  created  from  federally  sourced  intellectual 
property,  including:  BridgeSat,  Inc .;  Federated 
Wireless, 
Inc .; 
Whitewood  Encryption  Systems,  Inc .;  HawkEye 
360, Inc .; and Percipient Networks, LLC .

Inc .;  Foreland  Technologies, 

BridgeSat, Inc.
BridgeSat, Inc . (BridgeSat) was formed in February 
2015 
to  commercialise  space-based  optical 
communications technologies developed at partner 
Federally  Funded  Research  and  Development 
Centre,  The  Aerospace  Corporation  under  the 
NASA  Ames  Optical  Communications  and  Sensor 
resulting 
Demonstration 
portfolio  of  technologies  that  has  been  licenced, 
or  optioned  to  licence  to  BridgeSat,  encompass 
intellectual property from Aerospace’s small satellite 
efforts  and  select  technologies  from  Cambridge, 
Massachusetts-based Draper Labs .

(OCSD)  mission .  The 

BridgeSat  is  developing  an  optical  connectivity 
system  that  aims  to  increase  the  speed,  security 
and efficiency of data transmissions from Low Earth 
Orbit  (LEO)  satellites,  unmanned  aerial  vehicles, 
and  remote  terrestrial  infrastructure  at  a  reduced 
cost  and  amplified  speed  (ultimately  up  to  10 
Gbps)  compared  with  traditional  radio  frequency 
(RF)  solutions .  Demand  for  accurate  and  frequent 
data  collection  from  LEO  satellites  is  expected  to 
accelerate aggressively over the next decade amidst 
declining costs for building and launching satellites . 
Traditional  RF  communications  are  constrained 
by  limited  spectrum,  lower  bandwidth,  and  large 
transmitter  payloads,  and  by  the  bureaucratic 
process of securing the RF spectrum from relevant 
industry regulatory bodies .

In  the  near  term,  BridgeSat  intends  to  deploy  an 
optical  communications  downlink  payload  and  an 
associated  global  network  of  ground  stations  to 

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fully demonstrate its advantages in volume, mass, 
power, and bandwidth .

Foreland Technologies, Inc.
Foreland Technologies, Inc . (Foreland) was created 
as a platform company for the discovery, incubation 
and  commercialisation  of  cyber  security  related 
intellectual  property,  leveraging  AMFI’s  access  to 
technical  innovation  within  Allied  Minds’  university 
and federal research institution partner network and 
the platform’s competitive advantages in agility and 
speed  in  incubating  new  cyber  capabilities .  The 
company focuses on large scale data management; 
cybersecurity 
including  active  defence;  cloud 
computing, and secure data storage, among others .

intellectual  property 

To  date,  Foreland  has  created  two  subsidiaries, 
Percipient Networks, LLC which is commercialising 
intellectual  property  from  The  MITRE  Corporation, 
and  Whitewood  Encryption  Systems,  Inc .,  which 
is  commercialising 
from 
Los  Alamos  National  Laboratories .  Foreland 
Technologies  is  currently  evaluating  several  core 
technologies in due diligence to become the basis of 
new Foreland subsidiaries; these core technologies 
include those sourced from Massachusetts Institute 
of  Technology  Lincoln  Laboratory,  Draper  Labs, 
and MITRE .

HawkEye 360, Inc.
HawkEye  360,  Inc .  (HawkEye  360),  formed  in 
September  2015,  is  developing  a  constellation  of 
formation-flying  small  satellites  in  Low  Earth  Orbit 
(LEO) to execute a space-based radio frequency (RF) 
spectrum  monitoring  and  geolocation  capability . 
The company’s proprietary processing and analytics 
engine  generates  reports  on  signals  that  can  be 
used  to  track  and  monitor  global  transportation 
networks,  detect  distress  alerts,  support  US  and 
allied nations’ government missions, and assist with 
emergencies . HawkEye 360 aims to provide highly 
accurate  maritime  domain  awareness  for  federal 
and  commercial  customers,  establish  a  national 
and international spectrum inventory for commercial 
carriers and wireless regulators, and develop insight 
into how signals are being used globally .

Initially, HawkEye 360 intends to develop terrestrial 
and airborne demonstrations of its capabilities, with 
a  space-based  “pathfinder  cluster”  demonstration 
scheduled  for  2017 .  Beyond  the  demonstrations, 
the company’s first satellite constellation is planned 
to include eighteen spacecraft with global coverage 
for RF monitoring and data analytics .

LuxCath, LLC
LuxCath,  LLC  (LuxCath)  is  developing  a  catheter-
based  real-time  visualisation  technology  for  use 
during  cardiac  ablation  procedures  to  optimise 
today’s  arrhythmia  ablation  procedures .  LuxCath 
is  primarily  focused  on  atrial  fibrillation  ablation 
as  this  is  by  far  the  largest  and  most  challenging 
arrhythmia  market,  although  its  technology  is 
applicable  to  all  cardiac  ablation  procedures . 
LuxCath seeks to significantly improve the speed of 
ablation procedures and to optimise outcomes . Its 
technology is capable of identifying tissue that has not 
been properly ablated and which can subsequently 
cause arrhythmia recurrences . The technology has 
been proven to identify and distinguish viable from 
ablated  cardiac  tissue  in  preclinical  tests  and  has 
also been tested in human ablation cases with 100% 
success  and  no  complications  in  December  2015 
by  Drs .  Vivek  Reddy  and  Petr  Neuzil  in  Prague .  It 
has been used to monitor the progression of lesion 
formation as well as to determine the presence and 
quality of catheter-tissue contact in both preclinical 
and  clinical  testing .  The  company  has  two  issued 
patents and an expanding portfolio of global patent 
applications . 

These  accomplishments  have  been  performed 
both  with  standalone  LuxCath  devices  as  well  as 
through the integration of LuxCath technology into 
an existing FDA approved ablation catheter . Various 
results  from  preclinical  and  clinical  tests  were 
published  and  presented  at  the  Atrial  Fribrillation 
Symposium in Orlando in January 2016 .

Percipient Networks, LLC
Percipient Networks, LLC (Percipient) is developing 
cyber  security  technologies  to  provide  network 
defenders more options against advanced threats . 

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The  company  uses  automated  threat  interdiction 
capabilities, advanced remediation techniques, and 
shared  intelligence  platforms  as  the  foundational 
is 
building  blocks  upon  which  the  company 
developing 
for  business  network 
defence . The core technology underlying Percipient 
was sourced from The MITRE Corporation .

its  solution 

The  company’s 
flagship  product  Strongarm™ 
was developed recognising that despite significant 
effort  to  stop  malware  from  getting  onto  a  firm’s 
network, there appears to be an increasing amount 
of malware getting through these defenses . Often, 
it  goes  unrecognised  for  extended  periods  of 
time  threatening  loss  and/or  damage  to  sensitive 
intellectual 
information  and  valuable 
customer 
is  based  on 
property .  Strongarm’s  approach 
monitoring 
and 
“blackholing” traffic to known bad sites . Strongarm 
is  cloud  based  and  can  be  implemented  without 
the  need  for  enterprise-sized  IT  staff  or  security 
budgets .

communications 

outbound 

In October 2015, the company successfully provided 
its design (“taped out”) to TSMC, one of the largest 
semiconductor foundries in the world, for two high 
performance  analog  to  digital  converters  utilising 
our  core  SMOA  technology  at  28nm .  The  design 
was a 14-bit continuous time delta-sigma ADC with 
40 and 80 MHz of bandwidth powered completely 
using a single core voltage supply of 0 .9V . The chip 
returned  from  the  TSMC  in  early  2016  and  initial 
characterisation  tests  showed  the  ADC  has  very 
high jitter tolerance (>4 picoseconds) and dynamic 
range  (>70dB)  using  only  half  the  power  of  other 
chips .  These  are  potentially  very  advantageous 
characteristics and the company is now in contact 
with  potential  customers  in  the  US,  Europe,  and 
Asia as part of its initial marketing efforts .

Key  milestones 
include  pursuing 
for  2016 
partnerships  as  well  as  approaching  potential 
customers  about  integrating  our  designs  into  their 
systems,  and  expansion  of  our  AFE  components 
portfolio to appeal to a wider segment of the market .

Although formal launch of the product occurred in 
April 2016, Percipient completed its first commercial 
contracts  in  2015  and  thousands  of  end  users 
are  currently  protected  by  Strongarm .  In  2016, 
Percipient  will  continue  to  expand  the  capabilities 
of  Strongarm  and  has  begun  the  process  of 
curating its own Threat Intelligence to help combat 
specific malware associated with Ransomware and 
other  advanced  attacks .  The  company  will  also 
aggressively pursue new sales .

Inc.  and  Tinnitus  Treatment 

SoundCure, 
Solutions, Inc.
SoundCure, Inc . (SoundCure) is a consumer medical 
device  company  with  a  core  technology  based 
on  neuroscience  used  to  treat  tinnitus  through 
its  acoustic 
therapy,  branded  as  S-Tones™ . 
S-Tones  are  temporally  patterned  sounds  which 
are  customised  specifically  for  each  patient’s 
unique tinnitus, generating neural activity which can 
suppress tinnitus .

Seamless Devices, Inc.
Seamless  Devices,  Inc .  (Seamless)  is  a  mixed 
signal  IP  (intellectual  property)  company  based  in 
San  Jose,  California,  developing  analog  front  end 
(AFE)  solutions  used  in  high  performance  wireless 
connectivity applications . Utilising a novel approach 
to  analog  signal  processing  and  embodied  in  its 
Switched-Mode  Operational  Amplifier  (SMOA),  the 
Seamless technology aims to simplify production of 
high-performance  devices  even  as  transistors  are 
scaled down to deep sub-micron scales .

SoundCure’s first product is an FDA 510(k) cleared 
and  CE  Marked  medical  device  in  a  handheld 
configuration  called  Serenade™ 
incorporating 
customised  tracks  of  sound  therapy  including 
S-Tones .  An  estimated  50  million  Americans 
experience tinnitus to some degree . Nearly a third of 
this number seek medical advice and approximately 
two million Americans experience tinnitus as a life-
altering, disabling condition .

In  January  2015,  SoundCure  submitted  its  510(k) 
application to the FDA for remote programing of the 

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SoundCure Serenade and in April 2015 SoundCure 
received FDA clearance for this telemedicine device 
programing  via  the  internet  in  the  patient’s  home . 
To  the  company’s  knowledge,  this  is  the  first 
FDA  clearance  for  a  tinnitus  therapy  device  to  be 
programed via telemedicine . This would represent a 
unique tinnitus care tool for telemedicine providers 
such  as  Tinnitus  Treatment  Solutions  (TTS),  and 
potentially  the  US  Veterans  Administration  (VA)  – 
tinnitus is the #1 service related disability and many 
servicemen  look  to  the  VA  for  therapies  during 
and  upon  return  from  duty .  Additional  milestones 
achieved  include  the  issuance  of  new  patents  in 
Canada and Europe for S-Tones .

Sales  growth  has  been  nominal  to  date .  After 
launch, it became clear that a much bigger market 
opportunity potentially exists in addressing the “gap 
in  care”  between  the  millions  of  suffering  patients 
and the relatively small number of tinnitus providers . 
Thus,  the  focus  for  2015  and  going  forward  in 
2016  is  on  market  development  primarily  through 
SoundCure’s telemedicine sister company, TTS, to 
address this gap in care .

TTS  is  focused  on  becoming  the  number  one 
(online)  tinnitus  therapy  source  and  the  number 
one  nationwide  provider  of  tinnitus  treatment . 
TTS  is  a  cutting-edge  telemedicine  tinnitus  health 
care  provider  that  offers  and  sells  a  full  range  of 
tinnitus  hearing  aids  from  all  the  “Big  6”  hearing 
aid  manufacturers,  the  Serenade  device,  and 
tinnitus  accessories .  To  date,  supply  agreements 
have been completed with Oticon, Starkey, Widex, 
Resound, Phonak and Siemens (note that 80% of 
tinnitus  sufferers  also  have  concomitant  hearing 
loss) . TTS has tinnitus expert audiologists providing 
care conveniently through its telemedicine channel 
via a full range of tinnitus therapies and devices .

Of critical importance to TTS in 2016 and beyond 
is  the  development  of  go-to-market  partnerships 
including  referral  of  patients  to  TTS .  In  2015,  TTS 
partnered with Your Hearing Network, a subsidiary 
of  hearing  aid  company  William  Demant  Group 
(Oticon), and in 2016 TTS announced a partnership 

with  HearUSA  and  AARP .  TTS  is  the  exclusive 
tinnitus  care  partner  for  the  AARP  Hearing  Care 
Program . With these partnerships, TTS has created 
what  it  believes  is  the  USA’s  largest  tinnitus  care 
affiliated network with over 4000+ providers . In the 
first quarter of 2016, TTS also launched its services 
in Canada .

Whitewood Encryption Systems, Inc.
Whitewood Encryption Systems (Whitewood) seeks 
to address one of the most fundamental challenges 
associated with all modern cryptosystems – random 
number  generation  —  utilising  advanced  quantum 
cryptography  technologies  originating  from  Los 
Alamos  National  Lab  (LANL) .  Whitewood  enables 
its  customers  to  take  control  of  the  generation  of 
random  numbers  across  their  entire  application 
infrastructure .  Without  true  randomness  as  is  the 
case with most random number generators today, 
applications  that  rely  on  cryptography  suffer  from 
degraded  security .  This  is  critical  as  the  use  of 
random numbers in computer systems has become 
so prolific and fundamental .

  Whitewood  addresses  two  important  challenges 
–  generating  true  random  numbers  at  scale,  and 
making those random numbers accessible to large 
populations of applications and devices across the 
data,  the  cloud  and  the  Internet  of  Things  (IoT) . 
The  company  launched  its  first  product  in  August 
2015 . The Entropy Engine ™ is a hardware random 
number generator that employs technology originally 
invented  at  Los  Alamos  National  Laboratory  to 
exploit  the  fundamental  properties  of  quantum 
mechanics to generate a truly random signal that is 
digitised to create true random numbers .

Whitewood extended its product portfolio in March 
2016  with  the  launch  of  the  netRandom  solution . 
This  product  enables  random  numbers  to  be 
generated as a shared resource and delivered over 
a  network  (cloud)  to  applications  and  devices  on-
demand .  Also  in  2016,  the  company  announced 
two partnerships: the first with WolfSSL to provide 
access  to  high-quality  true  random  numbers  for 
large-scale security applications across embedded, 

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machine-to-machine (M2M), and Internet of Things 
(IoT)  systems;  and,  the  second  with  CryptSoft  to 
deliver  high-performance  quantum  based  security 
to  enterprise  key  management  security  systems . 
Whitewood  will  spend 
the  balance  of  2016 
enhancing its product portfolio and pursuing further 
go-to-market opportunities .

Discontinued Subsidiaries
Consistent  with  the  Allied  Minds’  model,  where  a 
project  has  failed  to  deliver  sufficient  additional 
proof  points  for  ultimate  commercialisation  and 
financial  return,  and  no  longer  supports  on-going 
development  and  commercialisation  activity,  and 
cannot be successfully redirected to an alternative 
commercial  path,  Allied  Minds  will  look  to  cease 
operations and terminate the project .

SiEnergy Systems, LLC
In  2016,  Allied  Minds  ceased  operations  at  its 
subsidiary  SiEnergy  Systems,  LLC  (SiEnergy) .  The 
company  was  formed  to  develop  thin  film  Solid 
Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology . The technology 
aimed  to  use  silicon-based  microfabrication  and 
nanometer  scale  electrolytes  to  create  SOFCs 
that  would  operate  at  a  commercially  desirable 
temperature and be scalable to meet various power 
requirements .  Allied  Minds  determined  that  the 
technology  would  not  meet  key  milestones  which 
were  designed  to  measure  technological  and 
commercial progress within a reasonable timeframe 
and  within  a  reasonable  budget,  and  that  the 
market  for  clean  energy  alternatives  continued  to 
be potentially adversely impacted by the low cost of 
traditional energy sources .

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Financial Review

The  financial  results  of  the  year  reflect  the  Group’s  sustainable  model  of  deploying  patient  capital  into 
our  continuously  growing  portfolio  of  Group  controlled  businesses  at  the  right  pace .  During  2015, 
$102 .8 million was invested into new and existing portfolio companies . This included $63 .6 million from two 
fundraisings led by Allied Minds, with $42 .2 million coming from third-party investment, to further accelerate 
the development of two of the Group’s existing companies, SciFluor Life Sciences and Precision Biopsy . 
In addition to these two fundraisings, $39 .2 million was invested by the Group into new and other existing 
portfolio companies, including investments in four new businesses: BridgeSat, ABLS I (Yale), HawkEye 360 
and ABLS II (Harvard) .

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Loss
For the years ended 31 December

Revenue
Cost of revenue
Selling, general and administrative expenses
Research and development expenses
Finance (cost)/income
Other comprehensive income/(loss)
  Total comprehensive loss
  of which attributable to:

  Equity holders of the parent
  Non-controlling interests

2015
$ ‘000  

3,300
(3,925)
(46,888)
(49,209)
(1,267)
46
(97,943)

(77,752)
(20,191)

2014
$ ‘000

7,715
(5,416)
(38,032)
(22,195)
222
(159)
(57,865)

(45,637)
(12,228)

Revenue decreased by $4 .4 million, to $3 .3 million in 2015 (2014: $7 .7 million) . This decrease is mainly 
attributable to the lower product revenue at RF Biocidics, offset by increased sales at CryoXtract systems 
when compared to last year . The revenue in the early stage companies’ segment increased to $1 .1 million 
in 2015 (2014: $0 .4 million) . Cost of revenue decreased by $1 .5 million, proportionately to the decrease in 
revenue from prior year .

Selling,  general  and  administrative  (SG&A)  expenses  increased  by  $8 .9  million,  to  $46 .9  million,  for  the 
year ended 31 December 2015 (2014: $38 .0 million), largely due to the overall growth of the Group . Of 
this increase, $4 .3 million relates to an increase in personnel expenses reflecting the increase in headcount 
and salaries offset by the decrease in non-cash share-based compensation expense by $1 .6 million . The 
increase is also attributed to higher professional and legal advisory services in 2015 since the listing of Allied 
Minds on the London Stock Exchange in mid-year of 2014, reflected mainly in a $1 .9 million increase in 
professional services to $7 .5 million (2014: $5 .6 million) .

Research and development (R&D) expenses increased by $27 .0 million to $49 .2 million for the year ended 
31 December 2015 (2014: $22 .2 million) . The increase is attributed to the overall growth of the Group’s 
research and development activities, reflecting the creation of four new businesses in 2015 and ramping 
up full scale of R&D activities of companies created in late 2013 and into 2014 .

As a result of the above discussed factors, total comprehensive loss increased by $40 .0 million to $97 .9 
million for the year ended 31 December 2015 (2014: $57 .9 million) . Total comprehensive loss for the year 

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attributed to the equity holders of the Group was $77 .8 million (2014: $45 .6 million) and $20 .2 million (2014: 
$12 .2 million) was attributable to the owners of non-controlling interests .

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position
As of 31 December

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Non-current assets
Current assets
  Total assets

Non-current liabilities
Current liabilities
Equity
  Total liabilities and equity

2015
$ ‘000 

2014
$ ‘000 
(restated*)

92,784
158,427
251,211

863
108,974
141,374
251,211

44,039
248,991
293,030

717
62,480
229,833
293,030

* See note 1 in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

Significant performance-impacting events and business developments reflected in the Company’s financial 
position at year end include:

•	 Property and equipment increased by $17 .9 million to $34 .2 million as at 31 December 2015 (2014: 
$16 .3 million), mainly reflecting capital purchases for the period of approximately $21 .5 million, of which 
$19 .6 million relates to Spin Transfer Technologies, offset by depreciation and impairment expense of 
$3 .6 million for the period;

•	

Intangible assets as of 31 December 2015 increased by $1 .0 million to $4 .4 million (2014: $3 .4 million) 
mainly as a result of new additions of $1 .7 million in acquired licences and software and in capitalised 
development costs, offset by amortisation expense of $0 .7 million;

•	 Other investments, non-current increased to $51 .5 million (2014: $22 .2 million) reflecting the investment 
of excess cash into fixed income government and corporate securities that have maturities longer than 
twelve months;

•	 Cash and cash equivalents decreased by $118 .5 million to $105 .6 million at 31 December 2015 from 
$224 .1 million at 31 December 2014 . The decrease is mainly attributed to $81 .9 million of net cash 
used in operations, $75 .0 million used in capital and other investing activities, of which $51 .8 million for 
the purchase of fixed income security investments, and $38 .4 million provided by financing activities 
primarily from proceeds from the issuance of subsidiary preferred shares;

•	 Other investments, current increased to $37 .6 million (2014: $15 .2 million) reflecting the investment of 
excess cash into fixed income government and corporate securities that have maturities shorter than 
twelve months;

•	

Inventories  decreased  by  $1 .4  million  to  $1 .5  million  as  at  31  December  2015  (2014:  $2 .9  million) 
reflecting the purchases of inventories of $1 .4 million, offset by cost of goods sold of $2 .8 million;

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Financial Review (continued)

•	 Trade  and  other  receivables  increased  by  $1 .0  million  to  $7 .3  million  at  31  December  2015  (2014: 
$6 .3  million)  as  a  result  of  increase  in  prepaid  and  other  current  assets  of  $1 .6  million,  net  of  their 
amortisation,  mainly  from  advance  payments  for  inventory  units  at  RF  Biocidics,  offset  by  trade 
receivables net decrease of $0 .6 million;

•	 Subscription receivable of $6 .0 million was recorded as at 31 December 2015 (2015: nil) reflecting the 
second tranche of the Series A preferred round at Precision Biopsy due by third party investors in 2016;

•	 The loans balance, current and non-current, decreased to $0 .3 million as of 31 December 2015 (2014: 

$0 .5 million) reflecting the repayment of the principal balance by CryoXtract;

•	 Subsidiary preferred shares increased by $44 .1 million to $94 .1 million as of 31 December 2015 (2014: 
$50 .0 million) as a result of Series A preferred rounds at SciFluor Life Sciences and Precision Biopsy in 
2015;

•	 Deferred revenue remained relatively consistent at $0 .2 million, when compared to $0 .4 million as of 

31 December 2014; and

•	 Share capital and premium increased by $2 .4 million to a combined $159 .3 million at 31 December 
2015 (2014: $156 .9 million) due to the exercise of stock options during the year . Accumulated deficit 
of $182 .7 million (2014: 107 .6 million) reflected the net comprehensive loss for the year of $97 .9 million 
(2014: $57 .9 million) offset by the share-based compensation expense charge for the year of $7 .0 million 
(2014: $8 .9 million) .

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows
For the years ended 31 December

Net cash outflow from operating activities
Net cash outflow from investing activities
Net cash inflow from financing activities
  Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents
  Cash and cash equivalents in the beginning of the year

  Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

2015
$ ‘000  

(81,918)
(74,999)
38,397
(118,520)
224,075

105,555

2014
$ ‘000

(45,377)
(40,731)
205,632
119,524
104,551

224,075

The Group’s net cash outflow from operating activities of $81 .9 million in 2015 (2014: $45 .4 million) was 
primarily due to the net operating losses for the year of $96 .7 million, offset by the net effect from movement 
in working capital of $2 .7 million, adjustment for non-cash items such as depreciation, amortisation, and 
share-based  expenses  of  $11 .4  million  and  interest  received  net  of  paid  and  other  finance  charges  of 
$0 .7 million .

The Group had a net cash outflow from investing activities of $75 .0 million in 2015 (2014: $40 .7 million) 
mainly reflecting the purchases of fixed income investment securities of $51 .8 million, purchases or property 
and equipment net of disposals of $21 .5 million, and purchases of intangible assets net of disposals of 
$1 .7 million .

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Financial Review (continued)

The Group’s net cash inflow from financing activities of $38 .4 million in 2015 (2014: $205 .6 million) primarily 
reflects the proceeds from issuance of preferred shares in subsidiaries of $36 .2 million from the rounds in 
SciFluor Life Sciences and Precision Biopsy .

The  Group’s  strategy  is  to  maintain  healthy,  highly  liquid  cash  balances  that  are  readily  available  to 
support the activities of its subsidiaries by providing working capital, maintaining the level of research and 
development activities required to achieve the set milestone goals, and acquiring capital equipment where 
necessary to support research and development activities . To further minimise its exposure to risks the 
Group does not maintain any material borrowings or cash balances in foreign currency .

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Risk Management

The execution of the Group’s strategy is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties . A key focus for 
the  Board  is  to  formally  identify  the  principle  risks  facing  the  Group  and  develop  a  robust  and  effective 
framework  to  ensure  that  the  risks  are  both  well  understood  and  appropriate  for  the  Company’s  risk 
appetite to achieve the stated corporate goals . This process needs to address both risks arising from the 
internal operations of the Group and those arising from the business environment in which it operates . It is 
possible that one or more of these identified risks could impact the Group in a similar timeframe which may 
compound their effects .

As  an  early-stage  investor  in  start-ups,  the  Group  inherently  operates  in  a  high  risk  environment .  The 
overall aim of the risk management policy is to achieve an effective balancing of risk and reward, although 
ultimately no strategy can provide an absolute assurance against loss .

The Board has carried out a robust assessment of the principal risks facing the Group, including those 
that would threaten its business model, future performance, solvency and/or liquidity . The major risks and 
uncertainties identified by the Board are set out below along with the consequences and mitigation strategy 
of each risk .

1 .   The science and technology being developed or commercialised by the Group’s businesses may fail 
and/or the Group’s business may not be able to develop their intellectual property into commercially 
viable products or technologies . There is also a risk that some of the subsidiary businesses may fail or 
not succeed as anticipated, resulting in an impairment of the Group’s value .

Impact:   The failure of any of the Group’s subsidiary businesses would impact the Group’s value . A 
failure of one of the major subsidiary businesses could also impact on the perception of the 
Group as a builder of high value businesses and possibly make additional fund raising at the 
Group or subsidiary level more difficult .

Mitigation: 

•	 Before making any investment, extensive due diligence is carried out by the Group which 
covers all the major business risks including market size, strategy, adoption and intellectual 
property .

•	 The initial seed round investment is typically quite small with incremental investment only 

being made on successful completion of milestones .

•	 A capital disciplined approach is pursued such that proof of concept has to be achieved 

before substantial capital is committed .

•	 Members of the Group’s management team who carry out the initial due diligence initially 
run the subsidiary in its incubation phase and subsequently move to becoming independent 
directors staying with the project to help ensure consistency of management . The Group’s 
point  of  contact  will  stay  in  regular  communication  with  the  senior  management  of  the 
subsidiary business .

•	 During incubation phase, we closely monitor milestone developments and should a project 

fail to achieve sufficient progress, we terminate the investments .

•	 The Company carries out face-to-face quarterly reviews with the management of each of 

the subsidiary businesses .

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•	 The  shared  services  model  provides  significant  administrative  support  to  the  subsidiary 

businesses whilst the budgetary and financial controls ensure good governance .

•	 Within the Group there is a wealth of management expertise which can be called upon to 

support each of the subsidiary businesses where necessary .

•	 The  Group  actively  uses  third  party  advisors  and  consultants,  specific  to  the  particular 
domain in which a subsidiary business operates, to assist on market strategy and direction .

2 .   The Group expects to continue to incur substantial expenditure in further research and development 
activities of its businesses . There is no guarantee that the Group will become profitable and, even if it 
does, it may be unable to sustain profitability .

Impact:   The  strategic  aim  of  the  business  is  to  generate  profits  for  its  shareholders  through  the 
investment into IP-based start-ups, delivering value through capital gain . As such, profits will 
be generated on exits . The timing and size of these potential inflows is uncertain and should 
exits not be forthcoming, or in the event that they are achieved but at values significantly less 
than the amount of capital invested, then it would be difficult to sustain the current levels of 
investment in the subsidiary businesses and continue to make new investments . This will lead 
to reduced activity across the Group . In turn this could make raising additional capital at the 
Group level difficult and it could ultimately lead to the failure of the Group as a whole .

Mitigation: 

•	 The  Group  retains  significant  cash  balances  in  order  to  support  its  internal  cash  flow 

requirements .

•	 The Group has close relationships with a wide group of investors, including its shareholder 

base to ensure it can continue to access the capital markets .

•	 Senior  management  continually  seek  to  create  additional  strategic  relationships  for  the 

Group .

3 .   If any of the Group’s relationships with US universities and federal government institutions were to break 
down or be terminated or expire, then the Group would lose any rights that it has to act as a private 
sector  partner  in  the  commercialisation  of  intellectual  property  being  generated  by  such  universities, 
other research intensive institutions or US federal research institutions .

Impact:   Termination  of  certain  of  the  Group’s  existing  relationships  would  impact  the  quantity  and 
potential  quality  of  the  Company’s  deal  flow .  This  may  in  turn  prevent  the  Company  from 
completing promising new deals and reduce its opportunity to create new subsidiaries . This 
could potentially have an adverse effect on the Group’s long term prospects and performance .

Mitigation: 

•	 The  Group  currently  receives  in  excess  of  5,000  items  of  intellectual  property  per  year 
from  its  160  partner  institutions .  The  risk  of  losing  deal  flow  through  the  termination  of 
relationships  is  greatly  lessened  by  the  wide  portfolio  and  geographic  spread  of  our 
partners .

•	 The Group continues to strengthen its partner network .

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Risk Management (continued)

•	 The Group has hired a dedicated resource to manage and expand the partner network .

4 .   A majority of the Group’s intellectual property relates to technologies originated in the course of research 
conducted  in,  and  initially  funded  by,  US  universities  or  other  federally-funded  research  institutions . 
Although  the  Group  has  been  granted  exclusive  licenses  to  use  this  intellectual  property,  there  are 
certain limitations inherent in these licenses, for example as required by the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 .

Impact:   There are certain circumstances where the US government has rights to utilise the underlying 
intellectual property without any economic benefit flowing back to the Group . In the event this 
were to happen, this could impact the financial return to the Group on its investment in the 
applicable subsidiary businesses .

Mitigation: 

•	 To the Board’s knowledge, while these so called “march in” rights exist, the US government 

has never had cause to use them .

•	 The  Group  seeks  to  develop  dual  use  capabilities  for  the  technology  it  licenses  and 

generally tends to avoid use cases directly applicable to government use .

•	 This  risk  is  also  mitigated  through  employing  experienced  technology  transfer  experts 

supported by our legal team to assess risks that may arise out of this eventuality .

5 .   The Group currently has in place cooperative research and development agreements with certain US 
Department  of  Defence  laboratories  and  federal  funded  government  institutions .  Certain  regulatory 
measures apply to these agreements which restrict the export of information and material that may be 
used for military or intelligence applications by a non-US person .

Impact:   If the Group were to breach restrictions on the use of certain licensed technologies, particularly 
those  derived  from  federally  funded  research  facilities,  this  could  materially  impact  upon 
the  Group’s  ability  to  license  additional  intellectual  property  from  these  establishments .  In 
certain  circumstances  it  may  also  lead  to  the  termination  of  existing  licenses .  In  the  event 
that this were to happen, this could materially affect a number of the Group’s businesses and 
potentially harm the reputation and standing of the Group and cause the termination of certain 
important relationships with federally funded research institutions .

Mitigation: 

•	 Prior  to  the  commercialisation  process,  the  Group’s  management  seeks  to  obtain  all 
the necessary clearances from applicable regulatory bodies to ensure that the export of 
products based upon the licensed IP is strictly in accordance with government guidelines .

•	 The  Group  employs  a  number  of  individuals  with  experience  in  working  with  various 

government agencies .

•	 Senior management is fully cognisant with the regulations and sensitivities in relation to this 
issue and in particular with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) which regulate 
the use of technologies for export, and has numerous mitigating actions available should 
issues arise .

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6 .   The Group operates in complex and specialised business domains and requires highly qualified and 
experienced management to implement its strategy successfully . All of the operations of the Group and 
its subsidiary businesses are located in the United States, which is a highly competitive employment 
market . There is a risk that the Group may lose key personnel, or fail to attract or retain new personnel . 
Furthermore, given the relatively small size of the senior management at the corporate level, the Group 
is reliant on a small number of key individuals .

Impact:   The loss of key personnel would have an adverse impact on the ability of the Group to continue 

to grow and may negatively affect the Group’s competitive advantage .

Mitigation: 

•	 The  Board  annually  seeks  external  expertise  to  assess  the  competitiveness  of  the 

compensation packages of its senior management .

•	 Senior  management  continually  monitor  and  assess  compensation  levels  to  ensure  the 

Group remains competitive in the employment market .

•	 While  staff  turnover  has  historically  been  low  and  the  Group  continues  to  attract  highly 
qualified  individuals,  management  encourages  development  and  inclusion  through 
coaching and mentoring programmes .

7 .   A  large  proportion  of  the  overall  value  of  the  Group’s  businesses  may  be  concentrated  in  a  small 
proportion  of  the  Group’s  businesses .  If  one  or  more  of  the  intellectual  property  rights  relevant  to  a 
valuable business were terminated, this would have a material adverse impact on the overall value of the 
Group’s businesses .

Impact:   The  termination  of  critical  IP  licenses  would  materially  impact  the  value  of  the  subsidiary 

business and have a consequent effect on the value of the overall Group .

Mitigation: 

•	

In each subsidiary, the management is specifically directed to pursue a policy of generating 
and  patenting  additional  intellectual  property  to  both  provide  additional  protection  and 
create direct IP ownership for the subsidiary business .

•	 Where possible, the Group seeks to negotiate intellectual property ownership rights in any 
research and development agreement it enters into with a network partner, such that the 
Group becomes a part owner of the underlying IP .

•	 The Group has a diversified portfolio of subsidiary businesses . The value of any one of its 
subsidiaries relative to the aggregate value of the Group is closely monitored to ensure that 
the concentration risk of any on subsidiary is not disproportionate .

8 .   Clinical studies and other tests to assess the commercial viability of a product are typically expensive, 
complex  and  time-consuming,  and  have  uncertain  outcomes .  If  the  Company  fails  to  complete  or 
experiences delays in completing tests for any of its product candidates, it may not be able to obtain 
regulatory approval or commercialise its product candidates on a timely basis, or at all .

Impact:   Significant delays in any of the clinical studies to support the appropriate regulatory approvals 
could  significantly  impact  the  amount  of  capital  required  for  the  subsidiary  business  to 

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Risk Management (continued)

become fully sustainable on a cash flow basis . A critical failure in any stage of a clinical testing 
programme would probably necessitate a termination of the project and a loss of the Group’s 
investment .

Mitigation: 

•	 The Group has dedicated internal resources to establish and monitor each of the clinical 

programmes in order to try and maximise successful outcomes .

•	 During the evaluation and due diligence phase prior to the initial investment, focus is placed 

on an analysis of the risks of the clinical phase of development .

•	 Prior to the launch of any clinical testing it will be normal for a dedicated management team 
(and in certain cases an advisory team to include key opinion leaders (KOLs)) to be hired, 
and  experience  with  the  management  of  clinical  programmes  would  be  a  prerequisite 
qualification .

•	

In the event of the outsourcing of these trials, care and attention is given to assure the 
quality of the Contract Research Organisation (CRO) vendors used to perform the work .

9 .   The  Group  expects  to  remain  viable  through  December  2017  given  its  current  cash  and  financial 
position .  However,  if  the  Group  is  unable  to  raise  capital,  generate  sufficient  revenue,  appropriately 
manage expenses, or exit any of its existing Group businesses prior to the end of such period, then 
the Group’s business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and future viability could be 
adversely affected .

Impact:   Lack  of  capital  could  restrict  the  Group’s  ability  to  further  develop  and  commercialise  its 
existing businesses and prevent the Group from investing in attractive new opportunities . In 
turn, this could ultimately lead to failure of individual subsidiaries and loss of investment as well 
as failure of the Group as a whole .

Mitigation: 

•	 The Group maintains close relationships with its shareholder base and a wide group of 

investors to ensure it continuous access to the capital markets .

•	 The Group has historically had a strong financial position, including prior to its initial public 
offering, and holds significant control over the Company’s investments and how subsidiary 
company working capital requirements are met .

•	 The  Company  has  majority  control  over  all  of  the  subsidiary  companies,  and  is  able  to 

maintain close control of their expenses and cash outflows .

•	 The Company has built a valuable portfolio of subsidiary companies since its inception .

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Risk Management (continued)

Corporate and Social Responsibility
Details on the Group’s policies, activities and aims with regard to its corporate and social responsibilities 
are included in the Sustainability section on pages 68 to 69 and are incorporated into this Strategic Report 
by reference .

This Strategic Report has been approved by the Board of Directors .

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ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Peter Dolan
Chairman

25 April 2016

Chris Silva
Chief Executive Officer

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The Board

Executive Directors
Chris Silva – Chief Executive Officer
Chris joined Allied Minds in March 2006. He has 25 years of senior management experience in commercial 
and government sectors. Before joining Allied Minds, Chris was a Partner at JSA Partners, a professional 
M&A and strategy consultancy in Boston, MA, which provides technology companies with market entry, 
competitive  strategy,  acquisitions  and  investment  decisions.  His  consulting  background  includes  three 
years with A.T. Kearney’s Aerospace Aviation and Defence Practice. Chris was also the Director of Business 
Development  for  GRC  International,  a  scientific  and  technical  support  contractor  to  the  Department  of 
Defence and US Intelligence Community. Earlier, Chris served in the US Air Force. Chris holds a BA degree 
from Tufts University and a Masters of Business Administration. Chris was appointed to the Board in April 
2014, but was a member of the predecessor company board since 2006.

