First Tranche Institutional Fundraise for US$28.5m

Shaires Holdings Ltd (AIM: SHR), the publicly quoted investment company providing investors with exposure to leading private mid-and late-stage global technology and AI companies, is pleased to announce the successful closing of the first tranche of its institutional fundraising (the "Subscription"), raising gross proceeds of US$28.5 million before expenses through the issue of 1,424,000 new Ordinary Shares (the "Subscription Shares") at a price of US$20.00 per share (the "Subscription Price").

Following the Subscription and taking into account the Company's existing cash resources of approximately US$8 million, the Company has total cash resources of approximately US$36.5 million. The successful completion of this first tranche represents a major milestone following the Company's recent announcement of its Board and management on 13 July 2026. The successful financing marks the conclusion of the first stage of its growth strategy. The net proceeds of the Subscription will be applied in accordance with the Company's investing policy and will support the creation of the Company's inaugural portfolio of carefully selected private technology companies, additional in-kind exchange transactions and general corporate purposes.

The Company remains in advanced discussions regarding the contribution and acquisition of its initial portfolio investments and expects to provide further announcements as appropriate.

The Subscription

The Subscription was conducted with institutional investors and comprises 1,424,000 new Ordinary Shares at the Subscription Price, raising gross proceeds of US$28.48 million. The Subscription Shares will be issued, credited as fully paid, and will rank pari passu with the existing Ordinary Shares in issue in the capital of the Company, including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions (if any) declared, made or paid on or in respect of such shares after the date of their issue. A further second tranche of the Subscription is expected to close during the month of August 2026, subject to market conditions, prior to the Company announcing its initial portfolio (the "Day One Portfolio") as well as commencing the corresponding retail offering.

The Subscription Shares represent approximately 57% of the Company's outstanding Ordinary Shares post Admission. The Subscription price is a discount of 20% to yesterday's closing price of US$25.00, being the latest practicable business day prior to the publication of this Announcement.

Admission and total voting rights

Application will be made for the Subscription Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM ("Admission"), with admission expected on or around 5 August 2026. In accordance with the provisions of the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority, the Company confirms that, following Admission, the Company will have 2,500,004 Ordinary Shares in issue and no Ordinary Shares held in treasury. The above figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations to determine if they are required to notify their interests in, or change to their interest in, the Company. All the Ordinary Shares have equal voting rights.

Director's comment

Suhail Rizvi, Executive Chairman of Shaires, commented:

"The successful completion of this first tranche of financing represents a major milestone in the launch of Shaires and the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the Company. We are very pleased to welcome our new institutional shareholders, whose participation reflects the market's strong endorsement of our unique model, our leadership team and our long-term vision.

"From the outset, our objective has been to build a differentiated publicly quoted investment company that gives institutional and retail investors access to long-term private market value creation while many of the world's leading technology companies remain private.

"Our in-kind exchange model provides stakeholders in exceptional private technology companies with a differentiated liquidity pathway. Rather than requiring a traditional sale of their holdings, contributors can exchange their private shares for publicly traded Shaires shares, creating liquidity while maintaining exposure to a diversified portfolio of world-class private businesses and their future growth.

"Through our permanent capital structure, internally managed model and innovative in-kind exchange platform, we believe Shaires offers a compelling proposition for founders, employees, venture capital firms, family offices, early investors and public market shareholders alike.

"We are also making excellent progress in discussions regarding our initial portfolio and remain highly encouraged by both the calibre of the companies and the quality of the stakeholders with whom we are engaged. This financing represents meaningful progress toward the first stage of our growth strategy: assembling approximately US$100 million of capital alongside an inaugural portfolio of best-in-class private technology companies."

Vivek Seth, CEO of Shaires, commented:

"This marks the first step to achieving our ultimate ambition: to establish Shaires as one of the pre-eminent providers of long-term capital and liquidity solutions to the frontier artificial intelligence ecosystem. We intend to become the partner of choice for many of the world's leading AI companies and their stakeholders by providing flexible capital and innovative liquidity solutions that support their continued growth while they remain private.

"At the same time, we are committed to democratising access to frontier AI innovation by enabling institutional and retail investors to participate in the growth of exceptional businesses that have historically remained beyond the reach of the public markets. We believe Shaires can play an important role in strengthening London's capital markets by creating a new gateway between public investors and the next generation of category-defining technology companies."

Further announcements regarding the Company's investment portfolio, additional capital raising activities and strategic developments will be made as and when appropriate.