Non-Executive Directors
Peter Dolan – Non-Executive Chairman
Peter joined Allied Minds in April 2014. Peter has 30 years of operating experience, including 18 years at 
Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He subsequently served 
as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gemin X, a venture capital backed oncology company that was 
sold to Cephalon. Peter is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Tufts University having served in several 
leadership capacities, including Vice Chair, and as a member of the Compensation, Academic Affairs and 
Audit Committees, before his election as Chairman in November 2013. Most recently, Peter served on the 
Board of Overseers of the Tuck School at Dartmouth College and on the Board of Directors of the National 
Centre  on  Addiction  and  Substance  Abuse  at  Columbia  University.  Additionally,  he  has  served  on  the 
Boards of the American Express Company, C-Change (a cancer coalition organisation), and was Chairman 
of  the  Pharmaceutical  Research  and  Manufacturers  of  America.  Peter  holds  a  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree 
from Tufts University in Social Psychology and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Amos 
Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Peter was appointed to the Board in May 2014, and has served as 
Chairman since May 2015.

Rick Davis – Senior Independent Director
Rick joined Allied Minds in August 2011. Rick is an internationally recognised political leader with more than 
30 years of experience in business and public affairs. Rick currently serves as a Partner and Chief Operating 
Officer at Pegasus Capital Advisors, a $2.2 billion private equity fund founded in 1995. He has a long and 
distinguished career in both the public and private sector. Having served on President Ronald Reagan’s 
political team, Rick also served in three Reagan Administration Cabinet Agencies including as White House 
Special Assistant to the President for the Domestic Policy Council. In his capacity in the White House, Rick 
managed all policy development related to Climate, Energy and Environment. President George H.W. Bush 
appointed him as Deputy Executive Director for the White House Conference on Science and Economic 
Research Related to Global Climate Change. While in the private sector, Rick built one of the most influential 
and successful public affairs companies in the United States. In 2000 and 2008, Rick served as Senator 
John McCain’s national campaign manager leading all aspects of the campaign activity. While serving as 
Senator McCain’s chief strategist and political advisor, Rick was integral in the development of some key 
legislative  initiatives  including  ground  breaking  Climate  Legislation  and  Campaign  Finance  Reform.  Rick 
currently serves on the Board of The Environmental Defence Action Fund developing initiatives and ties to 
the corporate community that promotes better stewardship of the environment. Rick was appointed to the 

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The Board (continued)

Board in May 2014, but was a member of the predecessor company board since 2011, and serves on each 
of the Audit, Nomination (Chairman), and Remuneration Committees.

Jeff Rohr – Independent Non-Executive Director
Jeff joined Allied Minds in April 2014. He has 30 years of senior management experience at Deloitte LLP. 
Jeff  has  career  long  experience  serving  clients  in  a  multitude  of  industries  and  extensive  experience  in 
governance processes having last served in the role of Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer at Deloitte. 
In the role of Chief Financial Officer, Jeff was responsible for all aspects of financial affairs of the Deloitte 
Global  Firm  and  the  Deloitte  US  Firm,  including  strategy,  accounting  and  financial  reporting,  treasury, 
capital adequacy, liquidity, taxes, pensions, and risk management. Previously, Jeff served as the Managing 
Partner of Deloitte’s Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions as well as National Director of Deloitte’s Business 
Planning. Currently, Jeff serves on a number of Boards and Foundations. He is a member of the Board of 
Directors of American Express Centurion Bank where he is the Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee, 
has served for ten years as Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Florida State University Foundation 
Board  of  Trustees  and  is  Chairman  of  the  College  of  Business  Board  of  Governors.  Jeff  is  a  graduate 
of  Florida  State  University  with  a  B.S.  degree  in  Accounting  and  is  a  Certified  Public  Accountant.  Jeff 
was appointed to the Board in May 2014, and serves on each of the Audit (Chairman), Nomination, and 
Remuneration Committees.

Kevin Sharer – Independent Non-Executive Director
Kevin joined Allied Minds in June 2015. Globally recognised as a leader and mentor to senior management 
teams  engaged  in  high-growth  strategies,  Kevin  spent  more  than  20  years  leading  Amgen,  the  world’s 
largest independent biotechnology firm, starting as President and Chief Operating Officer and then taking 
over as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Kevin began his career in the United States Navy, serving as 
Chief Engineer on the USS Memphis and later rising to become a Lieutenant Commander. After his service, 
Kevin worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Co., in corporate development at General Electric Co., and 
as an Executive Vice President in Marketing at MCI Telecommunications Corp. Having previously served 
on the Boards of Directors of Chevron Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp., Kevin is currently a faculty 
member at Harvard Business School, where he teaches General Management and other classes. Kevin 
holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Arts degree in Engineering from the United States 
Naval Academy and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph 
M. Katz Graduate School of Business. Kevin was appointed to the Board in June 2015, and serves on each 
of the Nomination, and Remuneration (Chair) Committees.

Jill Smith – Independent Non-Executive Director
Jill joined Allied Minds in January 2016. Jill has more than 25 years of experience as an international business 
leader, including 16 years as Chief Executive Officer of private and public companies in the technology and 
information services markets. Most recently, Jill served as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President 
of DigitalGlobe Inc. (NYSE:DGI), a global provider of satellite imagery products and services. Beginning her 
career as a consultant at Bain & Company, where she rose to become Partner, other leadership capacities 
in  which  she  has  served  include  Vice  President  of  Sara  Lee,  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  President  of 
eDial, Chief Executive Officer and President of SRDS, L.P., Chief Operating Officer of Micron Electronics, 
and  Co-Founder  of  Treacy  &  Company,  a  consulting  and  boutique  investment  business.  Currently,  Jill 
serves as an independent director on the Boards of Directors of Endo International plc (NASDAQ: ENDP), 
Hexagon (Nasdaq Stockholm: HEXA B) and JM Huber. Jill holds a Master of Science degree in Business 

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The Board (continued)

Administration  from  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology  Sloan  School  of  Management.  Jill  was 
appointed to the Board in January 2016, and serves on the Audit Committee.

Table of Board Attendance
The table below summarises the attendance of the Directors at the scheduled meetings held during the 
year:

Director

Chris Silva
Peter Dolan1
Rick Davis
Jeff Rohr
Kevin Sharer2
Jill Smith3
Mark Pritchard4

Meetings Attended

Audit 
Committee

Nomination 
Committee

Remuneration 
Committee

n/a
2 of 2
4 of 4
4 of 4
2 of 2
n/a
n/a

n/a
n/a
2 of 2
2 of 2
2 of 2
n/a
n/a

n/a
3 of 3
5 of 5
5 of 5
2 of 2
n/a
n/a

Board

6 of 6
6 of 6
6 of 6
6 of 6
3 of 3
n/a
5 of 5

1 

2 

 Peter Dolan stepped down from the Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Committees in June 2015.

 Kevin  Sharer  became  a  Director  in  June  2015,  and  was  appointed  to  replace  Peter  Dolan  on  the  Audit,  Nomination  and 
Remuneration Committees.

3 

 Jill Smith became a Director in January 2016, and was appointed to replace Kevin Sharer on the Audit Committee.

4  Mark Pritchard resigned as an Executive Director in September 2015.

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Directors’ Report

The Directors present their report together with the audited financial statements for Allied Minds plc and 
its subsidiaries for the year ended 31 December 2015. The Company was incorporated on 15 April 2014 
under the UK Companies Act 2006.

Directors
The  Directors  of  the  Company  as  at  31  December  2015  were  those  listed  on  pages  46  to  47,  apart 
from  Jill  Smith  who  was  appointed  as  a  Non-Executive  Director  in  January  2016.  The  only  changes  to 
the composition of the Board during the year were (1) the appointment of Peter Dolan as Non-Executive 
Chairman as of the AGM in May 2015, (2) the appointment of Kevin Sharer as a Non-Executive Director in 
June 2015, and (3) the resignation of Mark Pritchard as an Executive Director in September 2015. Each 
of Mark Pritchard, Chris Silva and Rick Davis served on the predecessor company board. The Directors’ 
interests in the share capital of the Company are as shown in the Directors’ Remuneration Report on page 
90. None of the Directors were materially interested in any significant contract to which the Company or any 
of its subsidiaries were party during the year.

Corporate Governance
Information  that  fulfils  the  requirements  of  the  corporate  governance  statement  can  be  found  in  the 
Corporate Governance Report on pages 57 to 67, the Directors’ Remuneration Report on pages 70 to 97, 
and the Audit Committee Report on pages 98 to 101, and is incorporated into this Report of the Directors 
by reference.

Employees
The Group’s policies in relation to employees are disclosed on page 69.

Results and Dividends
During the period, the Group generated a net loss after taxation for the year ended 31 December 2015 of 
$97.9 million (2014: $57.9 million). The Directors do not recommend the payment of a dividend for 2015 
(2014: nil).

Strategic Report
The Group’s Strategic Report can be found on pages 5 to 45, and includes information as to the Group’s 
activities in the field of research and development, and as to the likely future development of the Group. 
Financial key performance indicators can be found on page 23.

The Strategic Report contains forward-looking statements with respect to the business of Allied Minds. 
These statements reflect the Board’s current view, are subject to a number of material known and unknown 
events, risks and uncertainties, and could change in the future. Factors that could cause or contribute to 
such changes include, but are not limited to, general economic climate and trading conditions, as well as 
specific factors relating to the financial or commercial prospects or performance of the Group’s individual 
subsidiary companies, the ability to consummate expected transactions, and the ability to identify promising 
new technologies invented by university or Federal laboratory partners.

Principal Risks and Uncertainties and Financial Instruments
The Group through its operations is exposed to a number of risks. The Group’s risk management objectives 
and policies are described on pages 40 to 45 and in the Governance Report on pages 65 to 66. Further 

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Directors’ Report (continued)

information on the Group’s financial risk management objectives and policies, including those in relation 
to credit risk, liquidity risk and market risk, is provided in note 23 to the consolidated financial statements, 
along with further information on the Group’s use of financial instruments.

Significant Agreements
The Group has not entered into any significant agreements which may be impacted by a change of control 
following a takeover bid.

Share Capital
Details of the structure of the Company’s share capital and the rights attaching to the Company’s shares 
are set out in note 16 to the consolidated financial statements. Other than the minimum share ownership 
policy adopted by the Board in April 2016 with respect to Executive Directors and PDMRs, there are no 
specific restrictions on the holding of securities or on the transfer of shares, which are both governed by the 
general provisions of the Company’s Articles of Association (Articles) and prevailing legislation. None of the 
ordinary shares carry any special rights with regard to control of the Company and there are no restrictions 
on voting rights.

At the last Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 28 May 2015 (the “2015 AGM”), authority was 
given  to  the  Directors  pursuant  to  the  relevant  provisions  of  the  Companies  Act  2006  to  allot  unissued 
relevant securities in the Company up to a maximum amount equivalent to approximately one-third of the 
issued ordinary share capital on 24 April 2015 at any time up to the earlier of the conclusion of the next 
Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) of the Company and 1 August 2016. In addition, at the 2015 AGM, the 
Directors were also given authority effective for the same period as the aforementioned authority to allot 
relevant securities in the Company up to a maximum of approximately two-thirds of the total ordinary share 
capital in issue on 24 April 2015 in connection with an offer by way of a fully preemptive rights issue. The 
Directors propose to renew both of these authorities at the Company’s next AGM to be held on 26 May 
2016. The authorities being sought are in accordance with guidance issued by the Investment Association.

A  further  special  resolution  passed  at  the  2015  AGM  granted  authority  to  the  Directors  to  allot  equity 
securities in the Company for cash, without regard to the pre-emption provisions of the Companies Act 
2006, both: (i) up to a maximum of approximately two-thirds of the total ordinary share capital in issue on 
24 April 2015 in connection with a fully preemptive rights issue; and (ii) up to a maximum of approximately 
5% of the aggregate nominal value of the shares in issue on 24 April 2015, each authority exercisable at 
any time up to the earlier of the conclusion of the next AGM of the Company and 1 August 2016. These 
authorities were not used during the year. The Directors will seek to renew these authorities for a similar 
period at the next AGM to be held on 26 May 2016.

Under the Companies Act 2006, the Company has the power to purchase its own shares in accordance 
with Part 18, Chapter 5 of the Companies Act 2006. At the 2015 AGM, a special resolution was passed 
which granted the Directors authority to make market purchases  of  the Company’s shares pursuant  to 
these provisions of the Companies Act 2006 up to a maximum of approximately 10% of the Company’s 
issued share capital on 24 April 2015 provided that the authority granted set a minimum and maximum 
price at which purchases can be made and is exercisable at any time up to the earlier of the conclusion 
of the next AGM and 1 August 2016. This authority has not been used during the year and therefore the 
outstanding authority is 21,449,058. The Directors will seek to renew the authority within similar parameters 
and for a similar period at the next AGM to be held on 26 May 2016.

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Directors’ Report (continued)

Articles of Association
The Company’s Articles may be amended by a special resolution of the shareholders.

Substantial Shareholders
As  at  31  December  2015,  the  Company  had  been  advised  of  the  following  notifiable  interests  in  the 
Company’s voting rights under DTR 5. Other than as shown, so far as the Company (and its directors) are 
aware, no other person holds or is beneficially interested in a disclosable interest in the Company.

Shareholder

Invesco Asset Management Limited
Woodford Investment Management
Mark Pritchard
SandAire
P3 Private Equity Fund

Number of 
Shares

63,502,442
60,340,757
20,350,000
9,930,236
7,721,846

Percentage

29.45%
27.98%
9.44%
4.61%
3.58%

Between the year end and 25 April 2016, the Company was advised pursuant to DTR 5 that (1) Woodford 
Investment  Management  had  increased  its  holdings  to  62,663,957  shares,  or  29.06%,  and  (2)  Mark 
Pritchard had decreased his holdings to 18,425,000, or 8.54%.

Relationship Agreement
In accordance with Listing Rule 9.8.4 (14), the Company has set out below a statement describing the 
relationship agreement entered into by the Company with its principal shareholder.

On 19 June 2014, the Company entered into a Relationship Agreement with Invesco Asset Management 
Limited (Invesco), which came into force at the Company’s initial public offering (IPO) on the Main Market of 
the London Stock Exchange. The principal purpose of the Relationship Agreement was to ensure that the 
Company was capable at all times of carrying on its business independently of Invesco.

If  any  person  acquired  control  of  the  Company  or  the  Company  ceased  to  be  admitted  to  the  Official 
List, the Relationship Agreement could be terminated by Invesco. If Invesco (together with its associates) 
ceased to hold 30% or more of the voting rights over the Company’s shares, the Relationship Agreement 
would terminate save for certain specified provisions.

On 9 October 2015, Invesco reported pursuant to DTR 5 that it had decreased its holdings to 63,502,442 
shares, or 29.45%. On the basis that Invesco no longer exercises or controls, on its own or together with 
any person with which they are acting in concert, 30% or more of the voting rights over the Company’s 
shares,  Invesco  is  no  longer  a  “controlling  shareholder”  under  the  Listing  Rules,  and  the  Relationship 
Agreement terminated on such date in accordance with its terms and conditions.

The Relationship Agreement provided that Invesco would undertake to use all reasonable endeavors to 
procure that its associates and any person with whom it was acting in concert shall:

•	 conduct all agreements, arrangements, transactions and relationships with any member of the Group 
on an arm’s length basis and on a normal commercial basis and in accordance with the related party 
transaction requirements of Chapter 11 of the Listing Rules;

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•	 not  take  any  action  that  would  have  the  effect  of  preventing  the  Company  from  complying  with  its 
obligations under the Listing Rules or preclude or inhibit any member of the Group from carrying on its 
business independently of Invesco, its associates and any person with whom it was acting in concert;

•	 not propose or procure the proposal of a shareholder resolution which was intended to, or appeared to 

be intended to, circumvent the proper application of the Listing Rules; and

•	 not exercise any of its voting rights attaching to the shares held by it to procure any amendment to the 
Articles of Association of the Company which would be inconsistent with, undermine or breach any of 
the provisions of the Relationship Agreement.

The  Board  believes  that  the  terms  of  the  Relationship  Agreement  enabled  the  Company  to  carry  on  its 
business  independently,  prior  to  its  termination,  from  Invesco  and  its  associates,  and  ensured  that  all 
transactions and relationships between the Company and Invesco were at arm’s length and on a normal 
commercial basis.

The Company has and, in so far as it is aware, the Invesco and its associates have, complied with the 
independence provisions set out in the Relationship Agreement from the date of the agreement, during 
the relevant period under review, until its termination on 9 October 2015. The ordinary shares owned by 
Invesco rank pari passu with the other ordinary shares in all respects.

Political Donations
The Group did not make any political donations in 2014 or 2015.

Corporate and Social Responsibility
Details on the Group’s policies, activities and aims with regard to its corporate and social responsibilities 
are included in the Sustainability section on pages 68 to 69. and are incorporated into this Director’s Report 
by reference.

Directors’ Indemnity and Liability Insurance
During the year, the Company has maintained liability insurance in respect of its directors who held office 
during the period. Subject to the provisions of the Companies Act 2006, the Articles provide that every 
director is entitled to be indemnified out of the funds of the Company against any liabilities incurred in the 
execution or discharge of his or her powers or duties.

Issuance of Equity by Major Subsidiary Undertaking
None  of  the  Companies  major  subsidiary  undertakings  (as  defined  in  the  Listing  Rules)  issued  equity  in 
2015.

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Requirements of the Listing Rules
The following table provides references to where the information required by Listing Rule 9.8.4R is disclosed:

Section Listing Rule requirement

Location

1
2
4

5
6
7
8

9
10
11
12
13
14

Interest capitalised
Publication of unaudited financial information
Details of long-term incentive schemes

Waiver of emoluments by a director
Waiver of future emoluments by a director
Non pre-emptive issues of equity for cash
Non pre-emptive issues of equity for cash by any major
subsidiary undertaking
Parent participation in a placing by a listed subsidiary
Contract of significance with director
Provision of services by a controlling shareholder
Shareholder waivers of dividends
Shareholder waivers of future dividends
Relationship agreements with the controlling shareholder

Not applicable
Not applicable
Directors’ Remuneration Report, 
page 70
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable

Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Directors’ Report, pages 51 to 52

Post Balance Sheet Events
Material events occurring since the balance sheet date are disclosed in the Strategic Report. In summary, 
they are:

•	

•	

In  January  2016,  Federated  Wireless  successfully  raised  $22.0  million  in  a  Series  A  preferred  stock 
financing.

In March 2016, Allied-Bristol Life Sciences formed and funded ABLS III, LLC, d/b/a ißeCa Therapeutics, 
to license proprietary compounds from NYU School of Medicine that target the Wnt signaling pathway, 
which  were  developed  by  Dr.  Ramanuj  Dasgupta,  Research  Associate  Professor  at  NYU  School  of 
Medicine, and NYU’s drug discovery accelerator, the Office of Therapeutics Alliances (OTA). The Wnt 
pathway plays a key role in the development and progression of a number of cancers affecting large 
numbers  of  patients.  ißeCa  Therapeutics  will  focus  on  further  discovery  and  development  activities 
needed to identify candidates for human clinical testing.

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Viability Statement
While the financial statements and accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis, section C.2.2 
of the 2014 revision of the UK Corporate Governance Code requires the Directors to make a statement in 
the Annual Report with regard to the viability of the Group, including explaining how they have assessed 
the prospects of the Group, the period of time for which they have made the assessment, and why they 
consider that period to be appropriate. Accordingly, the Directors conducted this assessment over the two 
years to December 2017, taking into account the Group’s current position, investment strategy, and the 
principal risks detailed in the Strategic Report. The Directors believe that a two-year assessment is most 
appropriate as it aligns with the Group’s normal and well-established budgeting process. In making their 
assessment, the Directors considered a wide range of information, including present and future economic 
conditions, future projections of profitability, cash flows and capital requirements and availability of sources 
of funding.

The Group’s annual budgeting process builds into a robust two-year plan, which is the period the Directors 
consider as an appropriate period to be covered by the viability statement. This plan forms the basis for 
strategic  decisions  across  the  Group.  The  consolidated  plan  is  reviewed  and  approved  annually  by  the 
Directors at the beginning of the year. The plan is then deployed down to the subsidiary businesses and 
used  to  set  performance  metrics  and  objectives  (MBOs).  Progress  against  the  original  plan  is  reviewed 
quarterly by the Directors, and adjustments to the plan can be made if needed to address new risks or take 
advantage of new opportunities.

In summary, the Directors have assessed the viability of the Group over the two year period to December 
2017. They were comforted by the Group’s strong financial position, its long-term investment objectives, 
the  stability  of  the  business  model,  the  Group’s  control  over  its  investments  and  how  working  capital 
requirements are met. Based on this assessment, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the 
Group will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the two year period 
to December 2017.

Disclosure of Information to Auditor
Each of the persons who is a Director at the date of approval of this Annual Report confirms that:

•	 so far as the Director is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Company’s auditor is 

unaware; and

•	

the Director has taken all steps that he or she ought to have taken as a Director in order to make himself 
or herself aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Company’s auditor is aware 
of that information.

This confirmation is given and should be interpreted in accordance with the provisions of Section 418 of 
the Companies Act 2006.

Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on 26 May 2016. The Notice of AGM circulated with this 
Report and Accounts contains a full explanation of the business to be conducted at that meeting. This 
includes a resolution to re-appoint KPMG LLP as the Company’s Auditors.

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Directors’ Responsibilities Statement
The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and Accounts and the Group and parent 
Company financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the Directors to prepare Group and parent Company financial statements for each 
financial year. Under that law, they are required to prepare the Group financial statements in accordance 
with  International  Financial  Reporting  Standards  (IFRSs),  as  adopted  by  the  European  Union  (EU)  and 
applicable law and have elected to prepare the parent Company financial statements on the same basis.

Under company law, the Directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that 
they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Group and parent Company and of their profit or 
loss for that period. In preparing each of the Group and parent Company financial statements, the Directors 
are required to:

•	 select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

•	 make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

•	 state whether they have been prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the EU; and

•	 prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that 

the Group and the parent Company will continue in business.

The  Directors  are  responsible  for  keeping  adequate  accounting  records  that  are  sufficient  to  show  and 
explain the parent Company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial 
position of the parent Company and enable them to ensure that its financial statements comply with the 
Companies Act 2006. They have general responsibility for taking such steps as are reasonably open to 
them to safeguard the assets of the Group and to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.

Under applicable law and regulations, the Directors are also responsible for preparing a Strategic Report, 
Directors’ Report, Directors’ Remuneration Report and Corporate Governance Statement that complies 
with that law and those regulations.

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information 
included on the Company’s website. Legislation in the UK governing the preparation and dissemination of 
financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Responsibility Statement of the Directors in respect of the Annual Financial Report
We confirm that to the best of our knowledge:

•	

•	

the financial statements, prepared in accordance with the applicable set of accounting standards, give a 
true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Group and the parent 
Company and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole; and

the Strategic Report includes a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the 
position of the Group and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole, together with 
a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that they face.

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We  consider  the  Annual  Report  and  Accounts,  taken  as  a  whole,  is  fair,  balanced  and  understandable 
and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Group’s position and performance, 
business model and strategy.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Peter Dolan
Chairman

25 April 2016

Chris Silva
Chief Executive Officer

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Corporate Governance Report

Compliance with the UK Corporate Governance Code
The Directors are committed to a high standard of corporate governance and compliance with the best 
practice of the UK Corporate Governance Code (Code) which was issued by the Financial Reporting Council 
in 2010 and revised in September 2014. The Code is available at the Financial Reporting Council website 
at www.frc.org.uk. During the twelve months ended 31 December 2015, the Directors consider that the 
Company has been in compliance with the provisions set out in the Code with the following exceptions:

•	 Contrary  to  provision  A.3.1  of  the  Code,  Mark  Pritchard,  an  Executive  Director  who  served  as  our 
Chairman  since  our  IPO,  was  not  deemed  to  be  independent.  At  the  time  of  Admission,  the  Board 
deemed  it  appropriate  that  our  company  founder  lead  the  Company  through  the  IPO  in  the  role  of 
Chairman. Peter Dolan, our former Senior Independent Director, succeeded Mark Pritchard as Non-
Executive Chairman effective as of the conclusion of the AGM held in May 2015.

•	 Contrary to provision D.1.3 of the Code, certain Non-Executive Directors hold restricted ordinary shares 
that vest over time. These shares were granted to the Non-Executive Directors prior to the IPO and do 
not have performance conditions. The Board does not believe that ownership of these shares impacts 
the independence of the Non-Executive Directors.

•	 Contrary  to  provision  D.1.3  of  the  Code,  certain  Non-Executive  Directors  hold  restricted  stock  units 
(RSUs) that vest over time. These RSUs were granted to the Non-Executive Directors in 2015 and do 
not have performance conditions. The Board does not believe that ownership of these RSUs impacts 
the independence of the Non-Executive Directors.

•	 Contrary to provision E.2.4 of the Code, the complexities faced by the Company in collating information 
for  its  first  Annual  Report  meant  that  it  was  considered  to  be  in  the  best  interests  of  shareholders 
not  to  rush  publication.  Accordingly,  shareholders  received  less  than  the  20  working  days’  notice 
recommended by the Code in respect of the Company’s AGM in 2015. However, the Company has 
complied with and exceeded the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 to provide shareholders with 
21 clear days’ notice of the AGM and intends to meet the recommendation of the Code in future years.

Further explanation as to how the provisions set out in the Code have been applied by the Company is 
provided  in  the  following  statement,  the  Directors’  Remuneration  Report,  the  Audit  Committee  Report 
and the Strategic Report. The Company’s auditor, KPMG LLP, is required to review whether the above 
statements reflect the Company’s compliance with the provisions of the Code specified for its review by 
the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority and to report if it does not reflect such compliance; no such 
report has been made.

The Board
Role and Responsibilities of the Board
The Board is responsible to shareholders for the overall management of the Group as a whole, providing 
entrepreneurial  leadership  within  a  framework  of  controls  for  assessing  and  managing  risk;  defining, 
challenging and interrogating the Group’s strategic aims and direction; maintaining the policy and decision-
making  framework  in  which  such  strategic  aims  are  implemented;  ensuring  that  the  necessary  financial 
and human resources are in place to meet strategic aims; monitoring performance against key financial 
and  non-financial  indicators;  succession  planning;  overseeing  the  system  of  risk  management;  setting 
values and standards in governance matters and monitoring policies and performance on corporate social 
responsibility. The Directors are also responsible for ensuring that obligations to shareholders and other 

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stakeholders  are  understood  and  met  and  a  satisfactory  dialogue  with  shareholders  is  maintained.  All 
Directors are equally accountable to the Company’s shareholders for the proper stewardship of its affairs 
and the long-term success of the Group.

The  responsibility  of  the  Directors  is  collective,  taking  into  account  their  respective  roles  as  Executive 
Directors  and  Non-Executive  Directors.  The  Executive  Directors  are  directly  responsible  for  running  the 
business  operations  and  the  Non-Executive  Directors  are  responsible  for  constructively  challenging 
proposals on strategy, scrutinising the performance of management, determining levels of remuneration 
and  for  succession  planning  for  the  Executive  Directors.  The  Non-Executive  Directors  must  also  satisfy 
themselves  on  the  integrity  of  financial  information  and  that  financial  controls  and  systems  of  risk 
management are robust.

The Board reviews strategic issues on a regular basis and exercises control over the performance of the 
Group by agreeing on budgetary targets and monitoring performance against those targets. The Board 
has overall responsibility for the Group’s system of internal controls and risk management, as described on 
pages 65 to 66. Any decisions made by the Board on policies and strategy to be adopted by the Group 
or changes to current policies and strategy are made following presentations by the Executive Directors 
and a detailed process of review and challenge by the Board. Once made, the Executive Directors are fully 
empowered to implement those decisions.

Except for a formal schedule of matters which are reserved for decision and approval by the Board, the 
Board  has  delegated  the  day-to-day  management  of  the  Group  to  the  Chief  Executive  Officer  who  is 
supported by the Executive Directors and other members of the senior management team. The schedule 
of matters reserved for Board decision and approval are those significant to the Group as a whole due to 
their strategic, financial or reputational implications.

This schedule is reviewed and updated regularly and currently includes those matters set forth below:

•	 Approval  and  monitoring  of  the  Group’s  strategic  aims  and  objectives,  and  approval  of  the  annual 

operating budget.

•	 Strategic acquisitions by the Group.

•	 Major disposals of the Group’s assets or subsidiaries.

•	 Changes  to  the  Group’s  capital  structure,  the  issue  of  any  securities  and  material  borrowing  of  the 

Group.

•	 Approval of the annual report and half-year results statement, accounting policies and practices or any 

matter having a material impact on future financial performance of the Group.

•	 Ensuring a sound system of internal control and risk management.

•	 Approval  of  all  circulars,  prospectuses  and  other  documents  issued  to  shareholders  governed  by 
the FCA’s Listing Rules, Disclosure Rules or Transparency Rules or the City Code on Takeovers and 
Mergers.

•	 Approving Board appointments and removals, and approving policies relating to directors’ remuneration.

•	 The division of responsibility between the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer.

•	 Approval of terms of reference and membership of Board committees.

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Corporate Governance Report (continued)

•	 Considering and, where appropriate, approving directors’ conflicts of interest.

•	 Approval, subject to shareholder approval, of the appointment and remuneration of the auditors.

•	 Major changes in employee share schemes.

•	

Insurance and litigation.

The  schedule  of  matters  reserved  to  the  Board  is  available  on  request  from  the  Company  Secretary  or 
within the Investors section of the Group’s website at www.alliedminds.com.

The Board delegates specific responsibilities to certain committees that assist the Board in carrying out its 
functions and ensure independent oversight of internal control and risk management. The three principal 
Board committees (Audit, Remuneration and Nomination) play an essential role in supporting the Board in 
fulfilling its responsibilities and ensuring that the highest standards of corporate governance are maintained 
throughout the Group. Each committee has its own terms of reference which set out the specific matters 
for  which  delegated  authority  has  been  given  by  the  Board.  The  initial  terms  of  reference  for  each  of 
the  committees,  which  are  fully  compliant  with  the  provisions  of  the  Code  and  which  reflect  both  best 
practice and the recommendations arising from the external evaluation process undergone by the Board 
and its committees in connection with the Company’s IPO, were adopted by the Board during 2014. These 
were reviewed in January 2015 and August 2015, and will be reviewed annually on an ongoing basis and 
updated where necessary. All of these are available on request from the Company Secretary or within the 
Investors section of the Group’s website at www.alliedminds.com.

Board Size and Composition
As  at  31  December  2015,  there  were  five  Directors  on  the  Board:  the  Non-Executive  Chairman,  one 
Executive Director and three Non-Executive Directors. During the year, Kevin Sharer joined the Board as 
a Non-Executive Director in June 2015, and Mark Pritchard resigned from the Board in September 2015. 
Subsequent  to  year  end,  Jill  Smith  joined  the  Board  as  a  Non-Executive  Director  in  January  2016.  The 
biographies of all of the Directors are provided on pages 46 and 47.

The Company’s policy relating to the terms of appointment and the remuneration of both Executive and 
Non-Executive Directors is detailed in the Directors’ Remuneration Report on pages 70 to 97.

The size and composition of the Board is regularly reviewed by the Board, and in particular the Nomination 
Committee, to ensure there is an appropriate and diverse mix of skills and experience on the Board.

The Company’s Articles of Association allow appointment of Directors by ordinary resolution and require 
all  Directors  to  submit  themselves  for  re-election  by  the  shareholders  at  the  Company’s  AGM  following 
their first appointment and thereafter at each AGM in respect of which they have held office for the two 
preceding AGMs and did not retire at either of them. In addition, each director who has held office with the 
Company for a continuous period of nine years or more must retire and offer themselves up for re-election 
at every AGM.

However, because the Company is a FTSE 350 company, in accordance with the Code, all Directors will 
submit themselves for annual election or re-election by shareholders at the AGM of the Company to be 
held on 26 May 2016 (2016 AGM). New directors may be appointed by the Board, but their appointment is 
subject to election by shareholders at the first opportunity after their appointment. The Board recommends 
to shareholders the reappointment of all Directors retiring at the meeting and offering themselves for re-

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election on the basis that independent performance reviews demonstrated that they contribute effectively 
and continue to display the appropriate level of commitment in their respective roles.

Diversity
The  Board  is  committed  to  a  culture  that  attracts  and  retains  talented  people  to  deliver  outstanding 
performance and further enhance the success of the Company. In that culture, diversity across a range of 
criteria is valued, primarily in relation to skills, knowledge and experience and also in other criteria such as 
gender and ethnicity. The Company will give careful consideration to issues of overall Board balance and 
diversity in making new appointments to the Board and, in identifying suitable candidates, the Nomination 
Committee  will  seek  candidates  from  a  range  of  backgrounds,  with  the  final  decision  being  based  on 
merit against objective criteria. In addition, the terms of reference of the Nomination Committee include a 
requirement for the Committee to consider diversity, including gender, in evaluating the composition of the 
Board and in identifying suitable candidates for Board appointments. A breakdown of employee gender 
showing the percentage of persons who were Directors of the Company and senior managers during the 
period covered by this Annual Report can be found on page 69.

Non-Executive Directors
The Non-Executive Directors provide a wide range of skills and experience to the Group. They bring their 
own  senior  level  of  experience  in  each  of  their  respective  fields,  robust  opinions  and  an  independent 
judgement  on  issues  of  strategy,  performance,  risk  and  people.  They  are  well-placed  to  constructively 
challenge and scrutinise the performance of management at Board and Committee meetings. The Code 
sets out the circumstances that should be relevant to the Board in determining whether each Non-Executive 
Director is independent. The Board considers non-executive director independence on an annual basis as 
part of each non-executive director’s performance evaluation. Having undertaken this review and with due 
regard to provision B.1.1 of the Code, the Board has concluded this year that all of the Non-Executive 
Directors are considered by the Board to be independent of management and free of any relationship or 
circumstance which could materially influence or interfere with, or affect, or appear to affect, the exercise 
of their independent judgement.

Non-Executive Directors are required to obtain the approval of the Chairman before taking on any further 
appointments and the Chairman and Executive Director require the approval of the Board before adding to 
their commitments. In all cases, the Directors must ensure that their external appointments do not involve 
excessive time commitment or cause a conflict of interest.

The Roles of Chairman and Chief Executive
Peter Dolan is the current Chairman. Mark Pritchard was the Executive Chairman until he stepped down 
and  Peter  Dolan  was  appointed  Non-Executive  Chairman  in  May  2015.  The  division  of  responsibilities 
between the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer is clearly established, set out in writing and agreed 
by the Board. The Chairman is responsible for the leadership and conduct of the Board, the conduct of the 
Group’s affairs and strategy and for ensuring effective communication with shareholders. The Chairman 
facilitates the full and effective contribution of Non-Executive Directors at Board and Committee meetings, 
ensures that they are kept well informed and ensures a constructive relationship between the Executive 
Directors and Non-Executive Directors. The Chairman also ensures that the Board committees carry out 
their duties, including reporting back to the Board either orally or in writing following their meetings at the 
next Board meeting.

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The role of the Chief Executive Officer, Chris Silva, is to lead the delivery of the strategy and the executive 
management  of  the  Group  and  its  operating  businesses.  He  is  responsible,  amongst  other  things,  for 
the  development  and  implementation  of  strategy  and  processes  which  enable  the  Group  to  meet  the 
requirements of shareholders, for delivering the operating plans and budgets for the Group’s businesses, 
monitoring business performance against key performance indicators (KPIs) and reporting on these to the 
Board and for providing the appropriate environment to recruit, engage, retain and develop the high quality 
personnel needed to deliver the Group’s strategy.

Senior Independent Director
Rick Davis is the current Senior Independent Director. Peter Dolan was the Senior Independent Director 
until he was appointed Chairman in May 2015, and Rick Davis was appointed Senior Independent Director 
in August 2015. A key responsibility of the Senior Independent Director is to be available to shareholders 
in  the  event  that  they  may  feel  it  inappropriate  to  relay  views  through  the  Chairman  or  Chief  Executive 
Officer.  In  addition,  the  Senior  Independent  Director  serves  as  an  intermediary  between  the  rest  of  the 
Board and the Chairman where necessary and takes the lead when the Non-Executive Directors assess 
the Chairman’s performance and when the appointment of a new Chairman is considered. Further, the 
Senior Independent Director will lead the Board in its deliberations on any matters on which the Chairman 
is conflicted.

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Board Support
The Company Secretary is responsible to the Board for ensuring Board procedures are followed, applicable 
rules and regulations are complied with and that the Board is advised on governance matters and relevant 
regulatory matters. All Directors have access to the impartial advice and services of the Company Secretary. 
There is also an agreed procedure for directors to take independent professional advice at the Company’s 
expense. In accordance with the Company’s Articles of Association and a contractual Deed of Indemnity, 
directors have been granted an indemnity issued by the Company to the extent permitted by law in respect 
of liabilities incurred to third parties as a result of their office. The indemnity would not provide any coverage 
where a director is proved to have acted fraudulently or with willful misconduct. The Company has also 
arranged appropriate insurance coverage in respect of legal action against its directors and officers.

Board Meetings and Decisions
The Board meets regularly during the year, as well as when required by business need. The Board had six 
scheduled Board meetings in 2015. During their term of service, each of the Directors were present at all 
meetings during the year. The Chairman and Non-Executive Directors also met without the presence of the 
Executive Directors four times during the year.

The schedule of Board and Committee meetings each year is, so far as is possible, determined before the 
commencement of that year and all Directors or, if appropriate, all Committee members are expected to 
attend each meeting. Supplementary meetings of the Board and/or the Committees are held as and when 
necessary. Each member of the Board receives detailed Board packs, including an agenda based upon the 
schedule of matters reserved for its approval, appropriate reports and briefing papers in advance of each 
scheduled meeting. If a director is unable to attend a meeting due to exceptional circumstances, he or she 
will still receive the supporting papers and is expected to discuss any matters he or she wishes to raise with 
the Chairman in advance of the meeting. The Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and 
Company Secretary work together to ensure that the Directors receive relevant information to enable them 

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to discharge their duties and that such information is accurate, timely and clear. This information includes 
quarterly management accounts containing analysis of performance against budget and other forecasts. 
Additional  information  is  provided  as  appropriate  or  if  requested.  At  each  meeting,  the  Board  receives 
information, reports and presentations from the Chief Executive Officer and, by invitation, other members 
of senior management as required. This ensures that all Directors are aware of, and are in a position to 
monitor effectively, the overall performance of the Group, its development and implementation of strategy 
and its management of risk.

Any matter requiring a decision by the Board is supported by a paper analysing the relevant aspects of the 
proposal including costs, benefits, potential risks involved and proposed executive management action and 
recommendations.

The majority of Board meetings are held at the Group’s offices in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, which gives 
members of the Company’s senior management team, as well as the senior managers of the subsidiaries, 
the opportunity to formally present to the Board on business development and new investment opportunities. 
This assists the Board in gaining a deeper understanding of the breadth, stage of development and diversity 
of  the  Group’s  subsidiaries.  During  2015,  the  Board  held  one  of  its  scheduled  meetings  at  one  of  the 
Company’s subsidiary offices in Silicon Valley, California, USA, which is also the location of several of the 
Company’s subsidiaries, in order to encourage further interaction with the senior management teams of 
those subsidiaries. Meetings between the Chairman and Non-Executive Directors, both with and without 
the presence of the Chief Executive Officer, are also held as the need arises.

Directors’ Conflicts of Interest
Each director has a statutory duty under the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006) to avoid a situation in which he 
or she has or can have a direct or indirect interest that conflicts or may potentially conflict with the interests 
of the Company. This duty is in addition to the continuing duty that a director owes to the Company to 
disclose to the Board any transaction or arrangement under consideration by the Company in which he 
or  she  is  interested.  The  Company’s  Articles  of  Association  permit  the  Board  to  authorise  conflicts  or 
potential conflicts of interest. The Board has established procedures for managing and, where appropriate, 
authorising any such conflicts or potential conflicts of interest. It is a recurring agenda item at all Board 
meetings and this gives the directors the opportunity to raise at the beginning of every Board meeting, any 
actual of potential conflict of interests that they may have on the matters to be discussed, or to update the 
Board on any change to a previous conflict of interest already declared. In deciding whether to authorise 
any conflict, the directors must have regard to their general duties under the CA 2006 and their overriding 
obligation  to  act  in  a  way  they  consider,  in  good  faith,  will  be  most  likely  to  promote  the  Company’s 
success.  In  addition,  the  directors  are  able  to  impose  limits  or  conditions  when  giving  authorisation  to 
a conflict or potential conflict of interest if they think this is appropriate. The authorisation of any conflict 
matter, and the terms of any authorisation, may be reviewed by the Board at any time. The Board believes 
that the procedures established to deal with conflicts of interest are operating effectively.

Induction, Awareness and Development
A comprehensive induction process is in place for new directors. The programme is tailored to the needs 
of each individual director and agreed with him or her so that he or she can gain a better understanding 
of the Group and its businesses. This will generally include an overview of the Group and its businesses, 
structure, functions and strategic aims; site visits to the Group’s head office in Boston, Massachusetts, 

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USA; and, upon request, site visits to a number of the Group’s subsidiary companies, which will include 
meeting with such companies’ management and a presentation from them on their businesses. In addition, 
the Company facilitates sessions as appropriate with the Group’s advisers, in particular its joint corporate 
brokers, Credit Suisse International and Numis Securities Limited, as well as with appropriate governance 
specialists, to ensure that any new directors are fully aware of and understand their responsibilities and 
obligations as a director of a FTSE 350 company and of the governance framework within which they must 
operate.

In order to ensure that the Directors continue to further their understanding of the issues facing the Group, 
the  Board  is  also  exposed  to  the  early-stage  opportunities  in  which  the  Group  has  invested  through 
presentations at Board meetings by relevant members of the Group’s staff. In addition, other members of 
senior management present to the Board to enhance the Board’s awareness of how the Group operates 
on  a  day-to-day  basis  and  how  such  functions  operate  so  as  to  assist  in  the  execution  of  the  Group’s 
core strategy of systematically developing an innovation company that forms, funds, manages and builds 
start-ups based on early-stage technology originating from US universities and federally funded research 
institutions.

As  a  further  aspect  of  their  ongoing  development,  each  Director  also  receives  feedback  on  his  or  her 
performance  following  the  Board’s  performance  evaluation  in  each  year  and,  through  the  Company 
Secretary, access is facilitated to relevant training and development opportunities including those relevant 
to the Non-Executive Directors’ membership on the Board’s committees.

Board Effectiveness and Performance Evaluation
A  performance  evaluation  of  the  Board  and  its  Committees  is  carried  out  annually  to  ensure  that  they 
continue to be effective and that each of the Directors demonstrates commitment to his or her respective 
role  and  has  sufficient  time  to  meet  his  or  her  commitment  to  the  Company.  The  Board  will  seek  the 
assistance  of  an  independent  third  party  provider  at  least  once  every  three  years  in  its  evaluation  in 
compliance  with  the  Code,  and  otherwise  carry  out  an  internally  facilitated  Board  evaluation  led  by  the 
Chairman, assisted by the Company Secretary, and covering the effectiveness of the Board as a whole, its 
individual Directors and its Committees. This review will include each of the Board and Committee members 
completing a detailed and tailored survey and one-to-one discussions between the Chairman and each of 
the individual Directors. A summary of the results of the review, together with the Chairman and Company 
Secretary’s observations and recommendations, will be prepared and shared with members of the Board. 
In addition to the above, the Non-Executive Directors, led by the Senior Independent Director, will appraise 
the Chairman’s performance, following which the Senior Independent Director will provide feedback to the 
Chairman. The performance of each of the Directors on the Board will be reviewed by the Chairman and 
the operational performance of the other Executive Directors will be reviewed by the Chief Executive Officer 
as part of the annual appraisal process. In addition to the aforementioned annual reviews, the performance 
of Executive Directors will be reviewed by the Board on an ongoing basis, as deemed necessary, in the 
absence of the Executive Director under review.

During the 2015 financial year, the Board assessed its own effectiveness through an internal Board evaluation 
process. This process was based on: a review of documentation including Board and committee terms of 
reference, the completion of a survey to Directors comprising quantitative and qualitative questions; and 
discussions with all Board members and a number of stakeholders who regularly interact with the Board, 
to include the Company Secretary.

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The results were analysed by the Chairman and the Company Secretary, and a detailed discussion was 
facilitated with the Board to outline the observations and recommendations. Overall it was concluded that 
the Board continues to work effectively. There have been a number of changes to the Board composition, 
resulting in a well-balanced Board with a range of skills and experience. In an effort to continue to improve, 
a  number  of  areas  the  Board  should  continue  to  focus  on  where  identified  to  include:  (i)  continued 
presentations to the Board by subsidiary CEOs to increase awareness of strategic operations, (ii) regular 
Executive Director and senior management access to the Board, and (iii) review of detailed written monthly 
Board updates prepared by senior management on corporate and subsidiary operations.

Committees of the Board
The composition of the three committees of the Board and the attendance of the members throughout 
the  year  is  set  out  in  the  table  on  page  48.  The  terms  of  reference  of  each  committee  are  available 
on  request  from  the  Company  Secretary  or  within  the  Investors  section  of  the  Group’s  website  at  
www.alliedminds.com.

Remuneration and Audit Committees
Separate reports on the role, composition, responsibilities and operation of the Remuneration Committee 
and the Audit Committee are set out on pages 95 to 97, and pages 98 to 101, respectively.

Nomination Committee
The  Nomination  Committee  leads  the  process  for  Board  appointments,  re-election  and  succession  of 
directors and the Chairman. Its key objective is to ensure that the Board comprises individuals with the 
necessary  skills,  knowledge  and  experience  to  ensure  that  it  is  effective  in  discharging  its  duties.  It  is 
responsible for making recommendations to the Board and its Committees concerning the composition 
and skills of the Board including any changes considered necessary in the identification and nomination 
of new directors, the reappointment of existing directors and the appointment of members to the Board’s 
committees. It also assesses the roles of the existing directors in office to ensure there continues to be 
a  balanced  Board  in  terms  of  skills,  knowledge,  experience  and  diversity.  In  addition,  the  Nomination 
Committee  reviews  the  senior  leadership  needs  of  the  Group  to  enable  it  to  compete  effectively  in  the 
marketplace.  The  Nomination  Committee  also  advises  the  Board  on  succession  planning  for  Executive 
Director appointments, although the Board itself is responsible for succession generally.

The Committee is chaired by Rick Davis and its other members as at 31 December 2015 were Jeff Rohr 
and Kevin Sharer, being a majority of independent Non-Executive Directors as prescribed by the Code. 
The Nomination Committee meets as and when required or requested by the Board and met two times 
during 2015 to review the structure, size and composition of the Board, following which it discussed the 
conclusions  with  the  Chairman  and  the  Chief  Executive  Officer.  Messrs.  Davis,  Rohr  and  Sharer  were 
present at all meetings during the year.

Before  selecting  new  appointees  to  the  Board,  the  Nomination  Committee  shall  consider  the  balance, 
skill, knowledge, independence, diversity (including gender) and experience on the Board to ensure that a 
suitable balance is maintained. The Committee shall adopt a formal, rigorous and transparent procedure 
for  the  appointment  of  new  directors  to  the  Board.  Consideration  shall  always  be  given  as  to  whether 
identified candidates have sufficient time available to devote to the role. When searching for appropriate 
candidates, the Committee shall give consideration to using an external search company, but may also 

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consider  candidates  who  are  proposed  by  existing  Board  members  or  employees  of  the  Group.  When 
the  Committee  has  found  a  suitable  candidate,  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  will  make  a  proposal 
to  the  whole  Board.  The  appointment  of  a  candidate  is  the  responsibility  of  the  whole  Board  following 
recommendation  from  the  Committee.  The  Committee  did  not  use  the  services  of  an  external  search 
company in 2015.

As part of its annual duties in 2015, the Committee and the full Board completed a very active year which 
resulted in (1) the appointment of Peter Dolan as Non-Executive Chairman in May 2015, (2) the appointment 
of Kevin Sharer as a Non-Executive Director in June 2015, (3) the appointment of Rick Davis as Senior 
Independent Director in August 2015, and (4) the appointment of Jill Smith as a Non-Executive Director in 
January 2016. In the year ahead, the Nomination Committee will continue to assess the Board’s size and 
composition and how it may be enhanced.

Internal control
The Board fully recognises the importance of the guidance contained in Guidance on Risk Management, 
Internal Control and Related Financial and Business Reporting (Financial Reporting Council). The Group’s 
internal  controls,  which  are  Groupwide,  were  in  place  during  the  whole  of  2015,  were  reviewed  by  the 
Board and Audit Committee and were considered to be effective throughout the year ended 31 December 
2015.

The Board and Audit Committee are responsible for establishing and monitoring internal control systems 
and for reviewing the effectiveness of these systems. The Board views the effective operation of a rigorous 
system of internal control as critical to the success of the Group; however, it recognises that such systems 
are designed to manage rather than eliminate risk of failure and can provide only reasonable and not absolute 
assurance against material misstatement or loss. The key elements of the Group’s internal control system, 
all of which have been in place during the financial year and up to the date these financial statements were 
approved, are as follows:

Control environment and procedures
The Group has a clear organisational structure with defined responsibilities and accountabilities. It adopts 
the  highest  values  surrounding  quality,  integrity  and  ethics,  and  these  values  are  documented  and 
communicated clearly throughout the whole organisation.

Detailed written policies and procedures have been established covering key operating and compliance 
risk  areas.  These  are  reviewed  and  updated  at  least  once  a  year.  The  effectiveness  of  the  systems  of 
internal control is reviewed at least annually by the Board. The Board considers that the controls have been 
effective for the year ended 31 December 2015.

Identification and evaluation of risks
The Board actively identifies and evaluates the risks inherent in the business, and ensures that appropriate 
controls and procedures are in place to manage these risks. The Board obtains an update regarding the 
subsidiary businesses on a monthly basis, and reviews the performance of the Group and its subsidiaries on 
a quarterly basis, although performance of specific investments may be reviewed more frequently if deemed 
appropriate. The Board also obtains a risk management report from members of senior management on 
a regular basis. The key risks and uncertainties faced by the Group, as well as the relevant mitigations, are 
set out on pages 40 to 45.

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Information and financial reporting systems
The Group evaluates and manages significant risks associated with the process for preparing consolidated 
accounts by having in place systems and controls that ensure adequate accounting records are maintained 
and  transactions  are  recorded  accurately  and  fairly  to  permit  the  preparation  of  financial  statements  in 
accordance  with  IFRS.  The  Board  approves  the  annual  operating  budgets  and  each  quarter  receives 
details of actual performance measured against the budget.

Principal risks and uncertainties
The operations of the Group and the implementation of its objectives and strategy are subject to a number 
of  key  risks  and  uncertainties.  Risks  are  formally  reviewed  by  the  Board  and  Audit  Committee  at  least 
annually  and  appropriate  procedures  are  put  in  place  to  monitor  and,  to  the  extent  possible,  mitigate 
these risks. Where more than one of the risks to occur together, the overall impact on the Group may be 
compounded. A summary of the key risks affecting the Group and the steps taken to manage these is set 
out on pages 40 to 45.

Relations with stakeholders
The Company is committed to a continuous dialogue with shareholders as it believes that this is essential to 
ensure a greater understanding of and confidence amongst its shareholders in the medium and longer term 
strategy of the Group. It is the responsibility of the Board as a whole to ensure that a satisfactory dialogue 
does take place.

The Board’s primary shareholder contact is through the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The Senior 
Independent Director and other Directors, as appropriate, make themselves available for contact with major 
shareholders and other stakeholders in order to understand their issues and concerns.

The Company uses the AGM as an opportunity to communicate with its shareholders. Notice of the AGM, 
which will be held at 1 p.m. BST on 26 May 2016 at the offices of DLA Piper LLP, 1 London Wall, London 
EC2Y 5EA, United Kingdom, is enclosed with this report. In accordance with the Code, the Notice of AGM 
is  sent  to  shareholders  at  least  20  working  days  before  the  meeting.  Details  of  the  resolutions  and  the 
explanatory notes thereto are included with the Notice. To ensure compliance with the Code, the Board 
proposes separate resolutions for each issue and proxy forms allow shareholders who are unable to attend 
the AGM to vote for or against or to withhold their vote on each resolution. The results of all proxy voting 
shall be published on the Group’s website after the meeting and at the meeting itself to those shareholders 
who attend. Shareholders who attend the AGM will have the opportunity to ask questions and the Chairman 
and the Executive Directors are expected to be available to take questions.

The Group’s website at www.alliedminds.com is the primary source of information on the Group. The 
website includes an overview of the activities of the Group, details of its subsidiary companies and its key 
university and federal government partnerships, and details of all recent Group and subsidiary business 
announcements.

Political expenditure
It is the Board’s policy not to incur political expenditure or otherwise make cash contributions to political 
parties and it has no intention of changing that policy.

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Going concern
The Directors confirm that they have a reasonable expectation that the Group will have adequate resources 
to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future and accordingly they continue to adopt the 
going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

Rick Davis 
Chairman of the Nomination Committee

25 April 2016

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Sustainability

Policy Statement
Allied Minds aims to conduct its business in a socially responsible manner, to contribute to the communities 
in which it operates and to respect the needs of its employees and all of its stakeholders.

The Group is committed to growing the business while ensuring a safe environment for employees as well 
as minimising the overall impact on the environment.

Allied  Minds  endeavours  to  conduct  its  business  in  accordance  with  established  best  practice,  to  be  a 
responsible employer and to adopt values and standards designed to help guide staff in their conduct and 
business relationships.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Given  the  overall  size  of  the  Group,  we  consider  the  direct  environmental  impact  of  the  Group  as 
relatively low. However, we firmly recognise our responsibility to ensure that our business operates in an 
environmentally responsible and sustainable manner. The Group complies with all current regulations on 
emissions including greenhouse gas emissions, where such regulation exists in our markets.

Though the Group’s day-to-day operational activities have a relatively limited impact on the environment, 
we do recognise that the more significant impact occurs indirectly through the nature and operations of the 
companies that we choose to support with human and financial capital.

The Group therefore considers it important to establish and nurture businesses that comply with existing 
applicable  environmental,  ethical  and  social  legislation.  It  is  also  important  that  these  businesses  can 
demonstrate that  an appropriate strategy  is  in place  to meet  future  applicable  legislative  and  regulatory 
requirements and that these businesses can operate to specific industry standards, striving for best practice.

We are establishing detailed processes and controls to enable regular and routine reporting of greenhouse 
gas emissions on a consistent basis. It has therefore not been practicable to provide data concerning the 
annual quantity of emissions from activities for which the Group is responsible (including the combustion of 
fuel and the operation of any facility); nor has it been practicable to disclose the annual quantity of emissions 
resulting from the purchase of electricity, heat, steam, or cooling by the Group for our own use. We fully 
anticipate complying in full, in future years, with the required reporting requirements.

Our Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
The Group seeks to conduct all of its operating and business activities in an honest, ethical and socially 
responsible manner. We are committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our business 
dealings  and  relationships  wherever  we  operate,  and  for  its  directors  and  staff  to  have  due  regard  to 
the interest of all of its stakeholders including investors, university and government partners, employees, 
suppliers and the businesses in which the Group invests.

We take a zero tolerance approach to bribery and corruption and implement and enforce effective systems 
to counter bribery. The Group is bound by the laws of the UK, including the Bribery Act 2010, and has 
implemented policies and procedures to address such laws, as well as the laws in each jurisdiction where 
the Group operates, including, the US.

The  Group’s  management  and  employees  are  fundamental  to  our  success  and  as  a  result  we  are 
committed to encouraging the ongoing development of our staff with the aim of maximising the Group’s 
overall performance. Emphasis is placed on staff development through work-based learning, with senior 

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Sustainability (continued)

members of staff acting as coaches and mentors. Allied Minds has continued to employ regular all-staff 
update meetings as the main source of employee communication.

Employee Diversity and Employment Policies
The  Group  seeks  to  operate  as  a  responsible  employer  and  has  adopted  standards  which  promote 
corporate values designed to help and guide employees in their conduct and business relationships. The 
Group seeks to comply with all laws, regulations and rules applicable to its business and to conduct the 
business in line with applicable established best practice. The Group’s policy is one of equal opportunity in 
the selection, training, career development and promotion of employees, regardless of age, gender, sexual 
orientation, ethnic origin, religion and whether disabled or otherwise. The Group had 359 employees and 
consultants as at 31 December 2015. A breakdown of employees by gender can be seen in the illustrations 
below. Allied Minds supports the rights of all people as set out in the UN Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights and ensures that all transactions the Group enters into uphold these principles.

Total Employees 

Senior Management 

Directors 

21% 

79% 

11% 

89% 

Female  Male 

17% 

83% 

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Directors’ Remuneration Report

Statement by Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
I am pleased to present, on behalf of the Board, the Remuneration Report for the year ended 31 December 
2015.  Our  Remuneration  Policy,  which  was  approved  by  shareholders  at  our  2015  AGM,  was  applied 
in 2015. During the latter half of 2015, the Remuneration Committee carried out a thorough review of all 
elements  of  remuneration  for  Executive  Directors  and  senior  management  which  considered  feedback 
received from major shareholders and shareholder advisory services in connection with the implementation 
and adoption of the initial Remuneration Policy in 2015. As a result of this process, the new Remuneration 
Policy for the Executive and Non-Executive Directors on pages 74 to 86, will be put to a binding shareholder 
vote at the AGM on 26 May 2016. Subject to shareholder approval, the new Remuneration Policy will take 
formal effect from that date. If the new Remuneration Policy is not approved by shareholders, the current 
policy will remain in effect.

The Work of the Remuneration Committee
The year ended 31 December 2015 was the first full year of operation for the Remuneration Committee. The 
Committee met on four occasions during the year. Messrs. Sharer, Davis, Dolan and Rohr, as applicable, 
were present at all meetings during the year. I was appointed Chairman of the Remuneration Committee on 
04 June 2015, and I met several times throughout the financial year with members of senior management in 
order to review all elements of remuneration and their operation. The Committee also received professional 
advice from the Hay Group where appropriate.

A key objective of this review was to ensure an appropriate Remuneration Policy was in place for a UK listed 
company, whilst also ensuring that it was designed to continue to attract and retain US-based management 
and  employees  of  the  highest  caliber.  The  programme  is  weighted  toward  rewarding  entrepreneurial 
achievement and the creation of shareholder value over time. During the year, the key activities carried out 
by the Committee were:

•	 Carried  out  a  thorough  review  of  all  elements  of  remuneration  for  Executive  Directors  and  senior 

management;

•	 Reviewed feedback received from major shareholders and shareholder advisory services in connection 

with the implementation and adoption of the initial Remuneration Policy in 2015;

•	

•	

In connection with the annual review of the Remuneration Policy, revised and proposed the adoption of 
the new Remuneration Policy;

In the new Remuneration Policy, provided for (i) a revised process for the determination of annual cash 
incentive  bonus  awards  which  will  utilise  specific  performance  targets  and  weighting  set  in  advance 
from year to year, and (ii) revised performance metrics for future long term incentive plan (LTIP) awards 
to be solely based upon relative total shareholder return (rTSR);

•	 Reviewed  the  LTIP  to  ensure  that  it  continues  to  advance  the  Committee’s  policy  to  provide  a 
competitive, performance-linked, long-term incentive mechanism to align the interests of management 
and shareholders;

•	 Determined the cash incentive bonus awards for the Executive Officers for the last financial year;

•	 Determined base salaries of the Executive Directors, for the period starting 01 January 2016;

•	

Issued LTIP awards at 04 June 2015;

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•	 Reviewed progress against 2014 and 2015 LTIP award performance targets for the last financial year;

•	 Established 2014 and 2015 LTIP award performance targets for the current financial year; and

•	 Reviewed  the  remuneration  reporting  regulations  in  connection  with  the  review  and  revision  of  the 

Group’s Remuneration Policy and preparation of the Directors’ Remuneration Report.

Objectives of the Remuneration Policy
In  setting  the  new  Remuneration  Policy,  the  Committee  focused  on  simple  and  transparent  market 
competitive remuneration and incentive schemes. The proposed Remuneration Policy is designed to:

•	 attract,  retain  and  motivate  high  caliber  US-based  senior  management,  and  to  focus  them  on  the 

delivery of the Company’s long-term strategic and business objectives;

•	 promote a strong, fair and sustainable performance culture;

•	

incentivise growth and the achievement of milestones;

•	 align the interests of Executive Directors and members of the senior management team with those of 

shareholders through equity ownership; and

•	 be simple to understand and implement, and designed taking into account best practice guidelines for 

UK listed companies.

The key components of remuneration are set out in detail within the new Remuneration Policy, which will 
be subject to a binding vote at our 2016 AGM.

Performance and Reward for 2015
As outlined earlier in this Annual Report, the Group’s performance has been strong, with progress across 
many  of  the  Group’s  portfolio  businesses  contributing  to  a  significant  increase  in  the  Group  Subsidiary 
Ownership Adjusted Value (GSOAV) of $535.8 million as of 31 December 2015, compared to $488.0 million 
at 31 December 2014, which was an increase of $47.8 million, or 9.8%. In addition, the Group share price 
performance was as follows: 421.9p share price, the 30-day trailing average as at 31 December 2015, an 
increase of 32.5% over the 318.3p share price, the 30-day trailing average as at 31 December 2014.

As detailed in this Directors’ Remuneration Report, the Committee determined to provide cash incentive 
bonus  awards  and  LTIP  awards  to  the  Executive  Directors  that  reflected  the  level  of  performance  and 
achievement in 2015.

Shareholder Feedback
The Committee recognises that building a close relationship with shareholders can complement the work 
of the Committee in developing the Remuneration Policy. In connection with our first AGM, we received 
feedback  from  major  shareholders  and  shareholder  advisory  services  with  respect  to  our  remuneration 
programme. One of our overarching aims has been to develop a Remuneration Policy which closely aligns 
the  interests  of  our  senior  executives  and  our  shareholders,  and  with  this  in  mind,  we  are  asking  our 
shareholders to vote for the new Remuneration Policy at the 2016 AGM.

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We continue to appreciate any feedback shareholders may have.

Kevin Sharer 
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

25 April 2016

What is in this report?

The Directors’ Remuneration Report sets out the Remuneration Policy for the Company on pages 74 to 
86, describes the implementation of that Remuneration Policy, and discloses the amounts paid relating to 
the year ended 31 December 2015. It has been prepared in accordance with the Large and Medium-sized 
Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, as amended. The Remuneration Policy 
has been developed taking into account the principles of the UK Corporate Governance Code 2014, the 
Listing Rules and shareholders’ executive remuneration guidelines.

The Remuneration Policy for the Executive and Non-Executive Directors on pages 74 to 86, will be put to a 
binding shareholder vote at the AGM on 26 May 2016. Subject to shareholder approval, the Remuneration 
Policy will take formal effect from that date. If the new Remuneration Policy is not approved by shareholders, 
the current policy will remain in effect.

The  Statement  by  Chairman  of  the  Remuneration  Committee  on  pages  70  to  72,  and  the  Annual 
Remuneration Report on pages 87 to 97, will be subject to an advisory vote at the AGM.

As explained in the basis of consolidation accounting policy, the Group’s financial statements reflect the 
continuation of the pre-existing Group headed by Allied Minds, Inc. (now Allied Minds, LLC). In keeping with 
that accounting, the Company has chosen to include the remuneration of these directors when they were 
directors of Allied Minds, Inc. (now Allied Minds, LLC) or any of its subsidiaries.

Remuneration Policy Overview
The Remuneration Committee has responsibility for determining remuneration for the Executive Directors, 
and monitoring the level and structure of remuneration for senior management. The Committee’s terms of 
reference are available on the Company’s website.

The Committee designed this Remuneration Policy with close regard to market practice in other UK listed 
companies so as to ensure that the arrangements are appropriately competitive and structured in line with 
best practice. However, the Remuneration Policy also retains some of the key elements which helped to 
drive the Group’s success prior to IPO, and other customary service arrangements and incentive elements 
for US-based management and employees.

Allied Minds’ success depends in part on the talent of its management and employees. Allied Minds has 
a highly skilled workforce, with significant expertise throughout the Group across a range of science and 
technology disciplines, as well as a highly experienced management team. Allied Minds seeks to ensure that 
its management team and its employees and consultants working within the Group’s individual businesses 
are  fairly  and  appropriately  rewarded  and  incentivised.  Allied  Minds  seeks  to  achieve  this  through  a 
combination  of  competitive  levels  of  remuneration  that  is  appropriate  to  the  scale  of  responsibility  and 
performance of the employee or consultant, and incentives tied directly to increasing shareholder value.

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

The Group operates in the highly competitive US market, and attraction and retention of individual talent is 
important to success of the Group’s businesses. Allied Minds deploys a careful and considered approach 
to remuneration with the objective of attracting, motivating and retaining individuals of the necessary caliber. 
It is important to note that each national market for talent is different, making cross-border comparisons 
very difficult. In addition to general standard of living costs, there are large differences with respect to taxes, 
pensions, provision of cars, and medical plans and costs, among many others.

The Company believes that it is important that remuneration is weighted toward rewarding entrepreneurial 
achievement  and  the  creation  of  shareholder  value  over  time  as  its  employees  work  toward  the 
commercialisation  of  scientific  and  technological  innovations.  Accordingly,  Allied  Minds  has  established 
share incentive plans with the aim of incentivising and rewarding employees and Directors to achieve long 
term shareholder value. The Directors believe the share incentive arrangements at the level of the subsidiary 
businesses, as well as the overall Group, are an important factor in the promotion of shareholder value 
creation.

The aim of the Remuneration Policy is to attract, retain and motivate high caliber senior management and 
employees, and to focus them on the delivery of the Company’s long-term strategic and business objectives, 
to  promote  a  strong  and  sustainable  performance  culture,  incentivise  growth  and  the  achievement  of 
milestones,  and  to  align  the  interests  of  Executive  Directors  and  senior  management  team  with  those 
of  shareholders  through  equity  ownership.  In  promoting  these  objectives  the  Remuneration  Policy  aims 
to be simple in design, transparent and understandable both to participants and Shareholders, and has 
been  structured  so  as  to  adhere  to  the  principles  of  good  corporate  governance  and  appropriate  risk 
management.

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Remuneration Policy (pages 74 to 86)
The Remuneration Policy for the Executive and Non-Executive Directors will be put to a binding shareholder 
vote at the AGM on 26 May 2016. If approved by shareholders, the Remuneration Policy will take formal 
effect  from  that  date.  The  Remuneration  Committee  will  consider  the  Remuneration  Policy  annually  to 
ensure  that  it  continues  to  align  with  the  Company’s  strategic  objectives;  however,  it  is  intended  that 
the  Remuneration  Policy  will  apply  for  three  years  from  the  2016  AGM.  If,  during  that  timeframe,  any 
amendments need to be made to the Remuneration Policy, it will be presented to the shareholders to be 
voted on.

How the views of shareholders and employees are taken into account
The Committee does not formally consult directly with employees on executive pay but does receive periodic 
updates in relation to salary and bonus reviews across the Company. As set out in the Remuneration Policy 
table below, in setting remuneration for the Executive Directors, the Committee takes note of the overall 
approach to reward for employees in the Company and salary increases will ordinarily be considered in 
light of those of the wider workforce. Thus, the Committee is satisfied that the decisions made in relation to 
Executive Directors’ pay are made with an appropriate understanding of the wider workforce.

Any feedback received from time to time from shareholders will be considered as part of the Committee’s 
annual review of the Remuneration Policy. The Committee will seek to engage with shareholders and their 
representative bodies when it is proposed that any material changes are to be made to the Remuneration 
Policy. The voting outcomes from the 2015 AGM are available on page 97.

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The Future Remuneration Policy Table for Executive Directors
The  total  remuneration  package  is  structured  so  that  variable  elements  (annual  bonus  and  long-term 
incentives) make up a significant proportion of the package, with the emphasis on variable pay focused on 
long-term incentives. The tables below summarise the key aspects of the Company’s Remuneration Policy 
for Executive Directors.

Element of 
Remuneration

Salary

How it supports the 
Company’s Short and 
Long-Term Strategic 
Objectives

The Company is required 
to provide an appropriate 
level of salary in order 
to be competitive and 
to maintain its ability to 
recruit and retain Executive 
Directors. Salaries are set 
to achieve this objective.

The Committee wishes 
to ensure that fixed costs 
are minimised and that 
total actual payments to 
executives will be driven to 
a more significant extent 
through the operation of 
the performance related 
elements of the package.

As described in this 
Remuneration Policy, the 
performance elements of 
total reward are directly 
linked to the achievement 
of the Company’s strategic 
objectives.

Operation

Opportunity

Performance  
Metrics

There is no prescribed maximum annual 
salary. The Committee is satisfied that 
the salaries conform to its strategy, whilst 
remaining competitive against similar roles 
within the relevant peer groups.

The current salaries for the Executive 
Directors are:

2016 
$’000

2015 
$’000

Review 
Date

There are no performance 
conditions attached to the 
payment of salary although 
there are a number of 
performance-based factors 
both at the individual and 
Company level that influence 
the level of salaries provided to 
Executive Directors for annual 
performance appraisals.

Chris Silva

$515 $500 01 Jan

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An Executive 
Director’s basic 
salary is considered 
by the Committee 
on appointment and 
normally reviewed once 
per year or when there 
is a significant change 
to role or responsibility.

When making a 
determination as 
to the appropriate 
remuneration, the 
Committee, where it is 
relevant, benchmarks 
the remuneration 
against the Company’s 
peer groups.

For the purpose 
of benchmarking 
salaries and other 
remuneration, the 
principal peer grouping 
used by the Company 
consists of companies 
within similar industry 
sectors which are 
either US or UK 
listed with a range of 
capitalisations.

The results of 
benchmarking will, 
however only be one 
of a number of factors 
taken into account 
by the Remuneration 
Committee and which 
will include:

•	 	scale,	scope	and	

responsibility of the 
role;

•	 	skills	and	experience	

of the individual;

•	 	retention	risk;

•	 	base	salary	of	other	
employees; and

•	 	economic	

environment.

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Element of 
Remuneration

Benefits

How it supports the 
Company’s Short and 
Long-Term Strategic 
Objectives

The Committee’s intention 
is to provide a benefits 
package in line with US 
employment market 
practice.

The Company is required 
to provide this benefits 
package in order to 
be competitive and to 
maintain its ability to recruit 
and retain Executive 
Directors.

Operation

Opportunity

Performance  
Metrics

The Executive Directors 
may be entitled to the 
following benefits:

This is the cost of providing those benefits 
detailed herewith which in 2015 was as 
follows:

There are no performance 
conditions attached to the 
payment of benefits.

•	 	life	insurance;

•	 	disability	insurance;

•	 	medical	benefits	and	

dental care;

Chris Silva

Benefits 
Cost  
$’000

$42

The cost of benefits provided changes in 
accordance with market conditions and 
will, therefore, determine the maximum 
amount that would be paid in the form 
of benefits. There is therefore no overall 
maximum opportunity under this this 
component of the Remuneration Policy.

•	 	a	car	allowance;

•	 	an	annual	payment	
to cover personal 
legal and tax advice.

Executive Directors 
may also participate in 
any all-employee share 
plans that may be 
operated by the Group 
from time to time on 
the same terms as 
other employees.

Additional benefits, 
which may include 
relocation expenses, 
housing allowance or 
other benefits-in-kind, 
may be provided in 
certain circumstances if 
considered appropriate 
and reasonable by the 
Committee, including 
as may be required on 
recruitment.

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Element of 
Remuneration

Cash 
Incentive 
Bonus 
Awards

How it supports the 
Company’s Short and 
Long-Term Strategic 
Objectives

The cash incentive bonus 
award, taken together with 
base salary, is required in 
order to be competitive 
and to maintain the ability 
to recruit and retain 
Executive Directors. Cash 
incentive bonus awards 
are set to achieve this 
objective.

As described in this 
Remuneration Policy, the 
performance elements 
of cash incentive bonus 
awards and total reward 
are directly linked to 
the achievement of the 
Company’s strategic 
objectives.

Operation

Opportunity

Performance  
Metrics

There are no caps on the amount of 
bonus which may be paid. However, 
each year the Committee determines the 
maximum opportunity for each Executive 
Director. The maximum opportunity for 
each Executive Director in 2016 is set at 
150% of base salary.

When making a determination as to 
the appropriate maximum bonus, 
the Committee, where it is relevant, 
benchmarks the remuneration against the 
Company’s peer groups.

For the purpose of benchmarking cash 
incentive bonus awards and other 
remuneration, the principal peer grouping 
used by the Company consists of 
companies within similar industry sectors 
which are either US or UK listed with a 
range of capitalisations.

The cash incentive bonus awards in 2015 
were as follows:

Cash Incentive 
Bonus Award 
$’000

Chris Silva

$525

As noted in “Operation”, the 
decision to provide any cash 
incentive bonus award and the 
amount and terms of any such 
award, are determined solely 
by the level of achievement 
against the MBOs set by the 
Committee at the start of the 
financial year.

The Committee may consider 
any and all performance criteria 
in setting the annual MBOs to 
be used in the determination 
to provide an award, and may 
generally consider:

•	 	the	general	performance	
of the Group, including 
financial, operational, 
technical and other 
performance targets; and

•	 	the	individual	performance	of	

the Executive Director.

Weighting will be primarily 
towards Group, and not 
individual, MBO performance 
for Executive Directors.

Performance will typically be 
measured over one year.

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The Committee and 
senior management 
review the Group’s 
management by 
objectives (MBOs) 
annually prior to 
the start of each 
financial year to 
ensure the detailed 
performance measures 
and weightings are 
appropriate and 
continue to support the 
business strategy.

Annual MBOs, 
including financial, 
operational, technical 
and other performance 
targets and their 
weightings for the 
upcoming year are set 
at or around the start of 
each financial year.

An Executive Director’s 
cash incentive bonus 
award is considered by 
the Committee upon 
completion of each 
financial year. The 
decision to provide any 
cash incentive bonus 
award and the amount 
and terms of any such 
award, are determined 
solely by the level of 
achievement against 
the MBOs set by the 
Committee at the start 
of the financial year.

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Element of 
Remuneration

Pension

How it supports the 
Company’s Short and 
Long-Term Strategic 
Objectives

It is the Committee’s 
intention to provide 
pension benefits in line with 
US employment market 
practice.

The Company is not 
required to provide pension 
benefits in order to be 
competitive and to ensure 
its ability to recruit and 
retain Executive Directors.

Operation

Opportunity

Performance  
Metrics

None.

None

No element of the 
Executive Directors’ 
remuneration is 
pensionable. The 
Group does not 
operate any pension 
scheme or other 
scheme providing 
retirement or similar 
benefits. The Group 
does not contribute 
to any personal 
pension schemes for 
employees.

However, the Company 
offers a retirement plan 
in accordance with 
subsection 401(k) of 
the Internal Revenue 
Code (401(k) Plan) 
in which Executive 
Directors may make 
voluntary pre-tax 
contributions toward 
their own retirement. 
The Company does not 
make any payments or 
contributions to such 
401(k) Plan.

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Element of 
Remuneration

How it supports the 
Company’s Short and 
Long-Term Strategic 
Objectives

Allied Minds 
Long Term 
Incentive Plan 
(LTIP)

The LTIP provides a 
competitive, performance-
linked long-term incentive 
mechanism that will:

•	 	attract,	retain	and	

motivate individuals with 
the required personal 
attributes, skills and 
experience;

•	 	provide	a	real	incentive	

to achieve the 
Company’s long-term 
strategic objectives; and

•	 	align	the	interests	of	
management and 
shareholders.

Operation

Opportunity

Performance  
Metrics

Under the terms of the LTIP, the maximum 
value of Ordinary Shares over which 
awards under the LTIP may be granted 
to a participant in any financial year of 
the Company may not generally exceed 
300% of base salary for that financial 
year, unless circumstances arise which 
the Committee believe justify granting an 
award outside this limit. The Committee 
would only envisage overriding the 300% 
limit in exceptional circumstances such 
as where there was a need to do so to 
attract a new executive.

Notwithstanding the maximum value 
permitted under the terms of the LTIP, 
each year the Committee determines the 
maximum opportunity for each Executive 
Director. The maximum opportunity for 
each Executive Director in 2016 is set at 
225% of base salary.

During 2015, the LTIP awards made 
to the Chief Executive Officer had a 
maximum value of 233% of base salary.

When making a determination as to 
the appropriate maximum LTIP award, 
the Committee where it is relevant, 
benchmarks the remuneration against the 
Company’s peer groups.

For the purpose of benchmarking 
LTIP awards and other remuneration, 
the principal peer grouping used by 
the Company consists of companies 
within similar industry sectors which are 
either US or UK listed with a range of 
capitalisations.

The LTIP is reviewed 
annually at or around 
the start of each 
financial year to 
ensure the detailed 
performance measures 
and weightings are 
appropriate and 
continue to support the 
business strategy.

Financial and/or non-
financial performance 
targets are set at or 
around the start of 
each financial year.

Awards under the LTIP 
to Executive Directors 
will normally take the 
form of restricted share 
units (RSUs) (a form 
of conditional share 
award) in respect of 
shares in Allied Minds 
(although instruments 
with similar economic 
effect may be used if 
considered appropri-
ate.)

Calculations of the 
achievement of the 
vesting targets are 
reviewed and approved 
by the Committee.

Awards are subject to 
cancellation or claw-
back provisions under 
which in the event of 
a material correction 
of any accounts of 
the Company used to 
assess satisfaction of 
any performance con-
ditions, or in the event 
of a participant’s gross 
misconduct, awards 
may be reduced, 
adjusted or cancelled 
as determined by the 
Committee. Clawback 
applies for the two 
year period following 
vesting.

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Specific performance targets 
may vary from year to year in 
accordance with priorities support 
the business strategy.

In respect of the LTIP awards 
made in 2014 and 2015, vesting 
is dependent upon performance 
metrics measured as follows:

•	 	60% of each award will be 

subject to performance conditions 
based on the Company’s 
total shareholder return (TSR) 
performance in respect of a  
three-year period; and

•	 	40%	of	each	award	will	

be subject to performance 
conditions based on a basket 
of shareholder value metrics, 
including, but not limited to:

(i) the increase in quality of 
pipeline intellectual property 
reviewed; (ii) the increase 
in quality of the partnership 
pipeline; and (iii) subsidiary 
level performance (assessed 
by reference to such matters 
as external funding raised, 
corporate collaborations, 
product co-development and 
proof of principal commercial 
pilots and revenues). 
Performance will be assessed 
on these measures on a 
scorecard basis over a three 
year period.

At the end of the three year 
period, performance against 
the relevant measures will be 
calculated to determine the 
number of Ordinary Shares 
capable of vesting. For the 
2014 awards, 50% of the award 
will then vest at that time. The 
remaining 50% will vest in two 
equal tranches in years 4 and 5 
subject to the relevant participant 
still being employed within the 
Group at the relevant vesting date. 
For the 2015 awards, 100% of the 
award will vest at the end of the 
three year period.

The level of vesting for threshold 
performance for the 2015 awards 
is 33.33% of the maximum. 
The level of vesting for target 
performance is 66.67% of the 
maximum.

Starting in 2016, the Committee 
expects to make annual 
awards under the LTIP with 
100% of each award subject to 
performance conditions based 
on the Company’s relative 
total shareholder return (rTSR) 
performance in respect of a three-
year period. The Group TSR will be 
measured relative to the FTSE 250, 
the S&P 500, and a peer group of 
four publicly-traded companies.

The level of vesting for threshold 
performance is 16.67% of the 
maximum. The level of vesting for 
target performance is 66.67% of 
the maximum. 

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Element of 
Remuneration

Allied Minds 
Phantom Plan

How it supports the 
Company’s Short and 
Long-Term Strategic 
Objectives

The Committee intention 
is to reward participants 
for a successful subsidiary 
company liquidity event. 
The Committee recognises 
that successful subsidiary 
company liquidity events 
are a key strategic 
objective of the Group 
and its shareholders, 
and believes that the 
Phantom Plan is designed 
to align the interests of 
the Executive Directors 
and management of Allied 
Minds with such objective.

Operation

Opportunity

Performance  
Metrics

The maximum aggregate number of units 
that may be awarded under the Phantom 
Plan is 200,000 units.

Upon a liquidity event Allied Minds will 
distribute 80% of the Phantom Plan 
account to the participants based on 
their pro rata share of all vested units 
on the date of the applicable liquidation 
event, and the remaining 20% of the 
Phantom Plan account will be distributed 
to participants at the discretion of the 
Committee.

Notwithstanding the 20% discretionary 
allocation, it is the current intention of 
the Committee to allocate 100% of the 
Phantom Plan account to the participants 
based on their pro rata share of all vested 
units.

No amounts accrue under the 
Phantom Plan, and no amounts 
are distributed to participants, 
until and unless a successful 
subsidiary company liquidity 
event occurs, and the cash 
generated in such liquidity 
event exceeds the amount 
Allied Minds invested in such 
subsidiary company, plus 
accrued interest and expenses 
in respect of such investment. 
No other performance metrics 
apply.

The Phantom Plan is 
a performance-based, 
cash settled bonus 
plan for Allied Minds’ 
Executive Directors 
and management. The 
Plan is triggered by a 
successful subsidiary 
liquidity event, including 
(i) a subsidiary IPO, 
(ii) the sale of all or 
substantially all of a 
subsidiary company’s 
assets, (iii) the sale of at 
least two-thirds of the 
outstanding shares of a 
subsidiary company’s 
voting equity, (iv) the 
merger or consolidation 
of a subsidiary 
company with or into 
another entity, or (v) a 
subsidiary company’s 
liquidation. Upon a 
liquidity event, Allied 
Minds will deduct the 
amount it invested 
in such subsidiary 
company and deduct 
the accrued interest 
in respect of such 
investment, and will 
then allocate 10% 
of the remaining 
net proceeds to the 
Phantom Plan account 
for allocation among 
the participants.

Participation in the 
Phantom Plan is 
evidenced by “units.”

Vesting of units is 
determined at the time 
of grant of the units. 
Current intention is 
for a proportion of the 
units to vest at grant 
and the remainder on 
an annual basis over a 
two year period.

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Element of 
Remuneration

Non-Executive 
Directors’ Fees

How it supports the 
Company’s Short and 
Long-Term Strategic 
Objectives

The Company’s 
intention is to set fees 
at a level necessary 
to attract and retain 
experienced and skilled 
Non-Executive Directors 
with the necessary 
experience and 
expertise to advise and 
assist in establishing 
and monitoring the 
strategic objectives of 
the Company. Fees 
also reflect the time 
commitment and 
responsibilities of the 
roles.

An additional fee is paid 
for Chairmanship of a 
Board Committee and 
to the Chairman of the 
Board.

Performance 
Metrics

There are no 
performance 
conditions 
attached to the 
payment of fees or 
the vesting under 
the awards granted 
under the LTIP.

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Operation

Opportunity

Non-Executive 
Directors have specific 
terms of engagement 
provided in formal 
letters of appointment. 
Their remuneration 
is determined by 
the Board, taking 
into account 
recommendations 
from the Remuneration 
Committee, within the 
limits set by the Articles 
of Association and 
based on equivalent 
roles in FTSE 250 
companies and the 
peer groups used for 
Executive Directors. The 
fees for Non-Executive 
Directors are reviewed 
annually and fixed for 
the fiscal year. The 
Non-Executive Directors 
are appointed for a 
three year term, subject 
to annual re-election by 
the shareholders, at the 
Company’s AGM.

Non-Executive Directors 
do not receive any cash 
incentive bonus and 
do not participate in 
any Company pension 
scheme.

The Non-Executive 
Directors are eligible 
for RSU awards under 
the LTIP. Awards to 
the Non-Executive 
Directors will be subject 
to time-based vesting 
provisions, and will 
not be subject to 
performance metrics. 
Each Non-Executive 
Director is also entitled 
to reimbursement of 
reasonable and properly 
documented expenses 
incurred in performing 
the duties of their office.

The current fees payable to the Non-Executive Directors 
are as detailed below. In each case the fees paid take 
account of responsibilities in acting as Chairman of the 
Board, Chairman of a Board Committee or as Senior 
Independent Director.

2015 
$’000

2014 
$’000

Review 
Date

$85

$124

$100

$49

–

$80

01 Jan

$55

01 Jan

$65

01 Jan

–

–

01 Jan

01 Jan

Rick Davis

Peter Dolan

Jeff Rohr

Kevin Sharer

Jill Smith

The fees for the Non-Executive Directors were reviewed 
in January 2016 and the decision taken to set the fees 
for 2016, for any Non-Executive Directors serving in the 
following capacities, as follows:

Annual Cash  
Component

Non-Executive Director

Audit Committee Chair 

Remuneration Committee 
Chair

Nomination Committee 
Chair

2016 
$’000

2015 
$’000

$75

$25

$10

$75

$25

$10

$10

$10

Chairman of the Board

$75

$75

Annual Equity  
Component

Non-Executive Director  
LTIP Award Value

Chairman of the Board  
LTIP Award Value

$50

$50

$75

$75

The fees proposed to be paid to the Chairman shall 
only be payable where the Chairman is a Non-Executive 
Director. Given the US-based nature of the Group’s 
business, and the need to attract and retain independent 
directors with significant US business and leadership 
experience, the proposed fees above include an equity 
component, based upon a recommendation from 
the Hay Group. The Committee is satisfied that the 
level of fees conform to its strategy, whilst remaining 
competitive against similar roles within the relevant peer 
groups. Careful consideration has been given as to 
whether including an equity component would affect the 
independence of the Non-Executive Directors, and the 
conclusion was reached that it would not, given the level 
of the awards and the fact that they are not performance-
related.

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

The Committee reserves the right to make any remuneration payments and payments for loss of office, 
notwithstanding that they are not in line with the Remuneration Policy set out in the tables on the previous 
pages, where the terms of the payment were agreed either: (i) before the policy came into effect, or (ii) at a 
time when the relevant individual was not a director of the Company and, in the opinion of the Committee, 
the payment was not in consideration for the individual becoming a Director of the Company. For these 
purposes “payments” include the Committee satisfying awards of variable remuneration and, in relation to 
an award over shares, the terms of the payment are “agreed” at the time the award is granted. Details of 
any such payments will be set out in the Annual Remuneration Report as they arise.

Differences between the Remuneration Policy and that applied to employees generally
The components of remuneration set out on the previous pages for Executive Directors are also applied 
to the Group’s senior management team and differ only in values and award maxima. The basic benefits 
package is typically available to all US employees at the Group level following completion of a probationary 
period. Overall, there is more emphasis on variable pay for the Executive Directors and senior management, 
but  all  US  employees  at  the  Group  level  are  eligible  for  discretionary  cash  incentive  bonus  awards.  In 
addition, the Company is committed to fostering alignment with shareholders through widespread share 
ownership, and thus all US employees at the Group level are eligible to participate in the LTIP. The Group 
has also implemented equity incentive plans within its subsidiaries in order to incentivise employees within 
the subsidiary businesses. Generally, the employees of the subsidiary businesses do not participate in any 
of the Group level incentive plans. The Chief Executive Officer of each of our most significant subsidiaries 
may participate in the future in the LTIP, but the levels of such awards under the LTIP are not expected to 
be a significant percentage of their total compensation.

Schemes or arrangements under which allocations or awards are no longer being made
In  addition  to  the  Executive  Directors’ remuneration  arrangements set  forth  in  the  Remuneration Policy, 
the  Group  previously  maintained  the  Allied  Minds  Stock  Option/Stock  Issuance  Plan  (US  Stock  Plan). 
The  Company  does  not  intend  to  make  any  further  grants  under  the  US  Stock  Plan.  The  interests  of 
the  Executive  Directors  in  outstanding  options  under  the  US  Stock  Plan  are  shown  in  the  statement  of 
directors’ shareholding and share interest on page 90 of this Annual Report.

The exercise price of the options is equivalent to the fair market value of Common Stock of Allied Minds, 
Inc. (now Allied Minds, LLC) as at the date of grant of the options and all outstanding options have already 
vested and become exercisable.

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Illustration of the Application of the Remuneration Policy
The  value  and  composition  of  the  Executive  Director’s  remuneration  packages  for  the  year  ending  31 
December 2016 at minimum, threshold and maximum scenarios under the Remuneration Policy is set out 
in the chart below. The chart depicts an estimate of the remuneration that could be received by the Chief 
Executive Officer under the Remuneration Policy set out in this report.

Each bar is broken down to show how the total under each scenario comprises fixed remuneration (salary 
and benefits), the annual cash incentive bonus award and the LTIP.

Maximum 

21% 

 32% 

 47% 

Threshold 

 80% 

 20% 

Minimum 

 100% 

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 -    

 $500  

 $1,000  

 $1,500  

 $2,000  

 $2,500  

Base 

Bonus 

LTIP 

Notes:

•	 Fixed	remuneration	reflects	base	salary	as	in	effect	as	of	1	January	2016,	and	expected	cost	of	benefits.

•	

•	

	Cash	incentive	bonus	award	for	2016	is	capped	at	150%	of	base	salary	at	maximum;	there	is	no	minimum	bonus	award	at	or	
below threshold.

	Under	the	LTIP,	awards	are	capped	at	300%	of	base	salary	at	maximum;	however,	2016	awards	are	capped	at	225%	of	base	
salary at maximum, 25% of base salary at threshold, and nil below threshold. Awards of restricted share units under the LTIP are 
made based on a percentage of the participant’s salary in face value terms and therefore the above amounts relating to the LTIP 
component reflect this. Changes in the value of those shares over the vesting period are therefore ignored.

Approach to Recruitment Remuneration
The Committee will apply the Remuneration Policy for any new Executive Director recruited to the Board in 
respect of all elements of forward-looking remuneration. The maximum level of variable remuneration under 
the cash incentive bonus awards and LTIP that may be awarded will be within the usual maximums set out 
in the Remuneration Policy, subject to the exceptions permitted under the LTIP. The Committee retains 
flexibility to provide benefits in kind, pensions and other allowances, such as relocation, education and tax 
equalisation, required in order to recruit the intended candidate.

The Committee may make awards on hiring an external candidate to buy out remuneration arrangements 
forfeited on leaving a previous employer. In doing so, the Committee will seek to structure buyout awards 
on a comparable basis to awards forfeited, taking into account relevant factors including any performance 
conditions attached to these awards, the form in which they were granted (e.g. cash or shares) and the 

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

timeframe of awards. It is intended that the value awarded would be no higher than the expected value of 
the forfeited awards. The Committee would seek as far as possible to make such buyout awards under the 
Company’s existing share plans but, if necessary, may rely on the Listing Rules exemption which allows for 
the grant of awards to facilitate, in exceptional circumstances, the recruitment of a Director.

Similarly, the Remuneration Policy for a new Chairman or new Non-executive Directors would be to apply 
the same remuneration elements as applicable to existing Non-Executive Directors under the Remuneration 
Policy.

In addition to the above principles, the following additional considerations may be applied as appropriate 
depending on the circumstances:

•	

•	

•	

In the case of internal promotion, any existing performance-related elements arising from an individual’s 
previous role will continue to be honored under the Remuneration Policy, even if they may not otherwise 
be consistent with the Remuneration Policy prevailing when the commitment is fulfilled.

In the case of promotion to executive director following an acquisition or other business combination, 
the  Committee  may  permit  equity-based  incentive  arrangements  to  continue  in  force  if  they  can  be 
“rolled-up” into awards over Allied Minds’ shares provided the performance and vesting conditions are 
considered appropriate.

In the case of the recruitment of an executive at a time of the year when it would be inappropriate or 
not possible to provide an LTIP award for that year (for instance due to price sensitive information or 
if  there  is  insufficient  time  to  assess  performance),  the  quantum  in  respect  of  the  months  employed 
during the year may be transferred to and amalgamated with the subsequent year’s award if considered 
reasonable to do so by the Committee.

The Committee will include details of the implementation of the Remuneration Policy in respect of any such 
recruitment to the Board in its future Annual Remuneration Reports.

Service Contracts and Letters of Appointment
The Executive Director (Chris Silva) has a service contract that commenced in May 2014. At May 2016, 
and at each anniversary thereafter, the service contract shall be deemed to be automatically extended for 
successive periods of one year unless either party provides at least ninety (90) days’ written notice prior to 
the applicable renewal date of its intention not to extend the term of the service contract.

The Executive Director’s contract does not provide for extended notice periods or compensation in the 
event of a change of control. However, as noted below, the rules of the LTIP provide that, in the event of 
a change of control, awards would vest to the extent determined by the Committee where the Committee 
considers that the performance conditions are satisfied at the date of such event.

If the Executive Director’s employment is terminated by Allied Minds for “Cause”, he shall only be entitled to 
amounts that are accrued or owing but not yet paid and reimbursement of any properly incurred business 
expenses but excluding any bonus payments or other compensation provided pursuant to Allied Minds’ 
incentive compensation plan (such amounts, the “Standard Benefit”).

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

If the Executive Director terminates the service contract for “Good Reason” or Allied Minds terminates the 
service contract without Cause or following delivery by Allied Minds of a Non-Renewal Notice, the Executive 
Director shall be entitled to:

•	 payment of twenty four (24) months’ base salary in accordance with regular payroll;

•	 an annual incentive award equal to the product of: (A) the Executive Director’s average bonus for the 
prior three (3) years (the “Average Bonus”); and (B) a fraction based on the number of days in which the 
Executive Director was employed during that year;

•	 pro-rated payments equal to the Executive Director’s average bonus during any transition period whilst 

the Executive continues to receive base salary; and

•	 payment of the Standard Benefit.

The Executive Director will also be entitled to: (i) continued participation under medical insurance plans for a 
period of six (6) months for him and each of his eligible dependents; and (ii) continuation of life and disability 
insurance coverage for six (6) months.

In the event of death or disability, similar payments will be made as those payable as a termination for Good 
Reason save that the payment of base salary shall only continue for 90 days after the death of the Executive 
Director and/or until the commencement of long term disability payments in the case of termination due to 
disability.

The Executive Director may terminate his service contract without Good Reason at any time during the 
term of the employment, provided he gives at least ninety (90) days’ advance written notice. If the Executive 
Director terminates his employment with Allied Minds without Good Reason (and not because of his death or 
due to disability) or if such Executive Director delivers to Allied Minds a Non-Renewal Notice, the Executive 
Director shall be entitled solely to payment of the Standard Benefit.

Each  of  Rick  Davis,  Peter  Dolan  and  Jeff  Rohr  have  Non-Executive  Director  letters  of  appointment  that 
commenced May 2014. Kevin Sharer and Jill Smith have Non-Executive Director letters of appointment 
that commenced June 2015 and January 2016, respectively. Each of the letters of appointment are for 
an initial fixed term of three years, which are reviewed and may be extended, and are terminable on one 
months’ notice by either party. The letters of appointment for the Non-Executive Directors do not provide 
for any compensation on termination.

The service contracts and letters of appointment are available for inspection at the Company’s registered 
office. In accordance with the Code, all Directors submit themselves for election at the first AGM since their 
appointment to the Board, and for annual re-election by shareholders at each AGM.

Remuneration Policy on Payment for Loss of Office
The Directors believe the payments owed upon loss of office detailed below are customary and appropriate 
to attract and retain US-based senior management of the highest caliber.

The Committee reserves the right to make payments where they are made in good faith in discharge of 
an existing obligation (or by way of damages for breach of such an obligation) or by way of settlement or 
compromise of any claim arising in connection with the termination of a Director’s office or employment 
where  they  are  in  the  best  interests  of  Allied  Minds  and  its  shareholders  and  reflecting  the  directors’ 
contractual and legal rights.

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Impact of Loss of Office on Awards under LTIP
Participants who cease to be employees, directors or service providers to the Group will normally forfeit 
any unvested awards.

However, if a participant leaves as a result of death, disability, dismissal other than for cause or any other 
reason  determined  by  the  Committee,  awards  will  vest  on  the  normal  vesting  date  on  a  pro-rata  basis 
taking into account performance and the period of time since the grant of the award and the date on which 
the participant ceased to provide services. The Committee may in its discretion determine that there are 
exceptional circumstances justifying vesting to a greater or lesser extent.

Impact of Change of Control on Awards under LTIP
If there is a change of control of the Company, the number of Ordinary Shares over which awards will vest 
will be calculated on the basis of the extent to which the performance criteria applicable to those awards 
have been satisfied as at the date of the change of control. The resulting number of shares will then be 
reduced on a pro rata basis to reflect the reduced period between the date the award was made and the 
date of the change of control, unless the Committee decides otherwise. In exceptional circumstances, the 
Committee may recommend full vesting. This discretion to accelerate vesting upon a change of control is 
included in the LTIP to meet the expectations of a US-based workforce.

Statement of Consideration of Employment Conditions Elsewhere in the Company
In considering changes to the remuneration of the Executive Directors, the Committee is mindful of pay 
and conditions in the wider Group. Whilst the Group operates a range of bonus plans appropriate to its 
various businesses, the main drivers of these subsidiary plans, in common with the cash incentive bonus 
awards  to  Executive  Directors,  are  the  achievement  of  company  milestones,  and  other  company  and 
individual objectives. The Committee has not expressly sought the views of employees and no remuneration 
comparison  measurements  were  used  when  drawing  up  the  Remuneration  Policy.  Through  the  Board, 
however, the Committee is regularly updated as to employees’ views on remuneration generally.

In the event that an employee is promoted to the Board, that individual would be allowed to retain any pre-
existing incentive entitlement that had not vested at that time.

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Annual Remuneration Report (pages 87 to 97)
The Annual Remuneration Report will be subject to an advisory vote at the AGM.

Single Total Figure of Remuneration for Each Director (audited)
The following table sets out the single total figure for remuneration for Directors for the financial years ended 
31 December 2015 and 2014.

Base salary/ 
fees(1)

2015

2014

500
339

85
124
100
49
—

400
350

80
55
65
—
—

In $’000

Executive Directors
Chris Silva
Mark Pritchard(4)

Non-Executive Directors
Rick Davis(5)
Peter Dolan
Jeff Rohr
Kevin Sharer(6)
Jill Smith(7)

Notes:

Benefits(2)
2015

2014

Pension

2015

2014

Annual Bonus
2014

2015

EBP(3)

Total

2015

2014

2015

2014

42
1

—
—
—
—
—

40
7

—
—
—
—
—

—
—

—
—
—
—
—

—
—

—
—
—
—
—

525
—

500
450

— 15,002
—
—

1,067 15,942
807

340

—
—
—
—
—

—
—
—
—
—

33
33
33
—
—

—
—
—
—
—

118
157
133
49
—

80
55
65
—
—

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(1)  Actual Non-Executive Directors’ fees, pro-rated for the portion of the year they served on the Board.

(2)  Includes, where applicable, Company contribution to medical and dental insurance premiums, car allowance, and reimbursement 
for personal legal and tax advice.

(3)   Equity-based payments in 2014 include awards under the US Stock Plan. All equity awards, including stock options and restricted 
stock, under the US Stock Plan became vested and fully exercisable, or vested and fully transferable, in connection with the IPO 
in 2014. Also includes the value of restricted stock granted to the non-executive directors that vested in 2015. No equity-based 
awards vested under the LTIP during 2015 or 2014. In addition, no equity-based awards are expected to vest under the LTIP 
during 2016; however, the performance period for LTIP awards made during 2014 ends on 31 December 2016, and such awards 
may vest in April 2017.

(4)   Mr. Pritchard resigned as an Executive Director in September 2015.

(5)   Includes fees of $50,000 per year as director of Allied Minds, Inc. (now Allied Minds, LLC) before becoming director of Allied Minds 

plc in 2014.

(6)   Mr. Sharer was appointed as a Non- Executive Director in June 2015.

(7)  Ms. Smith was appointed as a Non-Executive Director in January 2016.

(8)   In addition, in connection with the IPO, Chris Silva and Rick Davis exercised stock options under the US Stock Plan, resulting in 

pre-tax gain of $6.0 million and $1.7 million, respectively.

Individual Elements of Remuneration
Base Salary and Cash Incentive Bonus Awards during 2015
The Remuneration Committee engaged the Hay Group to conduct a compensation benchmarking study 
for the Company’s senior management in conjunction with the Company’s 2015 year-end compensation 
process,  including  an  analysis  of  the  traditional  elements  of  executive  pay  (base  salary,  annual  cash 
incentive  bonus,  long-term  equity  incentives  and  total  direct  compensation).  The  Hay  Group  utilised  a 
variety of information sources to evaluate the market for executive compensation, including an analysis of 
eight publicly-traded companies. For the purpose of  benchmarking  salaries and other remuneration the 
principal peer grouping used by the Company consisted of listed companies within similar industry sectors 
with a range of capitalisation.

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Based upon the results of the benchmarking study, the Remuneration Committee concluded each of the 
Executive Directors’ total direct compensation was still at or below the 50th percentile of the peer group. 
Given the strong Company performance in 2015, and the achievement of Company and individual goals, 
the  Remuneration  Committee  recommended  to  the  Board  a  modest  5%  increase  in  the  level  of  cash 
incentive  bonus  award,  and  a  25%  increase  in  base  salary,  to  move  the  Executive  Director  total  direct 
compensation  towards  the  50th  percentile  of  the  peer  group.  The  Remuneration  Committee  designed 
the increases to reflect its 2015 policy of moving the Executive Director compensation, in connection with 
superior performance, towards the 50th percentile of the peer group. The Remuneration Committee also 
designed  the  increases  to  emphasise  the  variable  component  of  compensation,  by  allocating  more  of 
the increase to the cash incentive bonus award and not base salary. Notwithstanding the increases, the 
Executive Director total direct compensation remained below the median for the peer group during 2015. 
The  increase  in  base  salary  is  set  forth  in  the  Remuneration  Policy  tables  above.  The  increase  in  cash 
incentive bonus award is reflected in the table above.

LTIP Awards made during 2015 (audited)

Type

Basis of 
award

Number of 
shares

Face value 
of award 
($’000)

% of value 
to vest at 
threshold

% of value 
to vest at 
target

Vesting conditions

RSU

See below

126,630

$1,163

33%

67% Based on performance 

achievement, 100% at end of 
2017

Executive Directors
Chris Silva

Non-Executive 
Directors
Rick Davis

RSU

See below

5,446

Peter Dolan

RSU

See below

8,170

Jeff Rohr

RSU

See below

5,446

Kevin Sharer

RSU

See below

5,446

$50

$75

$50

$50

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Based on service, annually over 
three years to June 2018
Based on service, annually over 
three years to June 2018
Based on service, annually over 
three years to June 2018
Based on service, annually over 
three years to June 2018

At  04  June  2015,  the  LTIP  award  above  was  granted  to  the  Chief  Executive  Officer.  The  total  value  of 
the award has been calculated using the closing share price of 599p on such date. The level of award 
was determined by the Committee after giving due consideration to the 2014 Hay Group compensation 
benchmarking study which concluded that the target amount of the award ($775,000), or approximately 
150% of base salary, would position the CEO below the median for the peer group for total compensation 
during 2015. Vesting of the LTIP award is dependent upon performance metrics measured over the three 
years to 31 December 2017, details of which are set out in the Remuneration Policy table on page 79 of 
the Report. The level of vesting for threshold performance is 33.33% of the maximum. The level of vesting 
for target performance is 66.67% of the maximum.

At 04 June 2015, the LTIP awards above were granted to the Non-Executive Directors. The total value 
of the award has been calculated using the closing share price of 599p on such date. The level of award 
was determined by the Committee after giving due consideration to the 2014 Hay Group compensation 
benchmarking  study  which  recommended  such  awards  in  light  of  the  US-based  nature  of  the  Group’s 
business,  and  the  need  to  attract  and  retain  independent  directors  with  significant  US  business  and 

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

leadership experience. Vesting of the LTIP award is based upon time of service, with each award vesting 
in three equal installments over a three year period. There are no performance conditions attached to the 
vesting under the awards granted under the LTIP.

Long Term Incentive Plan Vesting during 2015 (audited information)
The Company did not make any awards under the LTIP prior to 2014. Accordingly, no equity-based awards 
vested  under  the  LTIP  during  2015  or  2014.  In  addition,  no  equity-based  awards  are  expected  to  vest 
under the LTIP during 2016; however, the performance period for LTIP awards made during 2014 ends on 
31 December 2016, and such awards may vest in April 2017.

US Stock Plan Awards made during 2015 (audited information)
The Company did not make any grants under the US Stock Plan in 2015, and does not intend to make 
any further grants. The interests of the Executive Directors in outstanding options under the US Stock Plan 
are shown in the statement of directors’ shareholding and share interest on page 90 of this Annual Report.

Payments to Past Directors (audited information)
No payments to past Directors were made during the last financial year.

Loss of Office Payments (audited information)
No payments for loss of office were made to past Directors during the last financial year.

Total Pension Entitlements (audited information)
No payments for pension entitlements were made to Directors during the last financial year. The Company 
offers a retirement plan in accordance with subsection 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code (401(k) Plan) 
in which Executive Directors may make voluntary pre-tax contributions toward their own retirement. The 
Company does not make any payments or contributions to such 401(k) Plan.

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Statement of Directors’ Shareholding and Share Interests (audited)
Share  ownership  plays  a  key  role  in  the  alignment  of  our  executives  with  the  interests  of  shareholders. 
In  April  2016,  the  Remuneration  Committee  adopted  a  share  ownership  policy  for  Executive  Directors 
and  persons  discharging  managerial  responsibility  (PDMRs).  The  policy  requires  Executive  Directors 
and PDMRs to acquire and maintain a minimum ownership level of ordinary shares in the capital of the 
Company, thereby helping to align their interests with those of shareholders. The Committee has set the 
current requirements at share value of 400% of base salary for Executive Officers, and share value of 300% 
of base salary for PDMRs. The Committee has not set a timeframe during which Executive Officers and 
PDMRs are required to accumulate their share ownership level. Whilst the policy was not in effect during the 
period, the Executive Director met this requirement, and all but one PDMR (the Chief Executive Officer) met 
this requirement, who had only been appointed in August 2015. The table below sets out the number of 
shares held by Directors as at 31 December 2015, and the Company is not aware of any changes through 
25 April 2016.

Shares held 
outright

Shares 
conditional on 
performance

Shares 
conditional on 
service

Options to 
purchase 
shares

Total

2,844,402

1,524,971

—

3,105,498

7,474,871

259,600
39,600
39,600
—
—

—
—
—
—
—

5,446
8,170
5,446
5,446
—

—
—
—
—
—

265,046
47,770
45,046
5,446
—

Executive Directors
Chris Silva
Non-Executive 
Directors
Rick Davis
Peter Dolan
Jeff Rohr
Kevin Sharer
Jill Smith

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Performance Graph
The  graph  below  illustrates  the  Company’s  Total  Shareholder  Return  (TSR)  performance  relative  to  the 
constituents of the FTSE 250 index excluding investment companies and the FTSE All Share index of which 
the  Company  is  a  constituent,  from  the  start  of  conditional  share  dealing  on  25  June  2014.  The  graph 
shows performance of a hypothetical £100 invested and its performance over that period.

110 

108 

105 

103 

100 

98 

95 

31-12 
2014 

FTSE All Share 

FTSE 250 

ALM 

31-12 
2015 

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Change in remuneration of Chief Executive Officer compared to US Group employees
The table below sets out the increase in total remuneration of the Chief Executive Officer and that of our US 
Group employees (excluding Directors) from 2014 to 2015:

CEO
US Group Employees

% change in 
base salary

% change in 
cash bonus

% change in 
benefits

25.0%
5.8%

5.0%
5.2%

5.5%
4.3%

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Historical CEO remuneration outcomes
The table below summarises the Chief Executive Officer single total figure for total remuneration, annual 
cash incentive bonus award, LTIP vesting as a percentage of maximum opportunity, and US Stock Plan 
share award vesting as a percentage of maximum opportunity, for the last financial year. As the company 
listed in 2014, the comparative begins with the 2013 period.

CEO single total figure for remuneration ($’000)
Annual cash incentive bonus award pay-out (% of 
maximum)(1)
LTIP award vesting (% of maximum)(2)
US Stock Plan award vesting (% of maximum)(3)

Notes:

2015

2014

$1,067

$15,942

n/a
n/a
n/a

n/a
n/a
100%

2013

$1,236

n/a
n/a
100%

(1)   The  percentage  of  maximum  is  not  applicable  because  the  Company  did  not  have  any  cap  on  cash  incentive  bonus  award 
payments in those financial years. As a percentage of base salary, the award was 65.7% in 2013, 125.0% in 2014 and 105.0% in 
2015. For 2016, the Remuneration Committee has adopted a maximum cash incentive bonus award of 150% of base salary for 
Executive Officers.

(2)   No equity-based awards vested under the LTIP during 2015, 2014 or 2013. In addition, no equity-based awards are expected 
to vest under the LTIP during 2016; however, the performance period for LTIP awards made during 2014 ends on 31 December 
2016, and such awards may vest in April 2017.

(3)   Equity-based payments include awards under the US Stock Plan. All equity awards, including stock options and restricted stock, 

under the US Stock Plan became vested and fully exercisable, or vested and fully transferable, in connection with the IPO.

Relative importance of spend on pay
The chart below shows the total employee costs, change in Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value, 
and change in share price from 2014 to 2015.

The information shown in this chart is based on the following:

•	 Total employee pay: Total US Group employee staff costs from note 5 on page 126, including wages 

and salaries, social security and healthcare costs, and share-based payments.

•	 Change in Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value (GSOAV) taken from page 21.

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

•	 Returns to shareholders: since the Group does not currently pay a dividend, returns to shareholders are 
represented by the change in the Group’s share price over the period from 31 December 2014 to 31 
December 2015.

 535.8 

 488.0 

 400.0 

 367.0 

 40.1  

 29.6  

Total employee costs 
($m) 

GSOAV ($m) 

Share Price (p) 

(+35.4%) 

(+9.8%) 

(+9.0%) 

2015 

2014 

Statement of implementation of remuneration policy in the following financial year
Base Salary and Benefits
Effective from 01 January 2016, the base salary of the Executive Director will be:

Chris Silva

Base Salary

Increase % Increase

$515,000

$15,000

3%

The Committee considers that, as part of a competitive overall package, base salaries should be within a 
market-competitive range, which is considered to be up to median level compared with the Company’s 
peer groups. As noted above, based upon the results of the peer benchmarking study, the strong Company 
performance in 2015, and the achievement of Company and individual goals, the Board recommended a 
modest 3% increase in base salary. In addition, the 3% increase is consistent with the target cost-of-living 
increase that was implemented across the Group to US employees.

The benefits package during 2016 will continue to be in line with US employment market practice and the 
Remuneration Policy.

Cash Incentive Bonus Awards
The Remuneration Committee expects to implement the following changes to the cash incentive bonus 
awards, which are permitted under the current Remuneration Policy and shall permitted under the revised 
Remuneration Policy in this Annual Report. During 2015, there was no cap on the amount of bonus to 
be  paid  to  Executive  Directors.  Under  the  revised  Remuneration  Policy,  each  year  the  Committee  will 
determine  the  maximum  opportunity  for  each  Executive  Director.  The  maximum  opportunity  for  each 
Executive Director in 2016 is set at 150% of base salary, which is considered to be up to median level 
compared with the Company’s peer groups.

The  Executive  Director’s  cash  incentive  bonus  awards  shall  be  considered  by  the  Committee  upon 
completion of the financial year. The decision to provide any cash incentive bonus award and the amount 
and terms of any such award, are determined solely by the level of achievement against the MBOs set by 

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

the Committee at the start of the financial year. The annual MBOs, including financial, operational, technical 
and other performance targets and their weightings for the upcoming year were set at the start of 2016.

Long Term Incentive Plan
The  Remuneration  Committee  expects  to  implement  the  following  changes  to  the  LTIP  awards,  which 
are permitted under the current Remuneration Policy and shall permitted under the revised Remuneration 
Policy in this Annual Report. During 2015, there was no cap on the amount of LTIP award to be made to 
Executive Directors, other than the cap of 300% of base salary per financial year as specified in the LTIP. 
Under the revised Remuneration Policy, each year the Committee will determine the maximum opportunity 
for each Executive Director. The maximum opportunity for each Executive Director in 2016 is set at 225% 
of base salary, which is considered to be up to median level compared with the Company’s peer groups.

Starting  in  2016,  the  Committee  expects  to  make  annual  awards  under  the  LTIP  with  100%  of  each 
award subject to performance conditions based on the Company’s relative total shareholder return (rTSR) 
performance  in  respect  of  a  three-year  period.  The  Group  TSR  will  be  measured  relative  to  the  FTSE 
250, the S&P 500, and a peer group of four publicly-traded companies. The level of vesting for threshold 
performance  is  16.67%  of  the  maximum.  The  level  of  vesting  for  target  performance  is  66.67%  of  the 
maximum.

In respect of the 2014 and 2015 awards, the Committee expects vesting to continue to be dependent upon 
performance metrics as follows:

•	 60% of each award will be subject to performance conditions based on the Company’s total shareholder 

return performance in respect of a three-year period; and

•	 40% of each award will be subject to performance conditions based on a basket of shareholder value 
metrics, including but not limited to: (i) the increase in quality of pipeline intellectual property reviewed; 
(ii) the increase in quality of the partnership pipeline; and (iii) subsidiary level performance (assessed by 
reference to such matters as external funding raised, corporate collaborations, product co-development 
and proof of principal commercial pilots and revenues). Performance will be assessed on these measures 
on a scorecard basis over a three year period.

In  respect  of  the  2014  and  2015  awards,  at  the  end  of  the  three  year  period,  performance  against  the 
relevant measures will be calculated to determine the number of Ordinary Shares capable of vesting. The 
level of vesting for threshold performance will be 33.33% of the maximum. The level of vesting for target 
performance will be 66.67% of the maximum.

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Chairman and Non-Executive Directors
Effective from 01 January 2016, the base salaries of the Chairman and Non-Executive Directors will be:

Cash Component
Non-Executive Director Annual Fee
Audit Committee Chair Annual Fee
Remuneration Committee Chair Annual Fee
Nomination Committee Chair Annual Fee
Chairman of the Board Annual Fee

Equity Component
Non-Executive Director LTIP Award Value
Chairman of the Board LTIP Award Value

2016

$75,000
$25,000
$10,000
$10,000
$75,000

$50,000
$75,000

The Chairman, Non-Executive Director and Committee Chair annual fees set forth in the table above remain 
unchanged from 2015. The additional fee for serving as Chairman shall only be payable where the Chairman 
is a Non-Executive Director. Given the US-based nature of the Group’s business, and the need to attract 
and  retain  independent  directors  with  significant  US  business  and  leadership  experience,  the  proposed 
fees above include an equity component, which will have a time-based vesting schedule. Chris Silva, as an 
Executive Director, will not be entitled to any Board fees.

Outside Appointments for Executive Directors
Any  proposed  external  directorships  are  considered  and  approved  by  the  Board  to  ensure  they  do  not 
cause  a  conflict  of  interest  but,  subject  to  this,  Executive  Directors  may  accept  outside  non-executive 
appointments.

Limits on the number of shares used to satisfy share awards (dilution limits)
All of the Group’s incentive schemes that contain an element that may be satisfied in Allied Minds plc shares 
incorporate  provisions  that  in  any  ten-year  period  (ending  on  the  relevant  date  of  grant),  the  maximum 
number of the shares that may be issued or issuable under all such schemes shall not exceed 10% of 
the issued ordinary share capital of the Company from time to time (excluding shares issued pursuant to 
awards granted prior to IPO under the US Stock Plan).

The Committee regularly monitors the position and prior to the making of any share-based award, considers 
the  effect  of  potential  vesting  of  outstanding  awards  to  ensure  that  the  Company  remains  within  these 
limits. Any awards which are required to be satisfied by market purchased shares are excluded from such 
calculations. No treasury shares were held or utilised in the year ended 31 December 2015.

Consideration by the Directors of matters relating to Directors’ remuneration
The full terms of reference of the Committee, which are reviewed annually, are available on the Group’s 
website at www.alliedminds.com. In summary, the Remuneration Committee has specific responsibility 
for advising the Board on the remuneration and other benefits of executive directors, an overall policy in 
respect of remuneration of other employees of the Group and establishing the Group’s policy with respect 
to employee incentivisation schemes.

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

The Remuneration Committee is currently comprised of the following independent Non-Executive Directors, 
all of whom served from 04 June 2015 through the end of the financial year, and whose backgrounds and 
experience are summarised on pages 46 to 47:

•	 Kevin Sharer (Chair)

•	 Rick Davis

•	 Jeff Rohr

From 01 January 2015 through 04 June 2015, the Committee was comprised of Rick Davis (Chair), Peter 
Dolan and Jeff Rohr.

Committee meetings are administered and minuted by the Company Secretary. In addition, the Committee 
received  assistance  from  the  Chief  Executive  Officer,  President,  Chief  Financial  Officer  and  Director  of 
Finance,  each  of  who  attend  certain  meetings  by  invitation,  except  when  matters  relating  to  their  own 
remuneration were being discussed.

During the year, the key activities carried out by the Committee were:

•	

In connection with the appointment of a new Chairman of the Remuneration Committee, carried out a 
thorough review of all elements of remuneration for Executive Directors and senior management;

•	 Reviewed feedback received from major shareholders and shareholder advisory services in connection 

with the implementation and adoption of the initial Remuneration Policy in 2015;

•	

•	

In connection with the annual review of the Remuneration Policy, revised and proposed the adoption of 
the new Remuneration Policy set forth on pages 74 to 86, which considered the shareholder feedback 
and was designed to be appropriate for a UK listed company, whilst also ensuring that it was designed 
to continue to attract and retain US-based management and employees of the highest caliber;

In the new Remuneration Policy, provided for (i) a revised process for the determination of annual cash 
incentive  bonus  awards  which  will  utilize  specific  performance  targets  and  weighting  set  in  advance 
from year to year, and (ii) revised performance metrics for future LTIP awards to be solely based upon 
relative total shareholder return (rTSR);

•	 Reviewed  the  LTIP  to  ensure  that  it  continues  to  advance  the  Committee’s  policy  to  provide  a 
competitive, performance-linked long-term incentive mechanism that will: (i) attract, retain and motivate 
individuals  with  the  required  personal  attributes,  skills  and  experience,  (ii)  provide  a  real  incentive  to 
achieve the Company’s long-term strategic objectives, and (iii) and align the interests of management 
and shareholders;

•	 Considered (i) the individual performance of the Executive Directors, (ii) the general performance of the 
Company, and (iii) KPIs, the achievement of Company milestones, and other Company and individual 
objectives, and carried out benchmarking, in order to determine the cash incentive bonus awards for 
the Executive Officers for the last financial year;

•	 Considered the (i) scale, scope and responsibility of the role, (ii) skills and experience of the individual, 
(iii) retention risk, (iv) base salary of other employees, (v) and economic environment, and carried out 
benchmarking, in order to determine base salaries of the Executive Directors, for the period starting 01 
January 2016;

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Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

•	

Issued LTIP awards at 04 June 2015;

•	 Reviewed progress against 2014 and 2015 LTIP award performance targets for the last financial year;

•	 Established 2014 and 2015 LTIP award performance targets for the current financial year; and

•	 Reviewed  the  remuneration  reporting  regulations  in  connection  with  the  review  and  revision  of  the 

Group’s Remuneration Policy and preparation of the Directors’ Remuneration Report.

External advisers
The Remuneration Committee is authorised, if it wishes, to seek independent specialist services to provide 
information and advice on remuneration at the Company’s expense, including attendance at Committee 
meetings.

During  the  year,  the  Remuneration  Committee  continued  its  review  of  executive  remuneration  and  took 
into consideration professional advice from Hay Group carried out in the period from June 2015 through 
December 2015. Hay Group performed peer benchmarking to assist the Committee with determinations 
regarding base salary, cash incentive bonus awards, and proposed LTIP awards. Fees paid to Hay Group 
in connection with advice to the Committee in 2015 were $28,000 (2014: $83,000). Hay Group did not 
provide any other services or advice to the Group during the year. They are a member of the Remuneration 
Consultants Group and adhere to its Code of Conduct in relation to executive remuneration consulting in 
the UK.

Statement of voting at general meeting
The table below sets out the proxy results of the vote on the Group’s Remuneration Report and Remuneration 
Policy at the Group’s 2015 AGM:

Votes for

Votes against

Number

% of cast 
votes

% of cast 

Number

votes Votes cast

Votes 
withheld

Remuneration Report
Remuneration Policy

160,918,780
155,007,391

97.02% 4,945,679
92.86% 11,926,105

2.98% 165,864,459 1,069,036
0
7.14% 166,933,496

Remuneration disclosure
This  report  complies  with  the  requirements  of  the  Large  and  Medium-sized  Companies  and  Groups 
Regulations 2008 as amended in 2013, the provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code (September 
2014) and the Listing Rules.

Approval
This Directors’ Remuneration Report, including both the Remuneration Policy and Annual Remuneration 
Report has been approved by the Board of Directors.

Kevin Sharer 
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

25 April 2016

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Audit Committee Report

The  Audit  Committee  plays  an  integral  role  in  assisting  the  Board  fulfil  its  oversight  responsibilities.  In 
performing its duties, the Committee strives to maintain effective working relationships with the Board, the 
Company’s management and the external auditors. The Committee reviews the integrity of the financial 
statements of the Group, reviews all proposed half-yearly and annual results, and advises the Board whether 
it believes the annual report and accounts, taken as a whole, fairly present the Company’s financial position 
and  provide  the  necessary  information  to  the  shareholders  of  the  Company  to  assess  the  Company’s 
position and performance, business model, and strategy.

Membership
The  Committee  comprises  three  independent  Non-executive  Directors.  Members  of  the  Committee  are 
appointed by the Board. The CEO, COO, Director of Finance, General Counsel and external auditors also 
participate in Committee meetings by invitation. As Chair of the Audit Committee, Mr. Jeff Rohr has relevant, 
recent financial experience being a Certified Public Accountant with over thirty years of senior management 
and executive experience. At the beginning of 2015, Mr. Peter Dolan and Mr. Rick Davis served as the other 
two independent members of the Committee. In June 2015, Mr. Kevin Sharer was appointed to replace 
Mr. Dolan. Subsequent to year end in January 2016, Ms. Jill Smith was appointed to replace Mr. Sharer.

The Committee met four times in 2015, and the external auditors participated in three of these meetings. 
Messrs. Rohr, Davis, Dolan and Sharer were present at all meetings during the year during their term of 
service.

Responsibilities
The Committee’s main responsibilities are to monitor the integrity of the financial statements of the Company, 
including its annual and half-yearly reports and accounts and any other formal announcement relating to 
its financial performance; and reviewing and reporting to the Board on significant financial reporting issues 
and judgements made and matters communicated to it by the auditor. The roles and responsibilities of the 
Audit Committee additionally include to:

•	 Review  the  Company’s  internal  financial  controls  and  the  Company’s  internal  control  and  risk 

management systems;

•	 Advise on the need and monitor and review the effectiveness of the Company’s internal audit function;

•	 Make  recommendations  to  the  Board,  for  it  to  put  to  the  shareholders  for  their  approval  in  general 
meeting, in relation to the appointment of the external auditor and to approve the remuneration and 
terms of engagement of the external auditor;

•	 Review and monitor the external auditor’s independence and objectivity and the effectiveness of the 

audit process, taking into consideration relevant UK professional and regulatory requirements;

•	 Develop and implement policy on the engagement of the external auditor to supply non-audit services, 
taking  into  account  relevant  ethical  guidance  regarding  the  provision  of  non-audit  services  by  the 
external audit firm; and to report to the Board, identifying any matters in respect of which it considers 
that action or improvement is needed, and making recommendations as to the steps to be taken; and

•	 Report to the Board on how it has discharged its responsibilities.

The Committee carries out these duties for the Company, major subsidiary undertakings and the Group as 
a whole, as appropriate.

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Audit Committee Report (continued)

Activities during the year
The Committee’s activities for the year ended 31 December 2015 included the responsibilities set forth 
above, as well as the items set forth below:

Financial reporting
•	 Reviewed and approved the appropriate audit plan, before the start of the annual audit cycle;

•	 Reviewed and provided comments and recommendations in respect of the financial statements in the 
half-yearly report for the period ended 30 June 2015, and the financial statements in the Annual Report 
and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2015;

•	 Reviewed  the  Company’s  approach  and  methodology  for  determining  the  fair  value  of  investments, 
including review of the fair value reports on the individual investments. Considered and recommended 
the involvement of external valuation specialist firm to assist management and the Board in deriving the 
fair value of the subsidiary undertakings;

•	 Considered significant matters, risk areas, and areas of judgement in relation to the Group’s financial 
statements taking into account the areas highlighted by the external auditors in their presentations to 
the Committee, and challenged where necessary.

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The  Committee  is  satisfied  with  the  integrity  of  the  financial  statements  of  the  Company  in  all  material 
aspects,  including  the  application  of  significant  accounting  policies,  the  methods  used  to  account  for 
significant transactions, use of judgements and estimates made by management, including those made in 
deriving the fair value of the subsidiary undertakings, and the quality and completeness of the disclosures 
in the financial statements of the Company.

Internal controls and risk management systems
•	 Reviewed the principal elements of the Company’s risk management framework as set out on pages 40 
to 45 of this Annual Report. The Committee gives consideration and provides guidance on enhancing 
the internal controls and risk management framework, as needed;

•	 Reviewed the established procedures, which provide a reasonable basis for the Board to make proper 
judgements  on  an  ongoing  basis  as  to  the  financial  position  and  prospects  (FPP)  procedures  of  the 
Company following the adopted risk approach;

•	 Reviewed the whistleblower policy that was established and approved by the Board in 2014, which has 
been communicated to employees. The Audit Committee is satisfied that the policy has been designed 
to encourage staff to report suspected wrongdoing as soon as possible, provide staff with guidance 
on how to raise those concerns, and ensure staff that they should be able to raise genuine concerns 
without fear of reprisals, even if they turn out to be mistaken.

Significant areas reported to the Board
Valuation of Group subsidiaries
At  the  close  of  each  annual  financial  period,  the  Directors  formally  approve  the  value  of  all  subsidiary 
businesses in the Group, which is used to derive the Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value (GSOAV). 
This  Group  Subsidiary  Ownership  Adjusted  Value  is  a  sum-of-the-parts  (‘‘SOTP’’)  valuation  of  all  the 
subsidiaries that make up the Group.

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Audit Committee Report (continued)

The Audit Committee discusses with management and the auditors the appropriateness of the adopted 
methodology and approach in deriving the GSOAV. Further details of the Group valuation methodology are 
outlined in note 11 on pages 138 to 141. Although the fair values of the Group’s investments in subsidiaries 
are not included in the Group’s Consolidated Statement of Financial Position, additional disclosures are 
provided in the notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. This is a significant performance metric for 
the Group.

Financial instruments – subsidiary preferred shares
Certain  of  the  Group’s  subsidiaries  have  outstanding  preferred  shares  which  have  been  classified  as 
subsidiary preferred shares in current liabilities as the subsidiaries have a contractual obligation to deliver 
cash or other assets to the holders under certain future liquidity events, and/or a requirement to deliver 
an uncertain number of common shares upon conversion. Significant judgement is used in determining 
the classification of these financial instruments in terms of liability or equity and significant estimates are 
made when determining the appropriate valuation methodology and deriving the estimated fair value of the 
subsidiary preferred shares. As such, they present a significant risk for the financial statements.

Capitalisation of development cost
Given the nature of our business, the Group incurs significant research and development costs. Due to 
the  early  stage  of  development  of  most  of  our  subsidiaries,  there  is  a  limited  history  of  achieving  both 
technical  feasibility  and  commercial  viability  that  can  be  used  as  a  base  for  assessing  and  determining 
whether the development costs have met the criteria for capitalisation. As such, key judgements are made 
in  determining  whether  the  capitalisation  criteria  are  met,  there  is  a  risk  of  development  cost  not  being 
appropriately capitalised, which in turn, is a significant risk for the financial statements.

External audit
•	 Reviewed and approved the scope of the external audit procedures over the half-yearly report for the 
period ended 30 June 2015, and the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 
2015;

•	 Discussed with management and agreed upon the terms of the engagement of the external auditors 
and the auditors’ remuneration for audit and non-audit services. In assessing independence, the Audit 
Committee received the auditor’s presentation and confirmation that in its professional judgment, KPMG 
is independent within the meaning of regulatory and professional requirements and the objectivity of the 
partner and audit staff is not impaired. The Committee was satisfied that throughout the year that the 
objectivity  and  independence  of  KPMG  was  not  in  any  way  impaired  by  the  non-audit  services  they 
provided to the Group during the year, by the amounts of non-audit fees, or by any other factors;

•	 Assessed  the  independence,  objectivity  and  qualifications  of  KPMG  as  the  external  auditor  and 
evaluated the quality and effectiveness of the audit procedures. In doing so, the Committee reviewed 
the audit plan and monitored performance against the plan, reviewed the periodic reports of KPMG to 
the Committee that highlighted key areas of focus during the audit and the applied audit approach, and 
obtained feedback from the finance department in respect to quality and status of KPMG work in the 
course of the audit. The Committee concluded that the audit process during the year was effective;

•	 Reviewed  and  discussed  the  principal  areas  of  financial  reporting  risk,  as  highlighted  above,  and 

reported to the Board.

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Audit Committee Report (continued)

KPMG  has  been  the  external  auditor  of  the  Group  since  the  first  audit  of  the  consolidated  financial 
statements in 2008. The total fees to KPMG for the year ended 31 December 2015 were $0.5 million, of 
which $49 thousand were for non-audit services primarily related to tax compliance services (see note 5 of 
the consolidated financial statements). The Audit Committee has considered the recent European Union 
audit reforms in terms of tendering and auditor’s tenure. Given that the Group listed on the London Stock 
Exchange during 2014 and became a public interest entity (PIE), the next anticipated requirement to tender 
audit will be for the 2024 calendar year.

Internal audit
Given the size and composition of the Group, taking into account relevant significant matters, risk areas, 
areas  of  judgement  in  relation  to  the  Group’s  financial  statements,  and  the  centralised  internal  controls 
system in respect to the Group’s financial reporting process, the Board did not consider it necessary to 
have an internal audit function during the year. The Board will keep this decision under annual review.

Jeff Rohr 
Chairman of the Audit Committee

25 April 2016

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015 
 
Independent Auditor’s Report
to the members of Allied Minds plc only

Opinions and conclusions arising from our audit
1.  Our opinion on the financial statements is unmodified
We have audited the financial statements of Allied Minds plc for the year ended 31 December 2015 set out 
on pages 107 to 164. In our opinion:

•	

•	

•	

•	

the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the Group’s and of the parent Company’s 
affairs as at 31 December 2015 and of the group’s loss for the year then ended;

the group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with International Financial 
Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (IFRSs as adopted by the EU);

the parent Company financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as 
adopted by the EU and as applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006; and

the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 
2006 and, as regards the group financial statements, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation.

2.  Our assessment of risks of material misstatement
In arriving at our audit opinion above on the financial statements the risks of material misstatement that had 
the greatest effect on our audit were as follows (in decreasing order of significance):

Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value ($535.8 million) Risk vs 2014 
Refer to pages 99 to 100 (Audit Committee Report) and pages 138 to 141 (financial disclosures)

The risk — The Group owns 28 subsidiaries in which it has ownership stakes of between 48% and 100%. 
The results and financial position of the subsidiaries are consolidated in the group accounts. Although the 
Group’s holdings in subsidiaries are not included in the Group’s Statement of Financial Position at fair value, 
the financial statements do include additional disclosure in relation to the Group Subsidiary Ownership 
Adjusted  Value  of  the  subsidiaries,  as,  in  the  directors’  view,  the  fair  value  of  the  subsidiaries  is  very 
pertinent to the shareholders and other users of the financial statements. The valuation methodologies are 
based primarily on net present value or risk-adjusted net present value from discounted cash flows. A small 
minority of the valuations are based on recent third party investment or asset-based methodologies (see 
note 11 for more details). In the current year not all of the subsidiaries have been subject to a new valuation 
as at 31 December 2015 as management believes that the value of these subsidiaries has not changed 
significantly when compared to 31 December 2014. The Group’s subsidiaries are, for the most part, still 
at the development stage and the majority do not yet generate revenues. Due to the inherent uncertainty 
involved in forecasting the trading of such companies the Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value 
disclosures in the group accounts, this has been determined to be a significant risk.

Our response — In this area our audit procedures included,

•	 Assessing  the  appropriateness  of  the  valuation  model  used  for  each  subsidiary  and  obtaining  an 

understanding of how the forecasts are compiled.

•	 We obtained and analysed the valuations prepared by an external expert on behalf of the Company. We 
used our own valuation specialist to assist us in evaluating the assumptions and methodologies used 
in the valuations.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Independent Auditor’s Report
to the members of Allied Minds plc only (continued)

•	 We  critically  assessed  the  appropriateness  of  the  assumptions  underlying  the  forecasts,  including 
assumptions  over  projected  revenue  and  operating  costs  and  the  discount  rates  applied,  assessing 
also for consistency with the assumptions used in the prior year. In doing this we used our knowledge of 
each subsidiary and its industry with reference to both internal management information and externally 
derived data and benchmarks, including market size data, royalty rates and competitor analyses based 
on information publically available.

•	 Where values are based on recent transactions from third party investments we assessed the accuracy 

of the data used.

•	 Where no new valuations have been prepared in the current year or there was no third party funding 
round  in  the  year  we  assessed  the  trading  performance  of  the  related  subsidiaries  compared  to 
forecasts. We challenged the Group’s explanation of variances and considered the progression of the 
entity towards achieving milestones set.

•	 We also assessed whether the Group’s disclosures were consistent with the valuations performed and 

whether the Group’s disclosures adequately highlight the uncertainty inherent in the valuations.

Financial instruments – preferred shares classification and valuation ($94.1 million) Risk vs 
2014 (New risk)
Refer to page 100 (Audit Committee Report), pages 114 to 116 (accounting policy) and pages 146 to 147 
and 149 to 150 (financial disclosures)

The  risk  –  The  Group  finances  its  operations  and  subsidiaries  partly  through  financial  instruments  such 
as  preferred  shares.  There  is  a  significant  level  of  judgement  in  relation  to  assessing  the  terms  of  the 
instruments to identify whether the instruments meets the criteria to be classified as debt or equity (and the 
resulting NCI impact); Further, the Group has elected to fair value the financial instruments through profit 
and loss. There is a significant level of judgement around the assumptions used. Due to these factors this 
has been determined to be a significant risk.

Our response – in this area our audit procedures included,

•	 We  critically  assessed  the  conclusions  reached  by  the  Group  in  relation  to  the  debt  versus  equity 
classification  of  the  issued  financial  instruments  by  considering  the  key  terms  and  features  of  the 
contracts through applying and interpreting the relevant sections of the accounting standards and also 
assessing the impact of the classification on the NCI disclosure;

•	 We obtained and analysed the valuations prepared by an external expert on behalf of the Company and 
we critically assessed the appropriateness of the valuation models used in determining the fair value of 
the financial instruments;

•	 We used our own valuation specialist to assist us in critically assessing the key inputs which require 
significant estimation and judgement in their selection and can have a significant impact on the derived 
fair  value,  specifically  the  time  to  the  conversion  event  which  is  relevant  where  there  are  conversion 
options, the probability weighting, the discount rate and the volatility assumptions. These key inputs 
were assessed for reasonableness by reference to external data or internal information such as available 
market information;

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsIndependent Auditor’s Report 
to the members of Allied Minds plc only (continued)

•	 We also assessed whether the Group’s disclosures were consistent with the conclusions reached in 
relation  to  both  the  classification  of  the  financial  instruments  and  in  relation  to  the  key  assumptions 
related  to  the  valuations  and  whether  the  Group’s  disclosures  adequately  highlight  the  uncertainty 
inherent in the valuations.

Capitalisation of development costs ($0.2 million) Risk vs 2014 
Refer to page 100 (Audit Committee Report), pages 116 to 117 (accounting policy) and pages 134 to 135 
(financial disclosures)

The risk – The Group incurs significant research and development costs. Due to the early stage of development 
of most of the Group’s subsidiaries, management has limited history on which to base its assessment of 
both  technical  feasibility  and  commercial  viability  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  the  development  costs 
have met the criteria for capitalisation. There is therefore a risk that development costs which have met the 
requirements of the relevant accounting standards have not been capitalised, and this is therefore one of 
the key judgemental areas of our audit.

Our response — In this area our audit procedures included,

•	 Critically assessing on a product by product basis the group’s assessment of whether technical and 
commercial  feasibility  had  been  achieved.  The  assessment  of  technical  viability  included  considering 
whether  successful  product  testing  had  been  performed  and  whether  regulatory  approval  had  been 
achieved. In relation to commercial viability we challenged the assumptions made as to whether the 
current  market  proposition,  sales  recorded  or  orders  received  in  relation  to  specific  products  were 
indicative of commercial feasibility, using our knowledge of each subsidiary and of the industry in which 
it operates.

•	 We have also considered the adequacy of the Group’s disclosures and related judgements in relation to 

the capitalisation of development costs.

In our audit report for the year ended 31 December 2014 we included Share Based Payments accounting 
and disclosures as one of the risks of material misstatement that had the greatest effect on our audit. We 
continue to perform procedure over this risk, however, given that there were no new plans introduced in the 
year and also that the basis and mechanics of the calculation were reviewed and concluded on in the prior 
year with no issues noted, we have not assessed this as one of the risk that had the greatest effect on our 
audit and, therefore, it is not separately identified in our report this year.

3.  Our application of materiality and an overview of the scope of our audit
The materiality for the group financial statements as a whole was set at $1m. This has been determined 
with reference to a benchmark of total expenses (being cost of revenue, selling and general administrative 
expenses and research and development expenses) (of which it represents 1.0%), which we consider to be 
one of the principal considerations for the members of the company in assessing the financial performance 
of the Group, since the Group’s activities are currently principally in relation to expenditure on developing 
forms of intellectual property which can be exploited commercially to generate income and growth in the 
future.

We agreed with the audit committee to report to it all corrected and uncorrected misstatements we identified 
through our audit with a value in excess of $50,000, in addition to other audit misstatements below that 
threshold that we believe warranted reporting on qualitative grounds.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Independent Auditor’s Report
to the members of Allied Minds plc only (continued)

The Group consists of two reporting components, one containing all the US subsidiary companies and the 
second containing the UK parent Company. We subjected both to audits for group reporting purposes. All 
of the US subsidiaries are centrally administered and therefore the audit of the component containing these 
is performed by the US component auditors as if it was a single aggregated set of financial information. 
The parent Company component audit was performed by the Group audit team. Both component audits 
were performed to a component materiality of $0.9 million approved by the Group audit team. These audits 
covered 100% of total Group revenue, Group profit before tax, and total Group assets.

The UK Group audit team issued detailed audit instructions to the component auditor. These instructions 
covered the significant audit areas that should be covered by the audit (which included the relevant risks 
of material misstatement detailed above) and set out the information required to be reported back to the 
group audit team.

The Group audit team maintained close communication with the component audit team throughout the 
engagement including but not limited to discussions and meetings in relation to risks identified, the audit 
approach to be adopted, the results of procedures performed and significant findings and visited the site 
at which the components are located.

4.  Our opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006 is unmodified
In our opinion:

•	

•	

•	

the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited has been properly prepared in accordance 
with the Companies Act 2006; and

the information given in the Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report for the financial year for which the 
financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

information given in the Corporate Governance Statement set out on pages 65 to 66 with respect to 
internal  control  and  risk  management  systems  in  relation  to  financial  reporting  processes  and  about 
share capital structures is consistent with the financial statements.

5.  We have nothing to report on the disclosures of principal risks
Based on the knowledge we acquired during our audit, we have nothing material to add or draw attention 
to in relation to:

•	

the directors’ Viability Statement on page 54, concerning the principal risks, their management, and, 
based on that, the directors’ assessment and expectations of the Group’s continuing in operation over 
the two years to 31 December 2017; or

•	

the disclosures in Note 1 of the financial statements concerning the use of the going concern basis of 
accounting.

6.   We have nothing to report in respect of the matters on which we are required to 

report by exception

Under ISAs (UK and Ireland) we are required to report to you if, based on the knowledge we acquired during 
our audit, we have identified other information in the annual report that contains a material inconsistency 
with either that knowledge or the financial statements, a material misstatement of fact, or that is otherwise 
misleading.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsIndependent Auditor’s Report 
to the members of Allied Minds plc only (continued)

In particular, we are required to report to you if:

•	 we have identified material inconsistencies between the knowledge we acquired during our audit and 
the directors’ statement that they consider that the annual report and financial statements taken as a 
whole is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders to 
assess the Group’s position and performance, business model and strategy; or

•	

the Audit Committee Report does not appropriately address matters communicated by us to the audit 
committee.

Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion:

•	 adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent Company, or returns adequate for our 

audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

•	

the  parent  Company  financial  statements  and  the  part  of  the  Directors’  Remuneration  Report  to  be 
audited are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

•	 certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

•	 we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or

•	 a Corporate Governance Statement has not been prepared by the Company.

Under the Listing Rules we are required to review:

•	

•	

the  directors’  statements,  set  out  on  page  67  and  54,  in  relation  to  going  concern  and  longer-term 
viability; and

the part of the Corporate Governance Statement on page 57 relating to the Company’s compliance with 
the eleven provisions of the 2014 UK Corporate Governance Code specified for our review.

We have nothing to report in respect of the above responsibilities.

Scope of report and responsibilities
As explained more fully in the Directors’ Responsibilities Statement set out on page 55, the directors are 
responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and 
fair view. A description of the scope of an audit of financial statements is provided on the Financial Reporting 
Council’s  website  at  www.frc.org.uk/auditscopeukprivate.  This  report  is  made  solely  to  the  Company’s 
members as a body and is subject to important explanations and disclaimers regarding our responsibilities, 
published on our website at www.kpmg.com/uk/auditscopeukco2014a, which are incorporated into this 
report as if set out in full and should be read to provide an understanding of the purpose of this report, the 
work we have undertaken and the basis of our opinions.

Charles le Strange Meakin (Senior Statutory Auditor) 
for and on behalf of KPMG LLP, Statutory Auditor

Chartered Accountants 
15 Canada Square 
Canary Wharf 
London 
E14 5GL

25 April 2016

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Loss

For the year ended 31 December

Note

Revenue

Operating expenses:
  Cost of revenue
  Selling, general and administrative expenses
  Research and development expenses

  Operating loss

  Finance income
  Finance cost
  Finance cost from IAS 39 fair value accounting

  Finance (cost)/income, net
  Loss before taxation

Taxation

  Loss for the period

Other comprehensive loss:
Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss:
  Foreign currency translation differences

  Other comprehensive income/(loss), net of taxation
  Total comprehensive loss

Loss attributable to:
  Equity holders of the parent
  Non-controlling interests

Total comprehensive loss attributable to:
  Equity holders of the parent
  Non-controlling interests

Loss per share
  Basic
  Diluted

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

3

4,5
4,5
4,5

7
7
7

17

8
8

2015
$‘000  

3,300

(3,925)
(46,888)
(49,209)
(96,722)
723
(53)
(1,937)
(1,267)
(97,989)
—
(97,989)

46
46
(97,943)

(77,797)
(20,192)
(97,989)

(77,752)
(20,191)
(97,943)

$
(0.36)
(0.36)

2014
$‘000

7,715

(5,416)
(38,032)
(22,195)
(57,928)
545
(323)
—
222
(57,706)
—
(57,706)

(159)
(159)
(57,865)

(45,478)
(12,228)
(57,706)

(45,637)
(12,228)
(57,865)

$
(0.24)
(0.24)

Page 107 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial Statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

As of 31 December

Non-current assets
  Property and equipment

Intangible assets
Investment in equity accounted investees

  Other investments
  Other financial assets
  Other non-current assets
Total non-current assets
Current assets
  Cash and cash equivalents 
  Other investments

Inventories

  Trade and other receivables 
  Subscription receivable
  Other financial assets
Total current assets
Total assets
Equity
  Share capital
  Share premium
  Merger reserve
  Translation reserve
  Accumulated deficit
Equity attributable to owners of the Company
Non-controlling interests
Total equity
Non-current liabilities
  Deferred revenue
  Loans
  Other non-current liabilities
Total non-current liabilities
Current liabilities
  Trade and other payables
  Deferred revenue
  Loans
  Subsidiary preferred shares
Total current liabilities
Total liabilities
Total equity and liabilities

Note

2015
$‘000 

2014
$‘000 
 (restated,  
see note 1)

9
10
11
12
22

13
12
14
15
18
22

16
16
16
16
16

16,17

3
19
20

20
3
19
18

34,173
4,384
1,612
51,545
842
228
92,784

105,555
37,648
1,511
7,342
6,000
371
158,427
251,211

3,429
155,867
185,544
(16)
(182,660)
162,164
(20,790)
141,374

—
112
751
863

14,268
395
228
94,083
108,974
109,837
251,211

16,330
3,409
1,560
22,176
418
146
44,039

224,075
15,231
2,919
6,305
—
461
248,991
293,030

3,411
153,442
185,544
(61)
(107,557)
234,779
(4,946)
229,833

197
338
182
717

11,339
947
213
49,981
62,480
63,197
293,030

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

Registered number: 8998697

The financial statements on pages 107 to 157 were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for 
issue on 25 April 2016 and signed on its behalf by:

Chris Silva 
Chief Executive Officer

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity

For the year ended 31 December 2015

Note

Share capital

Shares

Amount
$’000

Share
premium
$’000

Merger
reserve
$’000

Trans lation
reserve
$’000

Accumu-
lated
deficit
$’000

Total parent
equity
$’000

Non-
control ling
interests
$’000

Total
equity
$’000

Balance at 31 December 2013

157,463,790

2,445

—

185,544

98

(70,834)

117,253

2,606

119,859

Total comprehensive loss for the year

  Loss from continuing operations

  Foreign currency translation

Total comprehensive loss for the year

—

—

Issuance of ordinary shares

16,17

48,164,365

New funds into non-controlling interest

16,17

Gain/(loss) arising from change in

non-controlling interest

Exercise of stock options

Equity-settled share based payments

Balance at 31 December 2014  
(restated, see note 1)

Total comprehensive loss for the year

  Loss from continuing operations

  Foreign currency translation

Total comprehensive loss for the year

Gain/(loss) arising from change in

non-controlling interest

Exercise of stock options

Equity-settled share based payments

17

6

6

17

6

6

—

—

818

—

—

148

—

—

—

142,243

—

—

11,199

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

(45,478)

(45,478)

(12,228)

(57,706)

(159)

(159)

—

—

—

—

—

—

(159)

—

(159)

(45,478)

(45,637)

(12,228)

(57,865)

—

—

143,061

—

143,061

—

4,492

4,492

(184)

(184)

184 

—

11,347

8,939

8,939

—

—

—

11,347

8,939

—

—

8,817,424

—

214,445,579

3,411

153,442

185,544

(61)

(107,557)

234,779

(4,946)

229,833

—

—

—

1,191,784

—

—

—

—

18

—

—

—

—

2,425

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

45

45

—

—

—

(77,797)

(77,797)

(20,192)

(97,989)

—

45

1

46

(77,797)

(77,752)

(20,191)

(97,943)

(3,228)

(3,228)

3,228

—

5,922

2,443

5,922

—

1,119

—

2,443

7,041

Balance at 31 December 2015

215,637,363

3,429

155,867

185,544

(16)

(182,660)

162,164

(20,790)

141,374

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

Page 109 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial Statements 
 
 
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

For the year ended 31 December

Note

Cash flows from operating activities:
  Net operating loss
  Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in 

  operating activities:
  Depreciation
  Amortisation

Impairment losses on property and equipment
Impairment losses on intangible assets

  Share-based compensation expense
  Changes in working capital:

  Decrease/(increase) in inventory

Increase in trade and other receivables
Increase in trade and other payables
Increase/(decrease) in other non-current liabilities

  Decrease in deferred revenue

Interest received
Interest paid

  Other finance income/(cost)
Net cash used in operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities:
  Purchases of property and equipment, net of disposals
  Purchases of intangible assets, net of disposals
  Purchases of investment in equity accounted investees
  Purchases of other investments
Net cash used in investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities:
  Proceeds from exercise of stock options
  Repayment of notes payable
  Proceeds from issuance of share capital
  Proceeds from issuance of share capital in subsidiaries
  Proceeds from issuance of preferred shares in subsidiaries
Net cash provided by financing activities
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period

9
10
9
10
5,6

14
15
20
20
3
7
7
7

9
10
11
12

16
19
16
17
18

2015
$‘000  

2014
$‘000

(96,722)

(57,928)

3,339
747
308
1
7,041

1,408
(1,505)
2,929
569
(749)
721
(41)
36
(81,918)

(21,490)
(1,723)
—
(51,786)
(74,999)

2,443
(211)
—
—
36,165
38,397
(118,520)
224,075
105,555

2,312
580
416
1,063
8,939

(1,874)
(3,626)
6,301
(96)
(1,686)
545
(320)
(3)
(45,377)

(1,217)
(547)
(1,560)
(37,407)
(40,731)

11,347
(3,249)
143,061
4,492
49,981
205,632
119,524
104,551
224,075

Page 110 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(1)  Accounting Policies
Basis of Preparation
Allied Minds plc (“Allied Minds” or the “Company”) is a company incorporated and domiciled in the 
UK.  The  Annual  Report  and  Accounts  of  Allied  Minds  and  its  subsidiaries  (together  referred  to  as 
the “Group”) are presented for the year ended 31 December 2015. The group financial statements 
consolidate  those  of  the  Company  and  its  subsidiaries  and  the  Group’s  interest  in  associates.  The 
Group financial statements have been prepared and approved by the directors in accordance with the 
International Financial  Reporting Standards, International  Accounting Standards, and  Interpretations 
(collectively “IFRS”) issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) as adopted by 
the European Union (“adopted IFRSs”). The accounting policies set out below have, unless otherwise 
stated, been applied consistently to all periods presented in these consolidated financial statements.

Prior Year Restatement
At the end of the previous year one of the Group’s subsidiaries issued subsidiary preferred shares to 
existing shareholders of the Group. These subsidiary preferred shares were accounted for as equity 
(Non-controlling  interests  (“NCI”)  and  Accumulated  deficit)  in  the  previous  year.  During  the  current 
period  management  have  further  analysed  the  subsidiary  preferred  shares  and  believe  that,  due  to 
nature of their conversion features, they should have been accounted for as subsidiary preferred shares 
in current liabilities. As a result, as at 31 December 2014 management have increased current liabilities 
in the prior period by $50.0 million, reduced NCI by $36.9 million and increased accumulated deficit 
$13.1 million in the consolidated statement of financial position. This adjustment had no material effect 
on the Group’s consolidated comprehensive loss for the prior period. As a result of this restatement the 
following items in the Group’s consolidated statement of financial position have changed in the prior 
year:  non-controlling  interests  have  decreased  by  $36.9  million,  accumulated  deficit  has  increased 
by $13.1 million, equity attributable to owners of the Company has decreased by $13.1 million, total 
equity has decreased by $50.0 million; “Subsidiary preferred shares” has been recognised as a new 
current liability category, at a value of $50.0 million, and total current liabilities and total liabilities have 
increased by $50.0 million.

There has been no impact on the 31 December 2014 balance sheet of the Company.

Basis of Measurement
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis.

Use of Judgments and Estimates
In preparing these consolidated financial statements, management has made judgments, estimates 
and  assumptions  that  affect  the  application  of  the  Group’s  accounting  policies  and  the  reported 
amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expenses. Actual results may differ from these estimates. 
Estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an on-going basis. Revisions to estimates are 
recognised prospectively.

Significant estimates are made when determining the appropriate valuation methodology and deriving 
the estimated fair value of subsidiary undertakings and subsidiary preferred shares. These judgments 
include  making  certain  estimates  of  the  future  earnings  potential  of  the  subsidiary  businesses, 
appropriate  discount  rate  and  earnings  multiple  to  be  applied,  marketability  and  other  industry  and 
company specific risk factors. Significant judgement is used in determining the classification of financial 

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statementsinstruments in terms of liability or equity. Significant judgments are involved in determining the point of 
capitalisation of development costs. Other significant estimates made by the Group also include those 
used  in  calculating  share-based  payment  expense  and  related  valuations,  in  particular  when  using 
Black Scholes or Monte Carlo models to determine the value of the equity based awards, the judgments 
used in considering any impairment required in relation to intangible assets, and the judgments made 
in determining control over subsidiaries. Information about these critical judgments and estimates is 
included in the following notes.

Changes in Accounting Policies
No other new standards, interpretations and amendments effective for the first time from 1 January 
2015 have had a material effect on the Group’s financial statements.

Going Concern
The  Directors  have  prepared  trading  and  cash  flow  forecasts  for  the  Group  covering  the  period  to 
31 December 2017. Despite the fact that the Group is currently loss making and is likely to continue 
to be so, at least in the short term, after making enquiries and considering the impact of risks and 
opportunities on expected cashflows, and given the fact that the Group has $195 million of available 
funds in the form of cash and fixed income securities as at 31 December 2015, the Directors have 
a reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate cash to continue in operational existence for 
the foreseeable future. For this reason, they have adopted the going concern basis in preparing the 
financial statements.

Basis of Consolidation
Allied Minds plc was formed on 15 April 2014 and on 19 June 2014 acquired Allied Minds Inc. (now 
Allied Minds, LLC) by share exchange. Each issued and outstanding common stock of Allied Minds 
Inc. held by stockholders of Allied Minds, Inc. (now Allied Minds, LLC) was converted into the right to 
receive twenty-two ordinary shares of Allied Minds plc. This has been accounted for as a common 
control transaction under IFRS 3.B1 (see note 16), therefore the consolidated financial statements for 
each of the years ended 31 December 2015 and 2014 comprises the financial statements of Allied 
Minds plc and the consolidated financial statements of Allied Minds, Inc. (now Allied Minds, LLC) and 
its subsidiaries.

Subsidiaries
The financial information of the subsidiaries is prepared for the same reporting period as the parent 
Company, using consistent accounting policies. Subsidiaries are entities controlled by the Group. The 
Group controls an entity when it is exposed to, or has rights to, variable returns from its involvement 
with the entity and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the entity. The financial 
statements  of  subsidiaries  are  included  in  the  consolidated  financial  statements  from  the  date  that 
control commences until the date that control ceases. Losses applicable to the non-controlling interests 
in a subsidiary are allocated to the non-controlling interests even if doing so causes the non-controlling 
interests to have a deficit balance.

Changes in the Group’s interest in a subsidiary that do not result in a loss of control are accounted 
for as equity transactions. Where the Group loses control of a subsidiary, the assets and liabilities are 
derecognised along with any related NCI and other components of equity. Any resulting gain or loss 

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)is recognised in profit or loss. Any interest retained in the former subsidiary is measured at fair value 
when control is lost.

Associates
Associates are those entities in which the Group has significant influence, but not control, over the 
financial  and  operating  policies.  Significant  influence  is  presumed  to  exist  when  the  Group  holds 
between 20 and 50 percent of the voting power of another entity.

Associates are accounted for using the equity method (equity accounted investees) and are initially 
recognised  at  cost.  The  Group’s  investment  includes  goodwill  identified  on  acquisition,  net  of  any 
accumulated impairment losses. The consolidated financial statements include the Group’s share of 
the total comprehensive income and equity movements of equity accounted investees, from the date 
that significant influence commences until the date that significant influence ceases. When the Group’s 
share of losses exceeds its interest in an equity accounted investee, the Group’s carrying amount is 
reduced to nil and recognition of further losses is discontinued except to the extent that the Group has 
incurred legal or constructive obligations or made payments on behalf of an investee.

Transactions eliminated on consolidation
Intra-group balances and transactions, and any unrealised income and expenses arising from intra- 
group transactions, are eliminated. Unrealised gains arising from transactions with equity-accounted 
investees are eliminated against the investment to the extent of the Group’s interest in the investee. 
Unrealised losses are eliminated in the same way as unrealised gains, but only to the extent that there 
is no evidence of impairment.

Acquisitions and disposals of non-controlling interests
Non-controlling interests (‘‘NCI’’) are measured at their proportionate share of the acquiree’s identifiable 
net assets at the acquisition date. Changes in the Group’s interest in a subsidiary that do not result in 
a loss of control are accounted for as equity transactions.

Acquisitions  and  disposals  of  non-controlling  interests  that  do  not  result  in  a  change  of  control  are 
accounted for as transactions with owners in their capacity as owners and therefore no goodwill is 
recognised as a result of such transactions. The adjustments to non-controlling interests are based on 
a proportionate amount of the net assets of the subsidiary. Any difference between the price paid or 
received and the amount by which non-controlling interests are adjusted is recognised directly in equity 
and attributed to the owners of the parent.

Functional and Presentation Currency
This consolidated financial statements are presented in US dollars, which is the functional currency of 
most of the entities in the Group.

Foreign Currency
Transactions  in  foreign  currencies  are  translated  to  the  respective  functional  currencies  of  Group 
entities at the foreign exchange rate ruling at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities 
denominated in foreign currencies at the balance sheet date are retranslated to the functional currency 
at the foreign exchange rate ruling at that date. Foreign exchange differences arising on translation 
are  recognised  in  the  income  statement.  Non-monetary  assets  and  liabilities  that  are  measured  in 
terms of historical cost in a foreign currency are translated using the exchange rate at the date of the 

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)transaction. Non-monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies that are stated at 
fair value are retranslated to the functional currency at foreign exchange rates ruling at the dates the 
fair value was determined.

The assets and liabilities of foreign operations, including goodwill and fair value adjustments arising on 
consolidation, are translated to the Group’s presentational currency U.S. dollar at foreign exchange 
rates ruling at the balance sheet date. The revenues and expenses of foreign operations are translated 
at an average rate for the year where this rate approximates to the foreign exchange rates ruling at the 
dates of the transactions. Exchange differences arising from this translation of foreign operations are 
reported as an item of other comprehensive income and accumulated in the translation reserve or non- 
controlling interest, as the case may be. When a foreign operation is disposed of, such that control, 
joint control or significant influence (as the case may be) is lost, the entire accumulated amount in the 
Translation reserve, net of amounts previously attributed to non-controlling interests, is reclassified to 
profit or loss as part of the gain or loss on disposal. When the Group disposes of only part of its interest 
in a subsidiary that includes a foreign operation while still retaining control, the relevant proportion of 
the accumulated amount is reattributed to non-controlling interests. When the Group disposes of only 
part of its investment in a subsidiary or an associate that includes a foreign operation while still retaining 
significant influence or joint control, the relevant proportion of the cumulative amount is reclassified to 
profit or loss.

Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include all highly liquid instruments with original maturities of three months 
or less.

Inventories
Inventories are measured at the lower of cost and net realisable value. The cost of inventories is based 
on the specific identification or weighted-average method. The cost of inventories includes expenditure 
incurred  in  acquiring  the  inventories,  production  or  conversion  costs  and  other  costs  incurred  in 
bringing them to their existing location and condition. In the case of manufactured inventories and work 
in progress, cost includes an appropriate share of production overheads based on normal operating 
capacity.

Net realisable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less the estimated 
costs of completion and selling expenses.

Financial Instruments
Financial Assets
The Group initially recognises loans and receivables and deposits on the date that they are originated. 
All other financial assets are recognised initially on the trade date at which the Group becomes a party 
to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

The  Group  derecognises  a  financial  asset  when  the  contractual  rights  to  the  cash  flows  from  the 
asset expire, or it transfers the rights to receive the contractual cash flows on the financial asset in 
a transaction in which substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the financial asset are 
transferred.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial assets and liabilities are offset and the net amount presented in the Consolidated Statement 
of  Financial  Position  when,  and  only  when,  the  Group  has  a  legal  right  to  offset  the  amounts  and 
intends either to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

The  Group  classifies  its  financial  assets  into  the  following  categories:  cash  and  cash  equivalents, 
trade and other receivables, security and other deposits, other investments. Such financial assets are 
recognised at fair value.

Other investments comprise fixed income debt securities, including government agency and corporate 
bonds, are stated at amortised cost less impairment. It is the Group policy to hold these investments 
till maximum maturity of three years.

Financial Liabilities
The Group initially recognises debt securities issued and subordinated liabilities on the date that they 
are originated. All other financial liabilities are recognised initially on the trade date at which the Group 
becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

The Group derecognises a financial liability when its contractual obligations are discharged, cancelled 
or expire.

The  Group  classifies  non-derivative  financial  liabilities  into  the  following  categories:  trade  and  other 
payables  and  loans.  Such  financial  liabilities  are  recognised  initially  at  fair  value  plus  any  directly 
attributable transaction costs. Subsequent to initial recognition these financial liabilities are measured 
at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Warrants are accounted for as equity instruments and recorded at fair value.

The  Group’s  financial  liabilities  include  subsidiary  preferred  shares  some  of  which  incorporate 
embedded  derivatives.  In  accordance  with  IAS  39.11  the  Group  has  elected  not  to  bifurcate  the 
embedded derivative but fair value the entire instrument at each reporting date. The gain or loss on 
remeasurement to fair value is recognised immediately in profit or loss.

Financial instruments issued by the Group
Following the adoption of IAS 32, financial instruments issued by the Group are treated as equity only 
to the extent that they meet the following two conditions:

•	

they include no contractual obligations upon the group to deliver cash or other financial assets 
or to exchange financial assets or financial liabilities with another party under conditions that are 
potentially unfavourable to the Group; and

•	 where the instrument will or may be settled in the Company’s own equity instruments, it is either 
a non-derivative that includes no obligation to deliver a variable number of the Company’s own 
equity  instruments  or  is  a  derivative  that  will  be  settled  by  the  Company’s  exchanging  a  fixed 
amount of cash or other financial assets for a fixed number of its own equity instruments.

To the extent that this definition is not met, the financial instrument is classified as a financial liability. 
Where the instrument so classified takes the legal form of the Company’s own shares, the amounts 
presented in the financial information for share capital and merger reserve account exclude amounts 
in relation to those shares.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Where a financial instrument that contains both equity and financial liability components exists these 
components are separated and accounted for individually under the above policy.

Share Capital
Ordinary  shares  are  classified  as  equity.  The  Group  considers  its  capital  to  comprise  share  capital, 
share premium, merger reserve, translation reserve, and accumulated deficit. Other reserve historically 
presented separately is now included in accumulated deficit.

Property and Equipment
Property  and  equipment  is  stated  at  cost  less  accumulated  depreciation  and  any  accumulated 
impairment  losses.  Cost  includes  expenditure  that  is  directly  attributable  to  the  acquisition  of  the 
asset. Assets under construction represent machinery and equipment to be used in operations, R&D 
activities, or to be leased to customers once completed.

When parts of an item of property and equipment have different useful lives, they are accounted for as 
separate items (major components) of property and equipment. Depreciation is calculated using the 
straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets:

Computers and electronics 
Furniture and fixtures 
Machinery and equipment 
Under construction 
Leasehold improvements 

3 years 
5 years 
5 – 20 years 
Not depreciated until transferred into use 
Shorter of the lease term or estimated useful life of the asset

Depreciation methods, useful lives and residual values are reviewed at least annually and adjusted if 
appropriate.

Intangible Assets
Licenses and Purchased In Process Research & Development
Licenses represent licenses provided by universities and scientists in exchange for an equity ownership 
in the entities. Purchased in process research & development (‘‘IPR&D’’) represents time and expertise 
already invested by the scientist and provided in exchange for an equity interest in the entity. Licenses 
and purchased IPR&D are valued based on the amount of cash contributed by Allied Minds, at inception 
of the subsidiary, and the proportionate amount of equity ascribed to Allied Minds. The licenses and 
IPR&D are capitalised only when they meet the criteria for capitalisation, namely separately identifiable 
and measurable and it is probable that economic benefit will flow to the entity.

Capitalised Development Costs
Research  and  development  costs  include  charges  from  universities  based  on  sponsored  research 
agreements  (SRAs)  that  the  subsidiaries  of  Allied  Minds  enter  into  with  universities.  Under  these 
agreements,  the  universities  perform  research  on  the  technology  that  is  being  licensed  to  the 
subsidiaries. Research and development costs also include charges from independent research and 
development contractors, contract research organisations (CROs), and other research institutions.

Expenditure on research activities is recognised in profit or loss as incurred. Development expenditure 
is capitalised only if the expenditure can be measured reliably, the product or process is technically and 
commercially feasible, future economic benefits are probable, the Group intends to and has sufficient 
resources to complete development and to use or sell the asset, and if the Group can measure reliably 

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)the expenditure attributable to the intangible asset during its development. The point at which technical 
feasibility is determined to have been reached is when regulatory approval has been received, where 
applicable. Management determines that commercial viability has been reached when a clear market 
and pricing point have been identified, which may coincide with achieving recurring sales. Development 
activities  involve  a  plan  or  design  for  the  production  of  new  or  substantially  improved  products  or 
processes.  The  expenditure  considered  for  capitalisation  includes  the  cost  of  materials,  direct 
labour and an appropriate proportion of overhead costs. Otherwise, the development expenditure is 
recognised in profit or loss as incurred. Subsequent to initial recognition, development expenditure is 
measured at cost less accumulated amortisation and any accumulated impairment losses.

Software
Software intangible assets that are acquired by the Group and have finite useful lives are measured at 
cost less accumulated amortisation and any accumulated impairment losses.

Finite-lived  intangible  assets  are  amortised  on  a  straight-line  basis  over  their  estimated  useful  lives, 
from the date that they are available for use. Intangible assets which are not yet available for use (and 
therefore not amortised) are tested for impairment at least annually.

Amortisation
Amortisation is charged to the income statement on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives 
of intangible assets unless such lives are indefinite. Intangible assets with an indefinite useful life and 
goodwill are systematically tested for impairment at each balance sheet date. Other intangible assets 
are amortised from the date they are available for use. Amortisation methods, useful lives and residual 
values are reviewed at least annually and adjusted if appropriate.

The estimated useful lives of the Group’s intangible assets are as follows:

Licences 
Purchased IPR&D 

Development cost 
Software 

Over the remaining life of the underlying patents
 Over the remaining life of the underlying patents, once 
commercial viability has been achieved
Over the remaining life of the underlying technology
2 years

Taxation
Tax  on  the  profit  or  loss  for  the  year  comprises  current  and  deferred  tax.  Tax  is  recognised  in  the 
income statement except to the extent that it relates to items recognised directly in equity, in which 
case it is recognised in equity.

Current Income Tax
Current tax is the expected tax payable or receivable on the taxable income or loss for the year, using 
tax rates enacted or substantially enacted at the reporting date, and any adjustment to tax payable in 
respect of previous years.

Deferred Income Tax
Deferred tax is recognised in respect of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets 
and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for taxation purposes. Deferred tax 
assets are recognised for unused tax losses, unused tax credits and deductible temporary differences 

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which they can be 
used. Deferred tax assets are reviewed at each reporting date and are reduced to the extent that it is 
no longer probable that the related tax benefit will be realised.

Deferred tax is measured at the tax rates that are expected to be applied to temporary differences 
when they reverse, using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted at the reporting date.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset if there is a legally enforceable right to offset current tax 
liabilities and assets, and they relate to taxes levied by the same tax authority on the same taxable 
entity, or on different tax entities where the Group intends to settle current tax liabilities and assets on 
a net basis or their tax assets and liabilities will be realised simultaneously.

Deferred taxes are recognised in profit or loss except to the extent that it relates to items recognised 
directly in equity or in other comprehensive income.

Impairment
Impairment of Non-Financial Assets
Non-financial  assets  consist  of  property  and  equipment  and  intangible  assets,  including  licences, 
purchased IPR&D, capitalised development cost, with finite lives and such intangible assets which are 
not yet available for use.

The Group reviews the carrying amounts of its property and equipment and finite-lived intangibles at 
each reporting date to determine whether there is any indication of impairment. If any such indication 
exists, then the asset’s recoverable amount is estimated. Intangible assets which are not yet available 
for use are tested annually for impairment.

For impairment testing, assets are grouped together into the smallest group of assets that generates 
cash inflows from continuing use that are largely independent of the cash inflows of other assets or 
cash-generating units (‘‘CGUs’’).

The recoverable amount of an asset or CGU is the greater of its value in use and its fair value less costs 
to sell. Value in use is based on the estimated future cash flows, discounted to their present value using 
a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the 
risks specific to the asset or CGU.

An impairment loss is recognised in profit and loss if the carrying amount of an asset or CGU exceeds 
its recoverable amount. Impairment losses are allocated to reduce the carrying amounts of assets in a 
CGU on a pro rata basis.

Impairment of Financial Assets
Financial assets not classified as at fair value through profit or loss are assessed at each reporting date 
to determine whether there is objective evidence of impairment.

Objective evidence that financial assets are impaired includes:

•	 default or delinquency by a debtor;

•	

•	

restructuring of an amount due to the Group on terms that the Group would not consider otherwise;

indications that a debtor or issuer will enter bankruptcy;

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)•	

•	

adverse changes in the payment status of borrowers or issuers;

the disappearance of an active market for a security; or

•	 observable data indicating that there is measurable decrease in expected cash flows from a group 

of financial assets.

Financial Assets Measured at Amortised Cost
The  Group  considers  evidence  of  impairment  for  these  assets  at  both  an  individual  asset  and  a 
collective level. All individually significant assets are individually assessed for impairment. Those found 
not to be impaired are then collectively assessed for any impairment that has been incurred but not yet 
individually identified. Assets that are not individually significant are collectively assessed for impairment. 
Collective assessment is carried out by grouping together assets with similar risk characteristics.

In assessing collective impairment, the Group uses historical information on the timing of recoveries 
and the amount of loss incurred, and makes an adjustment if current economic and credit conditions 
are such that the actual losses are likely to be greater or lesser than suggested by historical trends.

An impairment loss is calculated as the difference between an asset’s carrying amount and the present 
value of the estimated future cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest rate. Losses 
are recognised in profit or loss and reflected in an allowance account. When the Group considers that 
there are no realistic prospects of recovery of the asset, the relevant amounts are written off. If the 
amount of impairment loss subsequently decreases and the decrease can be related objectively to an 
event occurring after the impairment was recognised, then the previously recognised impairment loss 
is reversed through profit or loss.

Share-based Payments
Share-based payment arrangements in which the Group receives goods or services as consideration 
for its own equity instruments are accounted for as equity-settled share-based payment transactions, 
regardless of how the equity instruments are obtained by the Group.

The  grant  date  fair  value  of  share-based  payment  awards  granted  to  employees  is  recognised  as 
an employee expense, with a corresponding increase in equity, over the period that the employees 
become unconditionally entitled to the awards. The fair value of the options granted is measured using 
an option valuation model, taking into account the terms and conditions upon which the options were 
granted. The amount recognised as an expense is adjusted to reflect the actual number of awards for 
which the related service and non-market vesting conditions are expected to be met, such that the 
amount ultimately recognised as an expense is based on the number of awards that do meet the related 
service and non-market performance conditions at the vesting date. For share-based payment awards 
with  non-vesting  conditions,  the  grant  date  fair  value  of  the  share-based  payment  is  measured  to 
reflect such conditions and there is no true-up for differences between expected and actual outcomes.

Employee Benefits
Short-term Employee Benefits
Short-term employee benefit obligations are measured on an undiscounted basis and are expensed as 
the related service is provided. A liability is recognised for the amount expected to be paid if the Group 
has a present legal or constructive obligation to pay this amount as a result of past service provided by 
the employee, and the obligation can be estimated reliably.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Defined Contribution Plans
A  defined  contribution  plan  is  a  post-employment  benefit  plan  under  which  an  entity  pays  fixed 
contributions into a separate entity and has no legal or constructive obligation to pay further amounts. 
Obligations  for  contributions  to  defined  contribution  plans  are  recognised  as  an  employee  benefit 
expense in the periods during which related services are rendered by employees. Prepaid contributions 
are  recognised  as  an  asset  to  the  extent  that  a  cash  refund  or  a  reduction  in  future  payments  is 
available.

Phantom Plan
The Phantom Plan is a cash settled bonus plan. Expense is accrued when it is determined that it is 
probable that a payment will be made and when the amount can be reasonably estimated.

Provisions
A provision is recognised in the balance sheet when the  Group has a present legal or constructive 
obligation as a result of a past event, that can be reliably measured and it is probable that an outflow 
of economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation. Provisions are determined by discounting 
the expected future cash flows at a pre-tax rate that reflects risks specific to the liability.

Revenue Recognition
Sale of Goods
Revenue is recognised when the significant risks and rewards of ownership have been transferred to 
the customer, recovery of the consideration is probable, the associated costs and possible return of 
goods can be estimated reliably, there is no continuing management involvement with the goods and 
the amount of revenue can be measured reliably.

The transfer of significant risks and rewards of ownership usually occurs when products are shipped 
and the customer takes ownership and assumes risk of loss.

Rendering of Services
The  Group  recognises  revenue  from  rendering  of  services  at  the  time  services  are  provided  to  the 
customer and the Group has no additional performance obligation to the customer.

Government Grants
Grants  received  are  recognised  as  revenue  when  the  related  work  is  performed  and  the  qualifying 
research and development costs are incurred.

Finance Income and Finance Costs
Finance  income  mainly  comprises  interest  income  on  funds  invested  and  foreign  exchange  gains. 
Finance costs mainly comprise loan interest expense and foreign exchange losses. Interest income 
and interest payable are recognised as they accrue in profit or loss, using the effective interest method.

Fair Value Measurements
A number of the Group’s accounting policies and disclosures require the measurement of fair values, 
for both financial and non-financial assets and liabilities.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)When measuring the fair value of an asset or a liability, the Group uses market observable data as far 
as possible. Fair values are categorised into different levels in a fair value hierarchy based on the inputs 
used in the valuation techniques as follows:

•	 Level 1: quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

•	 Level 2: inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or 

liability, either directly (i.e. as prices) or indirectly (i.e. derived from prices).

•	 Level 3: inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (unobservable 

inputs).

If the inputs used to measure the fair value of an asset or a liability might be categorised in different 
levels of the fair value hierarchy, then the fair value measurement is categorised in its entirety in the same 
level of the fair value hierarchy as the lowest level input that is significant to the entire measurement.

The Group recognises transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy at the end of the reporting 
period during which the change has occurred.

The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, deposits, accounts payable, 
accrued  expenses  and  other  current  liabilities  in  the  Group’s  Consolidated  Statements  of  Financial 
Position approximates their fair value because of the short maturities of these instruments.

Operating Leases
Payments made under operating leases are recognised in profit or loss on a straight-line basis over 
the term of the lease. Lease incentives received are recognised as an integral part of the total lease 
expense, over the term of the lease.

Operating Segments
Allied Minds determines and presents operating segments based on the information that internally is 
provided to the executive management team, the body which is considered to be Allied Minds’ Chief 
Operating Decision Maker (‘‘CODM’’).

An operating segment is a component of Allied Minds that engages in business activities from which 
it may earn revenues and incur expenses, including revenues and expenses that relate to transactions 
with any of the Allied Minds’ other components. The operating segment’s operating results are reviewed 
regularly by the CODM to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment, to assess 
its performance, and for which discrete financial information is available.

(2)  New Standards and Interpretations not yet Adopted

A number of new standards, interpretations and amendments to existing standards are effective for 
annual  periods  beginning  after  1  January  2016,  and  have  not  therefore  been  applied  in  preparing 
this  consolidated  financial  information.  Management  has  yet  to  complete  an  analysis  of  these  new 
standards,  interpretations  and  amendments  to  existing  standards  on  the  results  of  its  operations, 
financial position, and disclosures. The Group intends to adopt these standards on their respective 
effective dates.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)The  following  are  amended  or  new  standards  and  interpretations  that  may  impact  the  Group.  The 
Group is currently considering the impact of the proposed changes but their adoption is not expected 
to have a material effect on the financial statements unless otherwise indicated:

IFRS 9, ‘Financial instruments’ (effective 1 January 2018)

IFRS 15, ‘Revenue from contracts with customers’ (effective 1 January 2018)

IFRS 16, ‘Leases’ (effective 1 January 2019)

Amendment to IFRS 11,’Joint arrangements on acquisition of an interest in a joint operation’, (effective 
1 January 2016)

Amendment to IAS 1, ‘Presentation of Financial Statements’ (effective 1 January 2016)

Amendment to IAS 16 ,’Property, plant and equipment’ and IAS 38,’Intangible assets’, on depreciation 
and amortisation (effective 1 January 2016)

Amendment  to  IFRS  9,  ‘Financial  instruments’,  on  general  hedge  accounting  (effective  date  1  Jan 
2018)

Amendments  to  IAS  27,  ‘Separate  financial  statements’  on  equity  accounting  (effective  1  January 
2016)

Amendments to IFRS 10, ‘Consolidated financial statements’ and IAS 28,’Investments in associates 
and joint ventures’ on sale or contribution of assets (effective 1 January 2016)

Amendments to IFRS 10, ‘Consolidated financial statements’ and IAS 28,’Investments in associates 
and joint ventures’ on applying the consolidation exemption (effective 1 January 2016)

Annual improvements 2014 (effective 1 January 2016)

Amendments to IAS 1,’Presentation of financial statements’ disclosure initiative (effective 1 January 
2016)

(3)  Revenue

Revenue recorded in the statement of comprehensive loss consists of the following:
2015 
$’000  

For the year ended 31 December:

Product revenue
Service revenue
Grant revenue 

Total revenue in consolidated statement of loss

2,208
606
486

3,300

2014 
$’000

7,396
230
89

7,715

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Deferred revenue recorded in the statement of financial position consists of the following:

As of 31 December:

Customer deposits
Other deferred revenue, current
Deferred revenue, current
Deferred revenue, non-current

Total deferred revenue in statement of financial position

(4)  Operating Segments

2015 
$’000  

–
395
395
–

395

2014 
$’000

526
421
947
197

1,144

Basis for Segmentation
For management purposes, the Group’s principal operations are currently organised in two reportable 
segments:

(I) 

 Early  stage  companies  –  subsidiary  businesses  that  are  in  the  early  stage  of  their  lifecycle 
characterised by incubation, research and development activities; and

(II)   Commercial  stage  companies  –  subsidiary  businesses  that  have  substantially  completed  their 
research  and  development  activities  and  that  have  developed  one  or  more  products  that  are 
actively marketed.

Due to their size and nature Spin Transfer Technologies, Inc. (or ‘‘STT’’, an early stage company) and 
RF Biocidics, Inc. (or ‘‘RFB’’, a commercial stage company) are not aggregated and presented as two 
additional separate reportable segments. The Group’s principal operations are therefore presented as 
four reportable segments being early stage company – STT, early stage companies – other, commercial 
stage company – RFB, and commercial stage companies – other.

The Group’s CODM reviews internal management reports on these segments at least quarterly in order 
to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and to assess its performance.

Other operations include the management function of the head office at the parent level of Allied Minds.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Information about Reportable Segments
The  following  provides  detailed  information  of  the  Group’s  reportable  segments  as  of  and  for  the  years 
ended 31 December 2015 and 2014, respectively:

2015 

$’000

Early stage

Commercial

Other

STT

Other

RFB

Other

operations Consolidated

Statement of Comprehensive Loss

  Revenue

  Cost of revenue

  Selling, general and administrative expenses

  Research and development expenses

  Finance income/(cost), net 

  Loss for the period

  Other comprehensive income/loss

—

—

(7,591)

(11,752)

(1,506)

(20,849)

—

1,141

(205)

(14,116)

(35,145)

(330)

(48,655)

—

  Total comprehensive loss

(20,849)

(48,655)

  Total comprehensive loss attributable to:

  Equity holders of the parent

  Non-controlling interests

  Total comprehensive loss

Statement of financial position

  Non-current assets

  Current assets

  Total Assets

  Non-current liabilities

  Current liabilities

  Total Liabilities

  Net Assets

(11,331)

(9,518)

(20,849)

31,692

34,531

66,223

(113)

(55,265)

(55,378)

10,845

(42,404)

(6,251)

(48,655)

4,568

52,590

57,158

(339)

(48,757)

(49,096)

8,062

957

(2,791)

(5,162)

(217)

—

(7,213)

(26)

(7,239)

(4,230)

(3,009)

(7,239)

2,810

5,068

7,878

(271)

(1,140)

(1,411)

6,467

1,202

(929)

(5,255)

(2,095)

(43)

(7,120)

—

—

—

(14,764)

—

612

(14,152)

72

3,300

(3,925)

(46,888)

(49,209)

(1,267)

(97,989)

46

(7,120)

(14,080)

(97,943)

(5,707)

(1,413)

(7,120)

1,687

1,774

3,461

(115)

(1,149)

(1,264)

(14,080)

—

(14,080)

52,027

64,464

116,491

(25)

(2,663)

(2,688)

(77,752)

(20,191)

(97,943)

92,784

158,427

251,211

(863)

(108,974)

(109,837)

2,197

113,803

141,374

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2014 

$’000

Early stage

Commercial

Other

STT

Other

RFB

Other

operations

Consolidated 

Statement of Comprehensive Loss

  Revenue

  Cost of revenue

  Selling, general and administrative expenses

  Research and development expenses

  Finance income/(cost), net 

  Loss for the year

  Other comprehensive income/loss

  Total comprehensive loss

  Total comprehensive loss attributable to:

  Equity holders of the parent

  Non-controlling interests

Statement of Financial Position

  Non-current assets

  Current assets

  Total Assets

  Non-current liabilities (restated)

  Current liabilities

  Total Liabilities (restated)

—

—

(5,722)

(7,350)

(268)

345

—

(7,232)

(13,104)

—

(13,340)

(19,991)

—

—

(13,340)

(19,991)

(7,057)

(6,283)

(17,100)

(2,891)

14,354

68,750

83,104

(50,014)

(3,420)

(53,434)

3,325

15,851

19,176

(281)

(2,691)

(2,972)

  Net Assets (restated)

29,670

16,204

6,457

(4,898)

(5,854)

(184)

3

(4,476)

(34)

(4,510)

(2,542)

(1,968)

2,912

8,523

11,435

—

(2,888)

(2,888)

8,547

913

(518)

(4,003)

(1,557)

(51)

(5,216)

—

—

—

(15,221)

—

538

7,715

(5,416)

(38,032)

(22,195)

222

(14,683)

(57,706)

(125)

(159)

(5,216)

(14,808)

(57,865)

(4,130)

(1,086)

1,356

2,293

3,649

(344)

(750)

(1,094)

(14,808)

—

(45,637)

(12,228)

22,092

153,574

175,666

(59)

(2,750)

(2,809)

44,039

248,991

293,030

(50,698)

(12,499)

(63,197)

2,555

172,857

229,833

In 2015, Cost of revenue and Selling, general and administrative expenses included of segments STT, 
Early stage – other, RFB, Commercial stage – other, and Other operations included depreciation and 
amortisation expense of $2,316,000, $936,000, $554,000, $232,000, and $49,000 respectively (2014: 
$1,538,000, $477,000, $646,000, $179,000, and $52,000).

At the end of 2015, the Group’s CODM has determined that Biotectix reached commercial stage and 
as such its financial information has been presented in the respective reportable segment as of and for 
the year ended 31 December 2015 and 2014.

The proportion of net assets shown above that is attributable to non-controlling interest is disclosed 
further in notes 11 and 17.

Geographic Information
Whilst the Group includes RF Biocidics (UK) Limited, which is a UK company, the revenues and net 
operating losses of that subsidiary are not considered material to the Group, and therefore the Group 
revenues and net operating losses for the years ended 31 December 2015 and 2014 are considered 
to  be  entirely  derived  from  its  operations  within  the  United  States  and  accordingly  no  additional 
geographical discloses are provided.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(5)  Operating Expenses

The average number of persons employed by the Group (including Directors) during the year, analysed 
by category, was as follows:

For the year ending 31 December:

Selling, general and administrative
Research and development

Total

The aggregate payroll costs of these persons were as follows:

For the year ending 31 December:

Selling, general and administrative
Research and development

Total

Total operating expenses were as follows:

For the year ending 31 December:

Salaries and wages
Payroll taxes
Healthcare benefit
Other payroll cost
Share-based payments
Total
Cost of revenue
Other SG&A expenses
Other R&D expenses

Total operating expenses

Auditor’s remuneration
Audit of these financial statements
Audit of the financial statements of subsidiaries
Audit-related assurance services
Other assurance services
Taxation compliance services

2015  

73 
87 

160

2015 
$’000  

22,416
17,710

40,126

2015 
$’000  

27,602
1,781
2,328
1,374
7,041
40,126
3,925
24,472
31,499

100,022

2015 
$’000

435
20
—
—
49

504

2014

58
50

108

2014 
$’000

19,751
9,865

29,616

2014 
$’000

17,128
1,496
1,473
580
8,939
29,616
5,416
18,281
12,330

65,643

2014 
$’000

261
20
89
1,848
36

2,254

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
In 2014, auditor’s remuneration included $1,796,000 of other assurance services provided in relation 
to the Group’s listing on the London Stock Exchange, which were offset against equity.

See note 6 for further disclosures related to share-based payments and note 24 for management’s 
remuneration disclosures.

(6)  Share-Based Payments

UK Long Term Incentive Plan
On 19 June 2014, Allied Minds plc established the UK Long Term Incentive Plan (“LTIP”). Under the 
LTIP,  awards  over  Ordinary  Shares  may  be  made  to  employees,  officers  and  Directors,  and  other 
individuals  providing  services  to  the  Company  and  its  subsidiaries.  Awards  may  be  granted  in  the 
form of share options, share appreciation rights, restricted or unrestricted share awards, performance 
share awards, restricted share units, phantom-share awards and other share-based awards. Awards 
have been made under the LTIP during 2015 and 2014 in respect of a total of 450,251 and 4,618,842 
Ordinary Shares, respectively. It is intended that awards will normally vest only after a minimum period 
of three years from the date of grant. Vesting will normally be subject to the achievement of performance 
conditions and continued services of the participant. In respect of the initial awards, which have been 
made conditionally on Admission, vesting is dependent upon performance metrics as follows:

•	 60%  of  each  award  will  be  subject  to  performance  conditions  based  on  the  Company’s  total 
shareholder return (“TSR”) performance in respect of the period from Admission until 31 December 
2016; and

•	 40% of each award will be subject to performance conditions based on a basket of shareholder 
value metrics (“SVM”), including but not limited to: (i) the increase in quality of pipeline intellectual 
property reviewed; (ii) the increase in quality of the partnership pipeline; and (iii) subsidiary level 
performance  (assessed  by  reference  to  such  matters  as  external  funding  raised,  corporate 
collaborations, product co-development and proof of principal commercial pilots and revenues) 
Performance will be assessed on these measures on a scorecard basis over a three year period.

In respect of the initial awards, at the end of the three year period, performance against the relevant 
measures  will  be  calculated  to  determine  the  number  of  Ordinary  Shares  which  have  satisfied  the 
vesting criteria and 50% of the award will then vest at that time. The remaining 50% will vest in two 
equal tranches in years 4 and 5 subject to the relevant participant still being employed within (or being 
a director of a company within) the Group at the relevant vesting date (or being an earlier good leaver 
as described further in the LTIP).

A summary of stock option activity under the UK LTIP for the year ended 31 December 2015 and 2014, 
respectively, is shown below:

For the year ended 31 December:

Number of shares granted
at maximum (‘000)
Weighted average fair value (pence)
Fair value measurement basis

2015

TSR

SVM

2014

TSR

SVM

170
701

1,848
190
Monte Carlo Market Value Monte Carlo Market Value

2,771
114

280
599

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)The share grants that vest upon the occurrence of a market condition (i.e. the TSR performance) and 
service condition were adjusted to current market price at the date of the grant to reflect the effect of 
the market condition on the non-vested shares’ value. The Company used a Monte Carlo simulation 
analysis utilising a Geometric Brownian Motion process with 50,000 simulations to value those shares. 
The model takes into account share price volatilities, risk-free rate and other covariance of comparable 
UK public companies and other market data to predict distribution of relative share performance. This 
is applied to the reward criteria to arrive at expected value of the TSR awards.

The share grants that vests only upon the occurrence of a performance condition (i.e. the SVM grants) 
and service condition were valued at the fair value of the shares on the date of the grants.

Accounting charge does not necessarily represent the intended value of share-based payments made 
to recipients, which are determined by the Remuneration Committee according to established criteria. 
The share-based payment charge for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2015 related to the UK LTIP 
was $3.1 million (2014: $1.3 million).

U.S. Stock Option/Stock Issuance Plan
The U.S. Stock Option/Stock Issuance Plan (the “U.S. Stock Plan”) was originally adopted by Allied 
Minds, Inc. (now Allied Minds, LLC) in 2008. The U.S. Stock Plan provides for the grant of share option 
awards,  restricted  share  awards,  and  other  awards  to  acquire  common  stock  of  Allied  Minds,  Inc. 
(now Allied Minds, LLC). All stock options granted to employees under this plan are equity settled, for a 
ten-year term Pursuant to the reorganisation discussed above, Allied Minds plc adopted and assumed 
the rights and obligations of Allied Minds, Inc. (now Allied Minds, LLC) under this plan except that the 
obligation to issue Common Stock is replaced with an obligation to issue ordinary shares to satisfy 
awards granted under the U.S. Stock Plan.

Measurement of Fair Values
No new stock option grants were awarded in 2015 under the Allied Minds 2008 Plan. The fair value 
of the stock option grants awarded in 2014 under the Allied Minds 2008 Plan was estimated as of the 
date of grant using a Black-Scholes-Merton option valuation model that uses the following weighted 
average assumptions, respectively:

Expected option life (in years)
Expected stock price volatility
Risk-free interest rate
Expected dividend yield
Grant date option fair value
Share price at grant date
Exercise price

2015  

—
—
—
—
—
—
—

2014

5.51
37.40%
1.85%
—
$ 0.93
$ 2.49
$ 2.49

Grant date option fair value, share price at grant date, and exercise price disclosed above take into 
account the reorganisation described in note 16. Expected volatility has been based on an evaluation 
of the historical volatility of the share price of publicly traded companies comparable to Allied Minds, 
particularly over the historical period commensurate with the expected term. The expected term of the 
instruments has been based on historical experience and general option holder behavior.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Reconciliation of Outstanding Share Options
A summary of stock option activity in the U.S. Stock Plan is presented in the following table, taking into 
account the reorganisation described in note 16:

Number of 
options 
2015

10,396,496
—
(1,191,784)
—

9,204,712

9,204,712

Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price 
2015  

$ 2.09
—
$ 2.05
—

$ 2.10

$ 2.10

Number of 
options 
2014

17,505,268
1,708,652
(8,817,424)
—

10,396,496

10,396,496

Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price 
2014

$ 1.61
$ 2.49
$ 1.28
—

$ 2.09

$ 2.09

Outstanding as of 1 January
Granted during the year
Exercised during the year
Forfeited during the year

Outstanding as of 31 December

Exercisable as of 31 December

Intrinsic value of Exercisable

$ 35.2 million

$ 37.5 million

The options outstanding as of 31 December 2015 and 31 December 2014 had an exercise price in the 
range of $0.68 to $2.60.

As  of  19  June  2014,  the  maximum  number  of  options  reserved  under  the  plan  were  issued  and 
outstanding  and  as  a  result  of  the  reorganisation  discussed  in  note  16,  all  issued  and  outstanding 
options vested on 19 June 2014 and some options were exercised, resulting in the accelerated share- 
based payment charge of additional $2.4 million for the period. The Company does not intend to make 
any further grants under the U.S. Stock Plan.

Restricted share awards are outstanding over 118,800 ordinary shares, which were granted under the 
U.S. Stock Plan to the non-executive Directors. These ordinary shares vest in three equal tranches on 
each of the first three anniversaries of Admission provided that the non-executive Director in question 
is still providing services to the Group on the relevant vesting date.

Other Plans
Spin Transfer Technologies
Stock compensation expense was approximately $1,937,000 and $1,435,000 and for the year ended 
31 December 2015 and 2014, respectively. Deferred stock compensation expense under these grants 
was approximately $1,277,000 and $1,623,000 as of 31 December 2015 and 2014, respectively.

The fair value of the stock option grants awarded in 2015 and 2014 under the 2012 Equity Incentive 
Plan was estimated as of the date of grant using a Black-Scholes-Merton option valuation model that 
uses the following weighted average assumptions:

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Expected option life (in years)
Expected stock price volatility
Risk-free interest rate
Expected dividend yield
Grant date option fair value
Share price at grant date
Exercise price

2015  

5.79
41.54%
1.79%
—
$ 3.23
$ 7.77
$ 7.77

2014

5.99
44.45%
1.91%
—
$ 3.47
$ 7.77
$ 7.77

Expected  volatility  has  been  based  on  an  evaluation  of  the  historical  volatility  of  the  share  price  of 
publicly traded companies comparable to STT, particularly over the historical period commensurate 
with the expected term. The expected term of the instruments has been based on historical experience 
and general option holder behavior.

A summary of stock option activity in the STT plans is presented in the following table:

 Outstanding as of 1 January
 Granted during the year 
 Exercised during the year 
 Forfeited during the year 

Number of 
options 
2015

1,440,394
434,746
—
(25,773)

 Outstanding as of 31 December 

1,849,367

 Exercisable as of 31 December 

964,632

 Intrinsic value of Exercisable

$ 0.5 million

Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price 
2015  

$ 7.29
$ 7.77
—
$ 5.40

$ 7.43

$ 7.30

Number of 
options 
2014

1,044,260
447,680
—
(51,546)

1,440,394

529,972

$ 4.1 million

Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price 
2014

$ 7.00
$ 7.77
—
$ 5.40

$ 7.29

$ 7.64

The options outstanding as of 31 December 2015 had an exercise price in the range of $6.97 to $7.77 
(2014: $5.40 to $7.77) and a weighted-average contractual life of approximately 9.1 years (2014: 9.3 
years).

Plans Under Other Subsidiaries
The  stock  compensation  expense  under  other  subsidiaries  of  the  Company,  which  adopted  stock 
option  incentive  plans  in  2015  and  prior  was  $1,871,000  and  $2,047,000  for  the  year  ended 
31 December 2015 and 2014, respectively. Deferred stock compensation expense under these grants 
was approximately $1,655,000 and $2,496,000 as of 31 December 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Allied Minds Phantom Plan
In 2007, Allied Minds established a cash settled bonus plan for Allied Minds employees, also known as 
its Phantom Plan. In 2012, the board of directors adopted the Amended and Restated 2007 Phantom 
Plan.  Under  the  terms  of  the  Amended  and  Restated  Plan,  upon  a  liquidity  event  Allied  Minds  will 
allocate 10% of the value (after deduction of the amount invested by Allied Minds and accrued interest 

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)at a rate not exceeding 5% per annum) of the invested capital owned by Allied Minds of each operating 
company to the plan account. Upon a liquidity event, plan participants holding units will receive their 
proportionate share of the plan account. The allocated shares at all times remain the sole and exclusive 
property of Allied Minds and holders of units have no rights or interests in Allied Minds. No amount has 
been paid out to employees under the Phantom Stock Plan through 31 December 2015.

Allied Minds has not accrued any expense relating to the Phantom Plan as of 31 December 2015 or 
2014. Management will record an expense relating to this plan when it is probable that a subsidiary will 
be sold and the amount of the payout is reasonably estimable.

Share-based Payment Expense
The  Group  recorded  share-based  payment  expense  related  to  stock  options  of  approximately 
$7,041,000 and $8,939,000 for the years ended 31 December 2015 and 2014, respectively. There 
was no income tax benefit recognised for share- based payment arrangements for the years ended 31 
December 2015 and 2014, respectively, due to operating losses. Shared-based payment expenses 
are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses 
in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income.

(7)  Finance (Cost)/Income, Net

The following table shows the breakdown of finance income and cost:

For the year ended 31 December:

Interest income on: 
– Bank deposits 
Foreign exchange gain
  Finance income
Interest expense on:
– Financial liabilities at amortised cost
Foreign exchange loss 
  Finance cost contractual 
Loss on fair value measurement of subsidiary preferred shares 
  Finance cost

Total finance (cost)/income, net

See note 18 for further disclosure related to subsidiary preferred shares.

2015 
$’000  

2014 
$’000

721
2
723

(41)
(12)
(53)
(1,937)
(1,990)

(1,267)

545
—
545

(320)
(3)
(323)
—
(323)

222

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)(8)  Loss Per Share

The calculation of basic and diluted loss per share as of 31 December 2015 was based on the loss 
attributable  to  ordinary  shareholders  of  $77.8  million  (2014:  $45.4  million)  and  a  weighted  average 
number of ordinary shares outstanding of 214,958,849 (2014: 186,389,605), calculated as follows:

Loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

2015 
$’000 

2014 
$’000

Basic

Diluted  

Basic

Diluted

Loss for the year attributed to the 
owners of the Company
Loss for the year attributed to the 
ordinary shareholders

(77,797)

(77,797)

(45,478)

(45,478)

(77,797)

(77,797)

(45,478)

(45,478)

Weighted average number of ordinary shares

2015

2014

Basic

Diluted  

Basic

Diluted

Issued ordinary shares on 1 January 214,445,579
Effect of share capital issued
—
Effect of share options exercised
513,270

214,445,579
—
513,270

157,463,790
28,786,582
139,233

157,463,790
28,786,582
139,233

Weighted average ordinary shares

214,958,849

214,958,849

186,389,605

186,389,605

Loss per share

2015 
$
Basic

Diluted  

2014 
$
Basic

Diluted

Loss per share

(0.36)

(0.36)

(0.24)

(0.24)

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
 
(9)  Property and Equipment

Property and equipment, net, consists of the following at:

Cost 

in $’000

Machinery 

Furniture 

Leasehold 

Computers 

and 

and 

Improve- 

and 

Under 

Equipment

Fixtures

ments

Electronics

Construction

Total

Balance as of 31 December 2013
  Additions, net of transfers
  Disposals

Balance as of 31 December 2014
  Additions, net of transfers
  Disposals

Balance as of 31 December 2015

12,309
2,115
(62)

14,362
18,184
(168)

32,378

280
171
(48)

403
169
—

572

1,822
254
(540)

1,536
3,135
—

4,671

367
234
—

601
564
—

5,272
(1,717)
(24)

3,531
(562)
—

20,050
1,057
(674)

20,433
21,490
(168)

1,165

2,969

41,755

Accumulated Depreciation 

Machinery 

Furniture 

Leasehold 

Computers 

and Impairment loss 

in $’000

and 

and 

Improve- 

and 

Under 

Equipment

Fixtures

ments

Electronics

Construction

Total

Balance as of 31 December 2013
  Depreciation

Impairment loss

  Disposals
Balance as of 31 December 2014

  Depreciation

Impairment loss

  Disposals

Balance as of 31 December 2015

(1,524)
(1,709)
(9)
62
(3,180)

(2,371)
(422)
168

(5,805)

(134)
(58)
(5)
48
(149)

(198)
150
—

(197)

(482)
(426)
(402)
540
(770)

(235)
(6)
—

(1,011)

(197)
(119)
—
—
(316)

(223)
(30)
—

(569)

288
—
—
24
312

(312)
—
—

—

(2,049)
(2,312)
(416)
674
(4,103)

(3,339)
(308)
168

(7,582)

Property and equipment, net 

and 

and 

Improve- 

and 

Under 

in $’000

Equipment

Fixtures

ments

Electronics

Construction

Total

Machinery 

Furniture 

Leasehold 

Computers 

Balance as of 31 December 2014

Balance as of 31 December 2015

11,182

26,573

254

375

766

3,660

285

596

3,843

2,969

16,330

34,173

Impairment of property and equipment is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the 
consolidated statement of comprehensive income.

Property and equipment under constructions represents assets that are in the process of being built 
and not placed in service as of the reporting date. During 2014, certain of those assets with carrying 
amount of $1.2 million were moved to inventory with the intent to be sold and others with carrying 
amount of $0.5 million were moved to the machinery and equipment category.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
 
(10) Intangible Assets

Information regarding the cost and accumulated amortisation of intangible assets is as follows:

Cost 
in $’000

Licenses

Purchased 
IPR&D

Software

Development 
cost

Balance as of 31 December 2013
  Additions – Acquired separately
  Additions – Internally developed
  Disposals

Balance as of 31 December 2014

  Additions – Acquired separately
  Additions – Internally developed
  Disposals

Balance as of 31 December 2015

Accumulated amortisation 
and Impairment loss 
in $’000

Balance as of December 31, 2013
Amortisation
Impairment loss
Disposals

Balance as of December 31, 2014

Amortisation
Impairment loss
Disposals

4,543
192
—
(350)

4,385

1,032
—
—

5,417

1,549
—
—
(781)

768

—
—
—

768

79
178
—
—

257

490
—
(3)

744

125
—
178
—

303

—
201
—

504

Licenses

Purchased 
IPR&D

Software

Development 
cost

(1,702)
(469)
(282)
350

(2,103)

(512)
—
—

(57)
(22)
(781)
781

(79)

(23)
—
—

(26)
(72)
—
—

(98)

(180)
(1)
3

(276)

(7)
(17)
—
—

(24)

(32)
—
—

(56)

Balance as of December 31, 2015

(2,615)

(102)

Intangible assests, net 
in $’000

Balance as of 31 December 2014
Balance as of 31 December 2015

Licenses

2,282
2,802

Purchased 
IPR&D

Software

Development 
cost

689
666

159
468

279
448

Total

6,296
370
178
(1,131)

5,713

1,522
201
(3)

7,433

Total

(1,792)
(580)
(1,063)
1,131

(2,304)

(747)
(1)
3

(3,049)

Total

3,409
4,384

Amortisation expense is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated 
statement of comprehensive loss. Amortisation expense, recorded using the straight-line method, was 
approximately $747,000 and $580,000 for the years ended 31 December 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Impairment of intangible assets of $1,000 and $1,063,000 for the years ended 31 December 2015 and 
2014, respectively, is mainly attributed to the abandonment of the rights to certain intellectual property 
per the licensing agreement with a partner university and to the closing of subsidiary companies, which 
resulted in the associated intangible assets being impaired to zero. Impairment expense is included in 
selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)At each reporting period, management considers qualitative and quantitative factors that define the 
future  prospects  of  the  respective  investment  and  assesses  whether  it  supports  the  value  of  the 
underlying intangible.

(11) Investment in Subsidiaries and Associates

Group Subsidiaries
Allied  Minds  has  28  subsidiaries  as  of  31  December  2015.  As  of  and  for  the  two  years  ended  31 
December 2015 the capitalisation of all subsidiary companies in the Group portfolio is in the form of 
ordinary shares only, except for Precision Biopsy, SciFluor Life Sciences and Spin Transfer Technologies 
where Series A preferred shares were issued to both the parent company and third parties in 2014 and 
2015 financing rounds, see further discussion below.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)The following outlines the formation of each subsidiary and evolution of Allied Minds’ equity ownership 
interest over the two year period ended 31 December 2015:

Inception
Date

Location

Ownership percentage of 
voting stock at 31 December(2)
2014

2015  

Active subsidiaries
Holding companies

Allied Minds, LLC (1)(3)
Allied Minds Securities Corp.(3)

Early stage companies

19/06/14
21/12/15

Boston, MA
Boston, MA

Boston, MA
31/07/14
Allied-Bristol Life Sciences, LLC
Boston, MA
24/09/14
ABLS I, LLC
Boston, MA
24/09/14
ABLS II, LLC
Boston, MA
09/03/12
Allied Minds Federal Innovations, Inc.
Arlington, VA
08/08/12
Federated Wireless, Inc.
Boston, MA
23/01/13
Foreland Technologies, Inc.
09/02/15
Boston, MA
BridgeSat, Inc.
29/11/06 Cambridge, MA
Cephalogics, LLC
Herndon, VA
16/09/15
HawkEye 360, Inc.
HawkEye 360 Federal, Inc.(3)
Herndon, VA
22/09/15
Boston, MA
29/05/12
LuxCath, LLC
Baltimore, MD
28/02/12
Optio Labs, Inc.
Wakefield, MA
29/01/14
Percipient Networks, LLC
Denver, CO
17/06/08
Precision Biopsy, Inc.
ProGDerm, Inc. (dba Novare Pharmaceuticals) 19/09/08
Napa, CA
14/12/10 Cambridge, MA
SciFluor Life Sciences, LLC
14/10/14
Seamless Devices, Inc.
San Jose, CA 
21/09/07 Cambridge, MA
SiEnergy Systems, LLC
Fremont, CA
03/12/07
Spin Transfer Technologies, Inc.
Boston, MA
21/07/14
Whitewood Encryption Systems, Inc.

Commercial stage companies

Biotectix, LLC
CryoXtract Instruments, LLC
RF Biocidics, Inc.
RF Biocidics (UK) Ltd(3)
SoundCure, Inc.
Tinnitus Treatment Solutions, LLC(3)

Closed subsidiaries

Richmond, CA
16/01/07
Woburn, MA
23/05/08
12/06/08
Vacaville, CA
10/09/10 United Kingdom
San Jose, CA
04/06/09
San Jose, CA
26/02/13

Allied Minds Devices, LLC
Broadcast Routing Fountains, LLC

25/07/11
28/06/12

Boston, MA
Boston, MA

Number of active subsidiaries as 31 December:

Notes:

100.00%
100.00%

80.00%
80.00%
80.00%
100.00%
90.58%
100.00%
100.00%
95.00%
81.25%
81.25%
98.00%
81.23%
100.00%
68.32%
90.38%
69.89%
79.41%
100.00%
48.40%
100.00%

64.35%
93.24%
67.14%
100.00%
84.62%
100.00%

—
—

28

100.00%
—

80.00%
80.00%
80.00%
100.00%
90.88%
100.00%
—
95.00%
—
—
98.00%
79.86%
100.00%
80.35%
90.38%
79.00%
80.00%
100.00%
48.40%
100.00%

64.35%
93.24%
67.14%
100.00%
84.62%
100.00%

100.00%
100.00%

26

(1) 

(2) 

 On 19 June 2014, Allied Minds plc completed a reorganisation of its corporate structure, whereby Allied Minds plc acquired the entire issued 
share capital of Allied Minds, Inc., first incorporated on 4 June 2004, which at the same time changed its name to Allied Minds, LLC;
 Represents ownership percentage used in allocations to non-controlling interests except for Precision Biopsy, SciFluor Life Sciences, 
and Spin Transfer Technologies in which cases the percentage used to allocate the non-controlling interests was 80.35%, 86.86%, and 
56.13%, respectively, where in these cases there are liability classified preferred shares in issue, which are excluded.

(3)  These subsidiaries do not represent separate subsidiary businesses referred to earlier within the annual report.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)In October 2014, Spin Transfer Technologies (“STT”) completed a Series A financing round as a result 
of  which  the  Allied  Minds’  ownership  percentage  in  STT  decreased  from  56.13%  to  48.40%,  see 
note 18 for further detail. Whilst Allied Minds owns less than 50.00% of the voting share capital after 
the  transaction  and  as  of  31  December  2014,  the  company  remains  the  largest  single  shareholder 
at 48.40% of the voting share capital, and retains control over the majority of the voting rights on the 
board of directors of STT. Under the terms of the STT organisational documents, the board of directors 
effectively controls the policies and management of STT, and in all instances, the board acts by majority 
vote. In addition, all material shareholder voting provisions of the STT organisational documents require 
a simple majority for approval, giving the Company substantial influence over the outcome of all action 
which  require  a  shareholder  vote.  As  a  result,  following  the  transaction,  Allied  Minds  continues  to 
exercise effective control over STT and as such will continue to be fully consolidated within the group’s 
financial statements.

The  following  tables  summarise  the  financial  information  related  to  the  Group’s  subsidiaries  with 
material  non-controlling  interests,  aggregated  for  interests  in  similar  entities,  and  before  intra-group 
eliminations.

As of and for the year ended 31 December:

Statement of Comprehensive Loss
  Revenue
  Loss for the year
  Other comprehensive loss

  Total comprehensive loss

  Comprehensive loss attributed to NCI

Statement of Financial Position
  Non-current assets
  Current assets
  Total Assets

  Non-current liabilities
  Current liabilities

  Total Liabilities

  Net Assets

  Carrying amount of NCI

Statement of Cash Flows
  Cash flows from operating activities
  Cash flows from investing activities
  Cash flows from financing activities

2015 
$’000

Early stage

Commercial

STT

Other

RFB

Other

—
(20,849)
—

(20,849)

(9,518)

31,692
34,531
66,223
(113)
(55,265)
(55,378)

10,845

(4,281)

(17,142)
(19,629)
1,863
(34,908)

654
(42,119)
—

(42,119)

(6,250)

5,920
51,774
57,694
(38)
(48,198)
(48,236)

9,458

(3,550)

(41,293)
(4,079)
75,974
30,602

957
(7,213)
(26)

(7,239)

(3,009)

2,810
5,068
7,878
(271)
(1,140)
(1,411)

6,467

(7,031)

(8,237)
(198)
7,228
(1,207)

1,104
(7,171)
—

(7,171)

(1,413)

1,685
1,725
3,410
(117)
(1,142)
(1,259)

2,151

(5,928)

(9,369)
(348)
9,154
(563)

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
 
 
 
 
 
Statement of Comprehensive Loss
  Revenue
  Loss for the year
  Other comprehensive loss

  Total comprehensive loss

  Comprehensive loss attributed to NCI

Statement of Financial Position
  Non-current assets
  Current assets
  Total Assets

  Non-current liabilities
  Current liabilities

  Total Liabilities

  Net Assets

  Carrying amount of NCI

Statement of Cash Flows
  Cash flows from operating activities
  Cash flows from investing activities
  Cash flows from financing activities

2014 
$’000

Early stage

Commercial

STT

Other

RFB

Other

—
(13,340)
—

(13,340)

(6,283)

14,354
68,750
83,104
(50,014)
(3,420)
(53,434)

29,670

4,244

(8,948)
(3,932)
66,443
53,563

256
(16,107)
—

(16,107)

(2,891)

2,854
14,532
17,386
(280)
(2,197)
(2,477)

14,909

(607)

(15,599)
(664)
28,292
12,029

6,457
(4,476)
(34)

(4,510)

(1,968)

2,912
8,523
11,435
—
(2,888)
(2,888)

8,547

(4,064)

(9,539)
1,983
8,557
1,001

884
(5,225)
—

(5,225)

(1,086)

1,356
2,250
3,606
(344)
(749)
(1,093)

2,513

(4,519)

(7,054)
(378)
7,676
244

As disclosed above in note 4, at the end of 2015, the Group’s CODM has determined that Biotectix 
reached commercial stage and as such its financial information has been presented in the respective 
reportable segment as of and for the year ended 31 December 2015 and 2014.

Portfolio Valuation
At the close of each annual financial period, the Directors formally approve the value of all subsidiary 
businesses in the Group, which is used to derive the ‘‘Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value’’. 
The Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value (‘‘GSOAV’’) was $535.8 million as at 31 December 
2015 (2014: $488.0m), as set out in the table below. This Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value 
is a sum-of-the-parts (‘‘SOTP’’) valuation of all the subsidiaries that make up the Group. The increase 
in the Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value during the year principally reflects the increase in 
value at Federated Wireless and Precision Biopsy supported by their valuations at recent fund raising 
transactions, offset by reductions at CryoXtract and RF Biocidics.

The methodology for Group’s subsidiary company valuations, extracts of which are set out below, is 
based on the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Valuation of Privately-Held-Company 
Equity  Securities  Issued  as  Compensation  (‘‘AICPA  Guidelines’’).  The  AICPA  Guidelines  do  not 

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
 
 
 
 
 
represent, but are consistent with valuation principles adopted under, International Financial Reporting 
Standards.

As of 31 December 2015, the Group’s estimated Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value was 
distributed across the Group’s operating segments as follows:

2015

2014

Company

$m % of GSOAV  

$m % of GSOAV

Biotectix, LLC 
CryoXtract, LLC
Cephalogics, LLC
Federated Wireless, Inc.
Optio Labs, Inc.
Precision Biopsy, Inc.
ProGDerm, Inc.
RF Biocidics, Inc.
SciFluor Life Sciences, Inc.
Spin Transfer Technologies, Inc.
Other companies
Total Group Subsidiary 
Valuation

12.2
12.6
22.9
59.9
33.6
61.8
16.8
40.0
91.3
121.0
63.7

2.3%
2.4%
4.3%
11.2%
6.3%
11.5%
3.1%
7.5%
17.0%
22.6%
11.8%

11.7
17.8
22.3
9.1
32.8
16.2
16.7
69.6
91.4
121.0
79.4

2.4%
3.6%
4.6%
1.9%
6.7%
3.3%
3.4%
14.3%
18.7%
24.8%
16.3%

535.8

100.0%

488.0

100.0%

Ownership adjusted value represents Allied Minds’ interest in the equity value of each subsidiary:

= (Business Enterprise Value – Long Term Debt + Cash) x Allied Minds percentage ownership plus the 
value of debt provided by Allied Minds plc to each subsidiary business. Allied Minds commits post- 
seed funding to its subsidiaries in the form of loans.

The  Group  Subsidiary  Ownership  Adjusted  Value  includes  cash  balances  held  by  Allied  Minds 
subsidiaries at 31 December 2015 amounting to $79.7 million, on an ownership-adjusted basis (2014: 
$86.1m), including those subsidiaries valued based on recent financing rounds. The Group Subsidiary 
Ownership Adjusted Value above excludes cash balances held at the parent level. As at 31 December 
2015, the Group total consolidated cash and other investments balances was $194.8 million including 
cash, cash equivalents and investments (2014: $261.5m), the balance being cash and investments of 
$115.0 million (2014: $175.4m) held at the parent level and available for investment in the Group.

The Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value has been calculated on the basis of Allied Minds’ 
percentage ownership as at 31 December 2015. Where subsidiaries have raised financing from external 
parties since 31 December 2015, the ownership adjusted value in the table above has been updated 
to reflect the current percentage ownership and the valuation implied by that external investment on a 
post new money basis. Federated Wireless completed a funding round of $22 million in January 2016, 
see note 26 for further detail.

Valuation Methodology
Each  subsidiary  company  is  regularly  evaluated  based  on  a  range  of  inputs,  including:  company 
performance and progress towards development milestones; market and competitor analyses based 
on information from databases and public material; and interviews with scientists and physicians.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
The  Group  Subsidiary  Ownership  Adjusted  Value  represents  the  sum-of-the-parts  (‘‘SOTP’’)  of, 
principally,  net  present  value  (‘‘NPV’’)  or  risk-adjusted  net  present  value  (‘‘rNPV’’)  from  discounted 
cash flow (‘‘DCF’’) valuations; valuations based on recent third party investment at the subsidiary level. 
A DCF valuation is used for the majority of Allied Minds subsidiaries. The DCF valuations are updated 
when the underlying assumptions for the valuations warrant a change. Otherwise, the DCF valuations 
are  kept  constant.  When  available,  financing  transactions  are  used  as  the  basis  for  the  subsidiary 
valuation. In limited instances other techniques such as based on asset values are utilised.

Set out below are the two principal methodologies applied to value each Group company to derive the 
Group Subsidiary Ownership Adjusted Value as at 31 December 2015:

Discounted cash flow

  Funding transaction

Biotectix, LLC
BridgeSat, Inc.

Percipient Networks, LLC
ProGDerm, Inc. dba Novare 
Pharmaceuticals
RF Biocidics, Inc.

Cephalogics, LLC
CryoXtract Instruments, LLC Seamless Devices, Inc.
Foreland Technologies, Inc. SoundCure, Inc.
LuxCath, LLC

Allied-Bristol Life Sciences, LLC
Federated Wireless, Inc.

HawkEye 360, Inc.
Optio Labs, Inc.
Precision Biopsy, Inc.

Whitewood Encryption Systems, Inc. SciFluor Life Sciences, Inc.

Spin Transfer Technologies, Inc.

As per cent of GSOAV:

26.5% (2014: 44.9%)

70.7% (2014: 51.9%)

In addition to the two principal valuation methodologies, the Directors have valued using alternative 
valuation  methodologies  Allied  Minds  Federal  Innovations,  Inc.  (“AMFI”),  representing  2.8%  of  the 
group  Subsidiary  Ownership  Adjusted  Value  (2014:  3.2%).  AMFI  was  valued  using  an  asset-based 
methodology that reflects the intellectual property to which it has access as at 31 December 2015 and 
2014.

Net Present Valuation (‘‘NPV’’) method
NPV  is  a  standard  technique  used  in  valuation  and  can  be  defined  as  the  difference  between  the 
present value of the future cash flows from an investment and the amount of investment. Present value 
of  the  estimated  cash  flows  is  computed  by  discounting  them  at  the  required  rate  of  return  which 
includes an adjustment for risk.

The following are important factors when determining fair value based on NPV:

•	 Estimated income generally consists of sales, co-development revenues, one-time payments and 
royalty payments on sales depending on the company, its business model and industry. These are 
estimated based on a variety of factors including, inter alia: total addressable market; competitive 
factors;  barriers  to  competition;  pricing;  typical  standards  for  contract  value;  royalty  rates;  and 
likelihood of development of a product that is commercially viable.

•	 Costs  and  capital  expenditures  are  estimated  for  each  phase  of  development  based  on  the 
companies’  information  or  according  to  industry  standards.  Costs  are  typically  forecasted  for 
cost of goods, SG&A (selling, general and administrative), research and development as well as a 
variety of other expenses. These are typically developed ‘‘from the ground up’’ for earlier years and 
for later years depicted as a factor or percentage of sales.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)•	 The terminal or exit value represents the aggregate value of an entity at the end of the discrete 
forecast  period.  Terminal  value  may  be  estimated  using  the  terminal  multiple  method,  which 
inherently assumes that the business will be valued at the end of the projection period based on 
reference valuations. Under this methodology, the terminal value is typically calculated by applying 
one of two commonly accepted methodologies:

  —   Multiple  base  terminal  value:  Use  of  an  appropriate  multiple  to  the  relevant  financial  metric 
forecasted for the last projected year taking into consideration the ongoing growth potential of 
the business in the terminal year. Exit values included in the analysis are typically projected as a 
multiple of EBIT, EBITDA or Sales based on the final year results for the forecast period. Where 
available, a set of guideline public companies that are similar to the company to be used for 
comparative purposes and the multiple is derived from this set;

  —   Gordon growth model based terminal value: Use of a formula that calculates the present value 
of cash flow in the terminal year growing into infinity at an ascribed terminal growth rate. The 
terminal  growth  rate  is  derived  by  estimating  the  long-term  annual  growth  potential  of  the 
business at the terminal year.

•	

rNPV is a technique typically used when valuing pharmaceutical or biological companies and has 
been  used  in  estimating  the  value  of  ProGDerm.  When  using  rNPV,  it  is  the  same  process  as 
developing an NPV analysis though costs and revenues are probability adjusted downward based 
on the phase of development.

•	 Selection  of  discount  rates  is  based  on  part  utilising  American  Institute  of  Certified  Public 
Accountants  (AICPA)  practice  standards  varying  by  stage  of  development  of  the  subsidiary  as 
well as other risk factors and typically range from 20-45%. When utilising rNPV, discount rates are 
typically lower reflecting the probability adjustment of the cash flows already made.

•	 Significant events occurring after the date of valuation according to the previous paragraph have 
been taken into account in the valuation to the extent that such events would have affected the 
value on the closing date.

•	 Where available NPV results are compared against peer companies and to valuations for similar 

companies.

Due to the early stage nature of the Group’s subsidiary companies, projections are particularly sensitive 
to certain key assumptions namely:

•	 Discount rate and in particular risk premium;

•	 The ability to predict the cost and timing of achieving technical and commercial viability;

•	 Projected revenue and operating costs in the post-product development phase of each company; 

and

•	 The size and share of addressable market for intellectual property, products and services developed.

Whilst the Board considers the methodologies and assumptions adopted in valuation are supportable, 
reasonable and robust, because of the inherent uncertainty of valuation, those estimated values may 
differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a ready market for the investment 
existed and the differences could be significant.

Page 141 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Associates

Location

Registered
number

Ownership percentage
31 December
2015  

2014

Stalam S.p.A.

Vicenza, Italy

2083930244

28.5%

28.5%

Stalam S.p.A.

Carrying amount for equity accounted investees

2015 
$’000  

1,612

1,612

2014 
$’000

1,560

1,560

In December 2013, RF Biocidics (“RFB”) entered into a manufacturing agreement with the strategic 
partner Stalam S.p.A. (“Stalam”) in Italy, which made Stalam an exclusive manufacturer of the Apex 
product  line  series,  as  well  as  any  new  generation  RF  Systems  that  incorporates  both  Stalam  and 
RFB technologies which the parties develop jointly as part of the agreement. Following this transaction 
in  March  2014,  RF  Biocidics  acquired  ordinary  shares  representing  28.5%  of  the  capital  of  that 
manufacturer in exchange for 1.1 million Euro ($1.5 million).

The Group’s interest in Stalam is presented in the below table as of 31 December:
2015 
$’000  

Carrying amount of interest in associates
Share of:
  Profit from continuing operations

Total comprehensive income

(12) Other Investments

As of 31 December:
Fixed income securities
  Treasury and government agencies
  Corporate bonds

  Other investments, current

Fixed income securities
  Treasury and government agencies
  Corporate bonds

  Other investments, long-term

  Total other investments

2014 
$’000

39

39

52

52

2015 
$’000  

2014 
$’000

3,468
34,180
37,648

10,871
40,674
51,545

89,193

2,745
12,486
15,231

—
22,176
22,176

37,407

Other investments represent investments in fixed income securities issued by government agencies 
and US and non-US corporations. As of 31 December 2015, the investments had a credit rating of 
BBB to A, maturities of up to 3 years and original coupon rate from 0.500% to 7.650% (2014: 0.875% 
to 5.750%).

Page 142 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
 
 
(13) Cash and Cash Equivalents

As of 31 December:

Bank balances
Restricted cash

  Total cash and cash equivalents

2015 
$’000  

105,687
(132)

105,555

2014 
$’000

224,206
(131)

224,075

Restricted cash represents cash reserved as collateral against a letter of credit with a bank issued for 
the benefit of a landlord in lieu of a security deposit to an office space lease for one of the Group’s 
subsidiaries. The amount is classified as other financial assets, non-current in the statement of financial 
position.

(14) Inventories

As of 31 December:

Finished units
Work in progress
Raw materials

  Total inventories

(15) Trade and Other Receivables

As of 31 December:

Trade receivables 
Prepayments and other current assets

  Total trade and other receivables

(16) Equity

2015 
$’000  

1,007
149
355

1,511

2015 
$’000  

1,012
6,330

7,342

2014 
$’000

1,725
1,034
160

2,919

2014 
$’000

1,608
4,697

6,305

On 19 June 2014 Allied Minds plc acquired the entire issued share capital of Allied Minds, Inc. (now 
Allied Minds, LLC) at a rate of twenty-two £0.01 Ordinary Shares in Allied Minds plc for every $0.01 of 
common stock in Allied Minds, Inc. This has been accounted as a common control transaction and the 
comparative historical financials have been presented as if the transaction had already taken place. It 
has therefore been deemed that the share capital was issued in line with movements in share capital as 
shown prior to the transaction taking place. In addition the merger reserve records amounts previously 
recorded as share premium net of differences arising between share capital on the restructured basis 
and the former basis.

On 25 June 2014 the Company’s entire issued ordinary share capital of 209,499,425 ordinary shares 
of one pence each were admitted to the premium listing segment of the Official List of the UK Listing 
Authority and to trading on the LSE’s Main Market for listed securities. The IPO was for 61,695,208 
shares at 190 pence per ordinary share, of which 44,254,411 were new ordinary shares issued by the 
Company and 17,440,797 were sold by selling shareholders.

This resulted in approximately $131.8 million of net proceeds from the IPO (net of issue cost of $11.0 
million) reflected in the share premium balance as of 30 June 2014. The IPO also included an over-

Page 143 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)allotment option equivalent to 15% of the total number of new ordinary shares, or 6,638,161. The over- 
allotment period expired on 19 July 2014 and the stabilisation manager exercised in part their over- 
allotment option. As a result, the Company issued 3,791,154 Shares at the offer price of 190 pence per 
share achieving further gross proceeds for the Company of £7.2 million, or approximately $12.3 million. 
The total number of shares and voting rights in the Company after issuing the over-allotment shares 
was 213,290,579. Additionally, various option holders in the U.S. Stock Plan exercised their options, 
resulting in additional share premium of $10.5 million.

Subsequent to the IPO, during 2015 existing shareholders exercised options to purchase 1,191,784 
shares  of  the  Company  under  the  U.S.  Stock  Plan  (2014:  1,155,000),  resulting  in  additional  share 
premium of $2,443,000 (2014: $780,000).

Movements  below  explain  the  movements  in  share  capital  taking  into  account  the  reorganisation 
described above. Each movement in share capital reflects the number of shares and nominal value of 
the shares as if the reorganisation had been in place at that date and the shares were those of Allied 
Minds plc.

As of 31 December:

Equity
Share capital, £0.01 par value, issued and fully paid
215,637,363 and 214,445,579, respectively
Share premium
Merger reserve
Translation reserve
Accumulated deficit
Equity attributable to owners of the Company
Non-controlling interests

Total equity

2015 
$’000 

2014 
$’000 
(restated, 
see note 1)

3,429

3,411

155,867
185,544
(16)
(182,660)
162,164
(20,790)

141,374

153,442
185,544
(61)
(107,557)
234,779
(4,946)

229,833

Holders of Ordinary Shares are entitled to vote, on all matters submitted to shareholders for a vote. 
Each Ordinary Share is entitled to one vote. Each ordinary share is entitled to receive dividends when 
and if declared by the Company’s board of directors. The Company has not declared any dividends 
in the past.

Translation  reserve  comprises  all  foreign  exchange  differences  arising  from  the  translation  of  the 
financial statements of foreign operations.

Page 144 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
 
(17) Acquisition of Non-Controlling Interest (“NCI”)

For the two years ended 31 December 2015, the Group recognised the following changes in common 
stock ownership in subsidiaries:

2014

•	 Federated  Wireless  closed  an  internal  round  of  financing  of  $5.0  million  equity  investment  from 
Allied  Minds.  As  a  result  of  the  transaction,  after  covering  the  anti-dilutive  protection  of  certain 
shareholders, Allied Minds’ interest in Federated Wireless increased from 90.0% to 90.9%;

•	 Optio  Labs  closed  a  round  of  financing  of  $10.0  million  in  March  2014  with  existing  and  new 
shareholders of the Group, of which Allied Minds subscribed to contribute $7.7 million by January 
2015 should no other investors opt to participate by July 2014. New and existing shareholders of 
the Group exercised that option in the amount of $150 thousand and Allied Minds completed its 
obligation for the balance in January 2015;

•	 Allied-Bristol Life Sciences, LLC (“ABLS”) was formed in July 2014 as a partnership between Allied 
Minds and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (“BMY”) to identify and foster research and pre-clinical 
development of biopharmaceutical innovations. Allied Minds and BMY have jointly funded ABLS 
with $10.0 million of initial capital, of which $8.0 million were contributed by Allied Minds. ABLS 
will form and fund new companies to conduct feasibility studies and where appropriate, full-phase 
discovery programs;

The  following  summarises  the  changes  in  the  non-controlling  ownership  interest  in  subsidiaries  by 
reportable segment:

Non-controlling interest as of 
31 December 2013
  New funds into non-controlling interest
  Share of comprehensive loss
  Effect of change in Company’s 

  ownership interest

Non-controlling interest as of 
31 December 2014 
(restated, see note 1)

  Share of comprehensive loss
  Effect of change in Company’s 

  ownership interest

  Equity-settled share based payments
Non-controlling interest as of 
31 December 2015

Early Stage

Commercial

Consolidated

STT 
$’000

9,860
—
(6,283)

Other 
$’000

(1,542)
4,492
(2,891)

RFB 
$’000

(2,270)
— 
(1,968)

Other 
$’000

(3,442)
— 
(1,086)

$’000

2,606
4,492
(12,228)

667

(666)

174

9

184

4,244

(9,518)

143
850

(607)

(6,251)

3,077
231

(4,064)

(3,009)

(4,519)

(1,413)

8
34

— 
4

(4,946)

(20,191)

3,228
1,119

(4,281)

(3,550)

(7,031)

(5,928)

(20,790)

As disclosed above in note 4, at the end of 2015, the Group’s CODM has determined that Biotectix 
reached commercial stage and as such its financial information has been presented in the respective 
reportable segment as of and for the year ended 31 December 2015 and 2014.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
 
(18) Subsidiary Preferred Shares

Certain of the Group’s subsidiaries have outstanding preferred shares which have been classified as 
a subsidiary preferred shares in current liabilities in accordance with IAS 39 as the subsidiaries have a 
contractual obligation to deliver cash or other assets to the holders under certain future liquidity events, 
and/or a requirement to deliver an uncertain number of common shares upon conversion. The preferred 
shares do not contain mandatory dividend rights. The preferred shares are convertible into common 
stock of the subsidiary at the option of the holder and mandatorily convertible into common stock of 
the subsidiary upon a qualified public offering at or above certain value and gross proceeds specified in 
the agreements or upon the vote of the holders of a majority of the subsidiary preferred shares. Under 
certain  scenarios  the  number  of  common  stock  shares  receivable  on  conversion  will  change.  The 
Group has elected not to bifurcate the variable conversion feature as a derivative liability, but account 
for the entire instrument at fair value through the income statement. The preferred shares are entitled 
to a vote with holders of common stock on an as converted basis. The holders of the preferred shares 
are entitled to a liquidation preference amount in the event of a liquidation or a deemed liquidation event 
of the respective subsidiary. The Group recognises the subsidiary preferred shares balance upon the 
receipt of cash financing, and records the change in its fair value for the respective reporting period 
through profit and loss. Preferred shares are not allocated shares of the subsidiary losses.

The following summarises the subsidiary preferred shares balance:

As of 31 December:

Spin Transfer Technologies

SciFluor Life Sciences

Precision Biopsy

  Total subsidiary preferred shares

2015 
$’000 

51,518

25,583

16,982

94,083

2014 
$’000 
(restated, 
see note 1)

49,981

—

—

49,981

In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of a subsidiary, the 
holders of subsidiary preferred shares then outstanding shall be entitled to be paid out of the assets 
of  the  subsidiary  available  for  distribution  to  shareholders  and  before  any  payment  shall  be  made 
to holders of common shares. A merger, acquisition, sale of voting control or other transaction of a 
subsidiary in which the shareholders of the subsidiary do not own a majority of the outstanding shares 
of the surviving company shall be deemed to be a liquidation event. Additionally, a sale, lease, transfer 
or  other  disposition  of  all  or  substantially  all  of  the  assets  of  the  subsidiary  shall  also  be  deemed  a 
liquidation event.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
 
The minimum liquidation preference that would be payable to the subsidiary preferred holders upon a 
liquidation event of the subsidiaries, is as follows:

As of 31 December:

Spin Transfer Technologies
SciFluor Life Sciences
Precision Biopsy

  Total minimum liquidation preference

2015 
$’000 

50,000
25,200
17,000

92,200

2014 
$’000 
(restated, 
see note 1)

50,000
—
—

50,000

For the two years ended 31 December 2015, the Group recognised the following changes in subsidiary 
preferred shares:

2015

•	 SciFluor Life Sciences completed a $30.0 million round of Series A financing in April 2015. Of the 
$30.0 million raised in this financing, Allied Minds contributed approximately $4.8 million for the 
purchase of 501,857 preferred shares, and other existing shareholders of the Group contributed 
with the remainder of the round.

•	 Precision Biopsy completed a $33.6 million round of Series A financing in October 2015. Of the 
$33.6 million raised in this financing, Allied Minds contributed approximately $16.6 million for the 
purchase of 3,140,608 preferred shares, and other existing shareholders of the Group contributed 
with the remainder of the round. The round was funded in two tranches and the second tranche 
of  $10.0  million  is  due  after  one  year  from  closing  of  the  round,  of  which  $4.0  million  will  be 
contributed by Allied Minds and other existing shareholders of the Group will contribute with the 
remainder $6.0 million.

2014
•	 Spin  Transfer  Technologies  completed  a  $70.0  million  round  of  Series  A  financing  in  October 
2014. Of the $70.0 million raised in this financing, Allied Minds contributed approximately $20.0 
million  for  the  purchase  of  1,686,340  preferred  shares,  and  other  existing  shareholders  of  the 
Group contributed with the remainder of the round.

(19) Loans

As of 31 December:

Non-current liabilities — Loans:
Secured bank loan
Unsecured loan

Current liabilities — Loans:
Secured bank loan
Unsecured loan

Total loans

Page 147 of 165

2015 
$’000  

2014 
$’000

—
112
112

—
228
228

340

—
338
338

—
213
213

551

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
 
The terms and conditions of outstanding loans are as follows:

2015 

$’000

2014 

$’000

As of 31 December:

Currency  

interest rate  

maturity  

value  

amount  

value  

amount

Nominal 

Year of 

Face 

Carrying 

Face 

Carrying 

Unsecured loan

USD

6.5% 2013-17

Total interest bearing liabilities

340  

340  

340

340

551  

551  

551

551

CryoXtract Instruments, LLC Promissory Note
In May 2012, CryoXtract Instruments, LLC signed a promissory note with a state financing authority 
in the amount of $800,000 to provide working capital for materials and fund salaries. The note fully 
matures in May 2017 and bears interest of 6.5%. Payment of interest only is due in the first 18 months. 
As of 31 December 2013, CryoXtract had drawn the full balance of the note, of which $221,000 and 
$210,000  was  repaid  during  2015  and  2014,  respectively,  and  $28,000  (2014:  $213,000),  net  of 
discount, is included in current liabilities. Interest expense paid on the note was $41,000 and $42,000 
for the years ended 31 December 2015 and 2014, respectively.

As part of the consideration for the loan, CryoXtract had issued to the lender a warrant entitling the 
lender  to  purchase  an  aggregate  of  65,310  membership  units  in  the  subsidiary’s  ordinary  shares, 
representing 0.01% of the total membership units. The fair value of the warrant issued of $35,000 is 
amortised over the life of the loan as a discount against the note balance.

(20) Trade and Other Payables

As of 31 December:

Trade payables
Accrued expenses
Other current liabilities
Trade and other payables, current
Other non-current payables

  Total trade and other payables

(21) Leases

2015 
$’000  

6,326
7,690
252
14,268
751

15,019

2014 
$’000

4,769
6,570
—
11,339
182

11,521

Office and laboratory space is rented under non-cancellable operating leases. These lease agreements 
contain  various  clauses  for  renewal  at  the  Group’s  option  and,  in  certain  cases,  escalation  clauses 
typically linked to rates of inflation.

Minimum rental commitments under non-cancellable leases were payable as follows:

For the year ended 31 December:

Less than one year 
Between one and five years 
More than five years 

  Total minimum lease payments

Page 148 of 165

2015 
$’000  

2,421
4,822
1,183

8,426

2014 
$’000

1,772
2,066
38

3,876

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Total rent expense under these leases was approximately $2,673,000 and $2,478,000 in 2015 and 
2014, respectively. Rent expenses are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and 
research and development expenses in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss.

(22) Financial Instruments and Related Disclosures

The following table shows the carrying amounts and fair values of financial assets and financial liabilities, 
including their levels in the fair value hierarchy:

2015 

$’000

Carrying amount

Fair value

Other 

Loans and 

financial 

As of 31 December:

receivables

liabilities

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

Financial assets
  Cash and cash equivalents
  Fixed income securities
  Trade and other receivables
  Subscription receivable
  Security and other deposits

Total
Financial liabilities
  Unsecured loan
  Trade and other payables
  Deferred revenue
  Subsidiary preferred shares

Total

105,555
89,193
7,342
6,000
1,213

209,303

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

— 
14,360
— 
— 
— 

105,555
75,385
7,342
6,000
1,213

14,360

195,495

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

105,555
89,745
7,342
6,000
1,213

209,855

—
—
—
—

340
15,019
395
94,083

— 109,837

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

359
15,019
395
—

15,773

— 
— 
— 
94,083 

359
15,019
395
94,083

94,083 

109,856

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)2014 

$’000

Carrying amount

Fair value

Other 

Loans and 

financial 

As of 31 December:

receivables

liabilities

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

Financial assets
  Cash and cash equivalents
  Fixed income securities
  Trade and other receivables
  Security and other deposits

Total

Financial liabilities
  Unsecured loan
  Trade and other payables
  Deferred revenue
  Subsidiary preferred shares

Total

224,075
37,407
6,305
879

268,666

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

— 
2,761
— 
— 

224,075
34,882
6,305
879

2,761

266,141

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

224,075
37,643
6,305
879

268,902

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

551
11,521
1,144
49,981

63,197

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

581
11,521
1,144
—

13,246

— 
— 
— 
49,981 

581
11,521
1,144
49,981

49,981 

63,227

The fair value of financial instruments that are not traded is determined by using valuation techniques 
that maximise the use of observable market data where it is available and rely as little as possible on 
entity specific estimates. If all significant inputs required to fair value an instrument are observable, the 
instrument is included in Level 2. Where the inputs for determining the fair value of financial instruments 
are not based on observable market data, the instrument is included in Level 3.

The Group has determined that the carrying amounts for cash and cash equivalents, trade and other 
receivables  and  payables,  security  and  other  deposits,  and  customer  deposits  are  a  reasonable 
approximation of their fair values and are included in Level 2.

The following presents the quantitative information about the significant unobservable inputs used in 
the fair value measurement of the Group’s subsidiary preferred shares liability designated as Level 3:

Option Pricing Model Inputs

Measurement Date

Time to Liquidity

Volatility

Risk-Free Rate

31-Dec-2014
31-Dec-2015

4.78 years
3.78 – 4.76 years

60.0%
60.0% – 70.0%

1.59%
1.48% – 1.71%

The change in fair value of the subsidiary preferred shares is recorded in Finance (cost)/income, net in 
the consolidated statement of comprehensive loss.

Page 150 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)(23) Capital and Financial Risk Management

The Group’s policy is to maintain a strong capital base so as to maintain investor, creditor and market 
confidence  and  to  sustain  future  development  of  the  business.  Management  monitors  the  level  of 
capital deployed and available for deployment in subsidiary projects. The board of directors seeks to 
maintain a balance between the higher returns that might be possible with higher levels of deployed 
capital and the advantages and security afforded by a sound capital position.

The Group’s executive management and board of directors have overall responsibility for establishment 
and  oversight  of  the  Group’s  risk  management  framework.  The  Group  is  exposed  to  certain  risks 
through its normal course of operations. The Group’s main objective in using financial instruments is to 
promote the commercialisation of intellectual property through the raising and investing of funds for this 
purpose. The Group’s policies in calculating the nature, amount and timing of funding are determined 
by planned future investment activity. Due to the nature of activities and with the aim to maintain the 
investors’ funds secure and protected, the Group’s policy is to hold any excess funds in highly liquid 
and readily available financial instruments and reduce the exposure to other financial risks.

The Group has exposure to the following risks arising from financial instruments:

Credit Risk
Credit risk is the risk of financial loss to the Group if a customer or counterparty to a financial instrument 
fails  to  meet  its  contractual  obligations.  Financial  instruments  that  potentially  subject  the  Group  to 
concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash and cash equivalents, other investments in the 
form of fixed income securities, and trade and other receivables.

The Group held following balances:

As of 31 December:

Cash and cash equivalent
Other investments
Trade and other receivables

2015 
$’000  

105,555
89,193
7,342

202,090

2014 
$’000

224,075
37,407
6,305

267,787

The Group maintains money market funds, certificates of deposits, and fixed income securities with 
financial  institutions,  which  the  Group  believes  are  of  high  credit  quality.  Risk  control  assesses  the 
credit  quality  of  the  customer,  taking  into  account  its  financial  position,  past  experience  and  other 
factors. Individual risk limits are set based on ratings in accordance with limits set by the board. The 
utilisation of credit limits is regularly monitored. The credit quality of financial assets that are neither past 
due nor impaired can be assessed by reference to credit ratings (if available) or to historical information 
about counterparty default rates.

Page 151 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Group policy is to maintain its funds in highly liquid deposit accounts with reputable financial institutions.

The aging of trade receivables that were not impaired was as follows:

As of 31 December:

Neither past due nor impaired
Past due 30-90 days
Past due over 90 days

2015 
$’000  

784
110
118

1,012

2014 
$’000

784
276
548

1,608

The  Group  has  no  significant  concentration  of  credit  risk.  The  Group  assesses  the  credit  quality  of 
customers, taking into account their current financial position. An analysis of the credit quality of trade 
receivables that are neither past due nor impaired is as follows:

As of 31 December:

Customers with less than three years of  trading history with 
the Group

2015 
$’000  

1,012

1,012

2014 
$’000

1,608

1,608

Liquidity Risk
Liquidity risk is the risk that the Group will encounter difficulty in meeting the obligations associated 
with its financial liabilities that are settled by delivering cash or another financial asset. The Group’s 
approach to managing liquidity is to ensure, as far as possible, that it will have sufficient liquidity to 
meet its liabilities when they are due, under both normal and stressed conditions, without incurring 
unacceptable losses or risking damage to the Group’s reputation.

The Group seeks to manage liquidity risk, ensuring that sufficient liquidity is available to meet foreseeable 
requirements.

The following are the remaining contractual maturities of financial liabilities at the reporting date. The 
amounts are gross and undiscounted, and include estimated interest payments and exclude the impact 
of netting agreements. The current portion of the carrying amount of lease obligations is included in 
trade and other payables.

As of 31 December 2015:  
$’000

Trade and other payables
Other non-current liabilities
Unsecured bank loans

Carrying 
amount

14,268
751
340

15,359

Contractual cash flows

Less than 

Total

1 year  2-5 years

More than 
5 years

14,268
751
370

15,389

14,268
358
252

14,878

—
365
118

483

—
28
—

28

Page 152 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)As of 31 December 2014: 
$’000

Trade and other payables
Other non-current liabilities
Unsecured bank loans

Carrying 
amount  

Contractual cash flows
Less than 

Total

1 year    2-5 years

More than 
5 years

11,339
182
551

12,072

11,339
182
622

12,143

11,339
83
252

11,674

—
97
370

467

—
2
—

2

It is not expected that the cash flows included in the maturity analysis could occur significantly earlier, 
or at significantly different amounts.

Market Risk
Market risk is the risk that changes in market prices – such as foreign exchange rates, interest rates 
and equity prices – will affect the Group’s income or the value of its holdings of financial instruments. 
The  objective  of  market  risk  management  is  to  manage  and  control  market  risk  exposures  within 
acceptable parameters, while optimising the return. The Group maintains the exposure to market risk 
from such financial instruments to insignificant levels. The Group exposure to changes in interest rates 
is determined to be insignificant.

Capital Risk Management
The Group is funded by equity finance and long term borrowings. Total capital is calculated as ‘total 
equity’ as shown in the consolidated statement of financial position.

The Group’s objectives when managing capital are to safeguard the Group’s ability to continue as a 
going concern in order to provide returns for shareholders and benefits for other stakeholders and to 
maintain an optimal capital structure to reduce the cost of capital. In order to maintain or adjust the 
capital structure, the Group may issue new shares or borrow new debt. The Group has some external 
debt and no material externally imposed capital requirements. The Group’s share capital is set out in 
note 16.

(24) Related Parties

Key Management Personnel Compensation
Key management personnel compensation received comprised the following:

For the year ended 31 December:

Short-term employee benefits 
Share-based payments 

Total

2015 
$’000  

3,341
1,708

5,049

2014 
$’000

2,863
7,430

10,293

Short-term employee benefits of the Group’s key management personnel include salaries and bonuses, 
health care and other non-cash benefits.

Share-based payments include the value of awards granted under the U.S Stock Plan and the LTIP 
during  the  year.  Approximately  $5.0  million  of  the  value  of  share-base  payment  in  2014  represents 
the  value  of  restricted  stock  units  granted  under  the  LTIP  established  in  June  2014.  Share-based 

Page 153 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)payments  under  the  LTIP  are  subject  to  vesting  terms  over  future  periods.  Share-based  payments 
granted  under  the  U.S.  Stock  Plan  fully  vested  upon  the  reorganisation  described  in  note  16.  See 
further details of the two plans in note 6.

Bonuses  to  key  management  for  the  year  of  $1,260,000  were  outstanding  at  31  December  2015 
(2014: $1,500,000) and were paid in January of 2016.

Key Management Personnel Transactions
Key management personnel transactions comprised the following:

For the year ended 31 December:

Non-executive Directors’ fees
Non-executive Directors’ share-based payments

Total

2015 
$’000  

357
225

582

2014 
$’000

199
295

494

Fees to non-executive Directors of $105,000 were outstanding at 31 December 2015 (2014: $67,500) 
and were paid in shortly after the year end.

Executive  management  and  Directors  of  the  Company  control  2.2%  of  the  voting  shares  of  the 
Company as of 31 December 2015 (2014: 12.7%).

The Group has not engaged in any other transactions with key management personnel or other related 
parties.

Other related party transactions
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Loss

For the year ended 31 December:

Purchase of goods
Equity-accounted investee

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

As of 31 December:

Purchase of goods outstanding balance
Equity-accounted investee

2015 
$’000  

2014 
$’000

1,334

1,879

2015 
$’000  

2014 
$’000

171

33

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)(25) Taxation

Amounts recognised in profit or loss
No current income tax expense was recorded for US jurisdictions for the years ended 31 December 
2015 and 2014 due to accumulated losses. 

For the year ended 31 December:

Net loss
Income taxes

Net loss before taxes

2015 
$’000  

97,989
— 

97,989

2014 
$’000

57,706
— 

57,706

In January 2016, the Company paid to HM Revenue & Customs $67,000 of UK income taxes of Allied 
Minds plc for the 2014 tax year.

Reconciliation of Effective Tax Rate
The  Group  is  primarily  subject  to  taxation  in  the  US,  therefore  the  reconciliation  of  the  effective  tax 
rate has been prepared using the US statutory tax rate. A reconciliation of the US statutory rate to the 
effective tax rate is as follows:

Weighted average statutory rate
Effect of state tax rate in US
Credits
Share-based payment remeasurement
Other
Current year losses for which no deferred tax asset is recognised

2015 
%  

35.0
5.3
3.7
(2.6)
(2.6)
(38.8)

— 

2014 
%

35.0
5.4
2.8
26.6
(8.2)
(61.6)

— 

Factors that may affect future tax expense
The Group is primarily subject to taxation in the US and UK. Additionally, the Group is exposed to state 
taxation in various jurisdictions throughout the US. Changes in corporate tax rates can change both 
the current tax expense (benefit) as well as the deferred tax expense (benefit). Reductions in the UK 
corporation tax rate to 19% (effective 1 April 2017) and to 18% (effective 1 April 2020) were substantially 
enacted on 26 October 2015. The maximum corporate tax rate in the US for the corresponding periods 
is 35%.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Unrecognised Deferred Tax Assets
Deferred  tax  assets  have  not  been  recognised  in  respect  of  the  following  items,  because  it  is  not 
probable  that  future  taxable  profit  will  be  available  against  which  the  Group  can  use  the  benefits 
therefrom:

As of 31 December:

Operating tax losses (1)
Capital losses (2)
Research credits (1)
Temporary differences (3)
Deferred tax assets
Other temporary differences (3)

Deferred tax liabilities

Deferred tax assets, net, not recognised

(1) expire starting in 2024

(2) expire starting in 2015

(3) generally will expire 20 years subsequent to the time the deduction is taken

2015 
$’000  

87,280
1,612
6,558
15,390
110,840
(398)

(398)

110,442

2014 
$’000

59,586
1,952
3,820
17,829
83,187
(974)

(974)

82,213

Deferred tax is measured at the rates that are expected to apply in the period when the temporary 
differences are expected to reverse, based on tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantially 
enacted by the statement of financial position date. The reduction in the main rate of UK corporation 
tax  to  20%  (from  23%)  was  substantially  enacted  on  2  July  2013  and  applied  from  1  April  2015. 
However, the UK corporation tax rate initially reduced from 23% to 21% from 1 April 2014. The change 
in the UK corporate tax rate did not materially impact the calculation of the deferred tax assets as these 
assets are generally exposed to tax in US jurisdiction.

There  were  no  movements  in  deferred  tax  recognised  in  income  or  equity  in  2015  or  2014  as  the 
deferred tax asset was not recognised in any of those years.

(26) Subsequent Events

The  Company  has  evaluated  subsequent  events  through  25  April  2016,  which  is  the  date  the 
consolidated financial information is available to be issued.

Federated Wireless, Inc.
In  February  2016,  Federated  Wireless  successfully  raised  $22.0  million  in  Series  A  preferred  stock 
financing, of which Allied Minds participated with $5.0 million for 2,727,580 shares of the preferred 
stock and the remainder was provided by existing shareholders of the Group.

ABLS III, LLC
In March 2016, ABLS III (dba ißeCa Therapeutics) was formed and licensed proprietary compounds 
from NYU School of Medicine that target the Wnt signaling pathway. The Wnt pathway plays a key role 
in the development and progression of a number of cancers affecting large numbers of patients. ißeCa 
Therapeutics will focus on further discovery and development activities needed to identify candidates 
for human clinical testing.

Page 156 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
Discontinued Subsidiaries
Operations at SiEnergy, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group, were discontinued subsequent 
to year end. The impact of this was assessed in the Group financials as of 31 December 2015 and 
unrecoverable amounts were written off.

Page 157 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Company Balance Sheet

As of 31 December 

Non-current assets

Investment in subsidiary
Total non-current assets
Current assets
  Cash and cash equivalents 
  Trade and other receivables 
  Loan to subsidiary
Total current assets

Total assets
Equity
  Share capital
  Share premium
  Merger reserve
  Other reserve
  Translation reserve
  Accumulated deficit
Total equity
Current liabilities
  Trade and other payables
Total current liabilities
Total liabilities

Total equity and liabilities

Registered number: 8998697

Note 

2015 
$‘000

2014 
$‘000

2 

3 

4 

5 
5
5 
5 
5 
5 
5 

190,055
190,055

1,564
480
126,109
128,153

318,208

3,429
155,867
185,544
4,357
(25,852)
(5,169)
318,176

32
32
32

199,429
199,429

1,639
33
131,500
133,172

332,601

3,411
153,442
185,544
1,286
(10,209)
(1,036)
332,438

163
163
163

318,208

332,601

The financial statements on pages 158 to 164 were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for 
issue on 25 April 2016 and signed on its behalf by:

Chris Silva 
Chief Executive Officer

Page 158 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Company Statement of Changes in Equity

Share capital

Shares 

Amount 
$’000

Share 
premium 
$’000

Merger 
reserve 
$’000

Translation 
reserve 
$’000

Accumulated 
deficit 
$’000

Balance at 15 April 2014

Issuance of ordinary shares

  Exercise of stock options

  Equity-settled share based payments

  Loss for the year

  Foreign currency translation

—

205,628,155

8,817,424

—

—

—

—

3,263

148

—

—

—

—

—

142,244

185,544

11,198

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

62

(74)

—

—

—

—

—

1,346

(1,036)

(10,197)

(60)

(10,257)

Total 
equity 
$’000

—

331,113

11,272

1,346

(1,036)

Balance at 31 December 2014

214,445,579

3,411

153,442

185,544

(10,209)

250

332,438

  Exercise of stock options

1,191,784

  Equity-settled share based payments

  Loss for the year

  Foreign currency translation

—

—

—

18

—

—

—

2,425

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

3,233

(4,268)

2,443

3,233

(4,268)

(15,643)

(27)

(15,670)

Balance at 31 December 2015

215,637,363

3,429

155,867

185,544

(25,852)

(812)

318,176

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial Statements 
 
Company Statement of Cash Flows

Cash flows from operating activities:
  Net operating loss

 Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in 
operating activities:

 Share-based compensation expense
 Changes in working capital:

 Increase in trade and other receivables
 Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables

 Interest received
 Other finance cost

Net cash used in operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities:

 Issuance of note receivable to subsidiary, net of 
repayments

Net cash used in investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities:

 Proceeds from issuance of share capital
 Proceeds from exercise of stock options
Net cash provided by financing activities

Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period

Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period

Year ended 
31 December 
2015 
$ ‘000

Period from 
15 April to 
31 December 
2014 
$ ‘000

Note 

(4,270)

(1,037)

5

3,233

1,346

(447)
131
2
(352)
(1,703)

(33)
(163)
1
(10,352)
(10,238)

(815)
(815)

(142,531)
(142,531)

—
2,443
2,443

(75)
1,639

1,564

143,061
11,347
154,408

1,639
—

1,639

4

5
5

Page 160 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
Notes to the Financial Statements

(1) Accounting Policies

Basis of Preparation and Measurement
The financial statements of the parent company have been prepared under the historical cost convention, 
in accordance with the Companies Act 2006 and the International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”). 
The Company is preparing its financial statements in accordance with Adopted IFRSs for the first time 
and  consequently  has  applied  IFRS  1.  In  preparing  its  opening  IFRS  Balance  Sheet,  the  Company 
has  identified  no  differences  in  its  financial  statements  as  compared  to  those  reported  previously  in 
accordance with its old basis of accounting (UK GAAP). A summary of the more important accounting 
policies which have been applied consistently throughout the year are set out below.

Functional and Presentation Currency
The functional currency of the parent company is British Pounds. The financial statements of the parent 
company are presented in US dollars.

Foreign Currency
Transactions in foreign currencies are translated to the respective functional currencies of the parent 
company at the foreign exchange rate ruling at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities 
denominated in foreign currencies at the balance sheet date are retranslated to the functional currency 
at the foreign exchange rate ruling at that date. Foreign exchange differences arising on translation are 
recognised in the income statement. Non-monetary assets and liabilities that are measured in terms of 
historical cost in a foreign currency are translated using the exchange rate at the date of the transaction. 
Non-monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies that are stated at fair value are 
retranslated to the functional currency at foreign exchange rates ruling at the dates the fair value was 
determined.

On translation of the Company financial statements from functional currency to presentational currency 
the  assets  and  liabilities  are  translated  at  the  closing  exchange  rates.  Profit  and  loss  accounts  are 
translated at the average rates of exchange during the year. Gains and losses arising on these translations 
are taken to reserves.

Investments
Investments are stated at historic cost less any provision for impairment in value and are held for long-term 
investment purposes. Provisions are based upon an assessment of events or changes in circumstances 
that  indicate  that  an  impairment  has  occurred  such  as  the  performance  and/or  prospects  (including 
the financial prospects) of the investee company being significantly below the expectations on which 
the investment was based, a significant adverse change in the markets in which the investee company 
operates or a deterioration in general market conditions.

Intercompany Loans
All intercompany loans are initially recognised  at  fair value  and  subsequently  measured at  amortised 
cost. Where intercompany loans are intended for use on a continuing basis in the Company’s activities 
and  there  is  no  intention  of  their  settlement  in  the  foreseeable  future,  they  are  presented  as  current 
assets.

Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include all highly liquid instruments with original maturities of three months 
or less.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Financial Statements
(continued)

Impairment
If there is an indication that an asset might be impaired, the Company will perform an impairment review. 
An asset is impaired if the recoverable amount, being the higher of net realisable value and value in use, 
is less than its carrying amount. Value in use is measured based on future discounted cash flows (“DCF”) 
attributable to the asset. In such cases, the carrying value of the asset is reduced to recoverable amount 
with a corresponding charge recognised in the profit and loss account.

Financial Instruments
Currently the Company does not enter into derivative financial instruments. Financial assets and financial 
liabilities are recognised and cease to be recognised on the basis of when the related titles pass to or 
from the Company.

Share-based Payments
Share-based payment arrangements in which the Company receives goods or services as consideration 
for its own equity instruments are accounted for as equity-settled share-based payment transactions, 
regardless of how the equity instruments are obtained by the Company.

The grant date fair value of share-based payment awards granted to employees is recognised as an 
employee expense, with a corresponding increase in equity, over the period that the employees become 
unconditionally entitled to the awards. The fair value of the options granted is measured using an option 
valuation model, taking into account the terms and conditions upon which the options were granted. 
The amount recognised as an expense is adjusted to reflect the actual number of awards for which 
the related service and non-market vesting conditions are expected to be met, such that the amount 
ultimately recognised as an expense is based on the number of awards that do meet the related service 
and  non-market  performance  conditions  at  the  vesting  date.  For  share-based  payment  awards  with 
non-vesting conditions, the grant date fair value of the share-based payment is measured to reflect such 
conditions and there is no true-up for differences between expected and actual outcomes.

(2) Investment in subsidiary

Balance at 1 January
  Additions

Impairment

  Disposals
  Effect from currency translation

Balance at 31 December

2015 
$’000

199,429
—
—
—
(9,374)

190,055

2014 
$’000

—
218,085
—
—
(18,656)

199,429

Investment in subsidiary represents the Company’s investment in Allied Minds, LLC as a result of the 
reverse acquisition described above in note 16 to the consolidated financial statements, immediately 
prior  to  the  Company’s  the  initial  public  offering  on  the  London  Stock  Exchange  in  June  of  2014. 
Allied  Minds,  LLC  operates  in  the  US  as  a  US-focused  science  and  technology  development  and 
commercialisation company. For a summary of the Company’s indirect subsidiaries see note 11 to the 
consolidated financial statements.

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015 
Notes to the Financial Statements
(continued)

(3) Cash and cash equivalents

As of 31 December:

Bank balances

  Cash and cash equivalents

(4) Loan to subsidiary

Balance at 1 January
  Additions
  Repayments
  Effect from currency translation

Balance at 31 December

2015 
$’000

1,564

1,564

2015 
$’000

131,500
3,913
(3,098)
(6,206)

126,109

2014 
$’000

1,639

1,639

2014 
$’000

—
142,531
—
(11,031)

131,500

The Company has loaned its excess cash to its operating subsidiary Allied Minds, LLC to be further 
deployed in support of the continuing operations of the Group. The note bears an interest of 1.25% and 
is repayable upon demand. However, there is no intention of its settlement in the foreseeable future.

(5) Share capital and reserves

Allied  Minds  plc  was  incorporated  with  the  Companies  House  under  the  Companies  Act  2006  as  a 
public company on 15 April 2014. Full detail of the share capital and reserves activity for the year can 
be found in note 16 to the consolidated financial statements.

As of 31 December:

Equity
Share capital, £0.01 par value, issued and fully paid
215,637,363 and 214,445,579, respectively
Share premium
Merger reserve
Translation reserve
(Accumulated deficit)/retained earnings

Total equity

(6) Profit and loss account

2015 
$’000

2014 
$’000

3,429

3,411

155,867
185,544
(25,852)
(812)

318,176

153,442
185,544
(10,209)
250

332,438

As permitted by Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006, the Company’s profit and loss account has 
not  been  included  in  these  financial  statements.  The  Company’s  loss  for  the  year  was  $4,268,000 
(2014: $1,036,000).

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Financial StatementsNotes to the Financial Statements
(continued)

(7) Directors’ remuneration, employee information and share-based payments

The remuneration of the Directors of the Company is disclosed in note 24 to the consolidated financial 
statements. Full details for their remuneration can be found in the Directors’ Remuneration Report on 
pages 70 to 97. Full detail of the share-based payment charge and related disclosures can be found in 
note 6 to the consolidated financial statements.

The Company had no employees during 2015 and 2014.

Page 164 of 165

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015Company Information

Company Registration Number 
08998697

Registered Office
40 Duke’s Place 
London EC3A 7NH 
United Kingdom

Website
www.alliedminds.com

Board of Directors
Peter Dolan 
(Non-Executive Chairman)

Chris Silva 
(Chief Executive Officer)

Rick Davis 
(Senior Independent Director)

Jeff Rohr 
(Independent Non-Executive Director)

Kevin Sharer 
(Independent Non-Executive Director)

Jill Smith 
(Independent Non-Executive Director)

Company Secretary
Michael Turner

Brokers
Credit Suisse International 
1 Cabot Square 
London E14 4QJ 
United Kingdom 
TEL: +44 (0)20 7888 8888

Numis Securities Limited 
The London Stock Exchange Building 
10 Paternoster Square 
London EC4M 7LT 
United Kingdom 
TEL: +44 207 260 1000

Registrar
Capita Asset Services 
The Registry 
34 Beckenham Road 
Beckenham Kent BR3 4TU 
United Kingdom 
TEL UK: 0871 664 0300 
TEL Overseas: +44 208 639 3399

Solicitors
DLA Piper UK LLP 
3 Noble Street 
London EC2V 7EE 
United Kingdom 
TEL: +44 870 011 1111

Independent Auditor
KPMG LLP 
15 Canada Square 
London E14 5GL 
United Kingdom 
TEL: +44 207 311 1000

Media Relations
Citigate Dewe Rogerson 
3 London Wall Buildings 
London EC2M 5SY 
United Kingdom 
TEL: +44 207 638 9571

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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015M
A
N
A
G
E

B
U
I
L
D

F
O
R
M

F
U
N
D

A
L
L
I
E
D
M
N
D
S

I

A
N
N
U
A
L
R
E
P
O
R
T
A
N
D
A
C
C
O
U
N
T
S

2
0
1
5

Annual Report and Accounts 
For the year ended 31 December 2015

T R A N S F O R M I N G   U . S .   I N V E N T I O N   I N T O   I N N O V A T I O N

T R A N S F O R M I N G   U . S .   I N V E N T I O N   I N T O   I N N O V A T I O N

005_c112021_Cover.indd   1

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