Overview

WS Amati Global Innovation Fund

The Fund is a high conviction, concentrated, highly active global equity portfolio investing in Pioneers, Enablers and Adopters of innovation. We invest across sectors but with a significant exposure to technology, healthcare and industrial sectors.

 

Objective

We aim to deliver capital growth over the long term (periods of 5 years or more) by investing in companies that create value from innovation and technological change, but where the impact of such innovation is not fully priced in by the market.

 

Key Information as at 31st May 2026

 

Launch Date:May 2022
Fund Size:£52.8m
IA Sector:Global
Benchmark:MSCI ACWI
Number of holdings:40
Investment Team:Mikhail Zverev
Graeme Bencke
ISAable fund:Yes
Minimum lump sum investment£1000
Regular savings:£50/mth
Initial charge:0%
Ongoing charges (B Acc):0.75% Annual Mgt Charge plus
research charge of up to 0.10%
(OCF capped at 1%)
Ongoing charges (C Acc):0.40% Annual Mgt Charge plus
research charge of up to 0.10%
(OCF capped at 0.50%)
Share type:B Accumulation
C Accumulation
ISIN:GB00BKVF3N76
GB00BR82SM40
Scheme type:A sub-fund of a UCITS Open Ended Investment Company that is structured as an umbrella company

 

Team

The Managers

The fund is managed by Mikhail Zverev and Graeme Bencke.

  • Academic and professional background in semiconductor physics, technology investment banking, aerospace & defence
  • Multi-year top quartile track records managing high conviction global funds
  • Full alignment with significant investment of managers’ own capital into the fund

 

Mikhail Zverev, Fund Manager

    • BSc Semiconductor Physics (St Petersburg State Technical University).
    • MSc Accounting and Finance (London School of Economics).
    • Chartered Financial Analyst.
    • 28 years’ investment experience, previous roles include:
      • Aviva Investors – Head of Global Equities team, Lead PM on Global Equity Unconstrained strategy.
      • Standard Life Investments – Head of Global Equities team. Lead PM on Global Equity Unconstrained strategy.
      • Trigon Capital, Citigroup Investment Bank and First State Investments.

 

Graeme Bencke, Fund Manager

    • BSc Business Management from Royal Holloway University of London.
    • AIMR qualification.
    • 29 years’ of investment experience, previous roles include:
      • Pinebridge Investments – Head of Global Equities team, lead PM on Global Focus Equity Fund.
      • Torvius – Partner, advisory firm focussed on consulting and investor relations for emerging technology companies.
      • PM on equity strategies for Columbus Investment Partners, Gresham House and F&C.

Why Invest?

Why Global Innovation?

Innovation creates value but its impact is frequently mispriced by the market*. This is the market inefficiency that we aim to capture for our clients.

We look for technologically inevitable innovation, already being adopted by industry, and take a long-term approach with a 3-5 year time horizon. We are looking for the “future that’s already here, just not evenly distributed”.

Our research uncovers emerging and technically complex areas of innovation, and we combine this with valuation discipline and focus on profitable​, cash generative, well-funded companies. Strong businesses, not science projects.

It’s a practical, pragmatic approach, rooted in reality and bottom up industry research

 

* Sources: (1) Lauren Cohen, Karl Diether, Christopher Malloy; The Review of Financial Studies, 2013; (2) Tristan Fitzgerald , Benjamin Balsmeier , Lee Fleming , Gustavo Manso ; Management Science, 2020 (3) David Hirshleifer, Po-Hsuan Hsu, Dongmei Li; The Review of Financial Studies, 2018, (4) Kewei Hou, Po-Hsuan Hsu, Shiheng Wang, Akiko Watanabe, Yan Xu, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis (JFQA)

Investing Across the Value Chain

Our approach broadens the opportunity set, gives us more shots on goal and helps identify optimal risk reward. It also diversifies portfolio risks, enabling us to evolve the portfolio construction through the investment cycle.

Differentiated Portfolio

Insights

16 June 206 - Notes from Imec ITF World, “semiconductor industry’s best kept secret”

The semiconductor industry has become a foundation for the innovation across the economy, and the key driver behind the progress of AI.

The Amati Global Innovation team is just back from Imec ITF World 2026, a semiconductor technology conference that Jensen Huang of NVidia calls “the industry’s best kept secret”.

Join Amati fund managers Mikhail Zverev and Graeme Bencke as they discuss its key messages.

2 June 2026 - "Building the future"

The construction industry may appear low-tech, but the economic and demographic pressures are driving builders to innovate and digitise.

Following our participation in the Future Build, a building technology trade show, join Amati fund managers Graeme Bencke and Mikhail Zverev as they discuss how design software, modular building systems and construction site robots are transforming the industry.

We’ve also pulled together a short write-up on what we saw and how it feeds into the fund. Read the full article here.

19 May 2026 - "Auto semiconductors 2.0 - the new chapter(s) of growth"

Automotive semiconductors were once associated with electric vehicles theme, and their popularity rose and fell with the investor sentiment around EVs and self-driving cars. However, the opportunity set has now expanded to include new markets such as AI, industrial automation and robotics, while the original demand drivers are showing signs of life.

Join Amati fund managers Mikhail Zverev and Graeme Bencke to discuss what lies ahead for this niche but essential industry.

We’ve also pulled together a short write-up on what we saw and how it feeds into the fund. Read the full article here.

5 May 2026 - Notes from Hannover Messe

Packs of robot dogs, 3D printed shoes and self-assembling production lines. These are some of the innovations from Hannover Messe, one of the world’s largest industrial trade shows.

Join Amati fund managers Graeme Bencke and Mikhail Zverev as they discuss the leading edge of industrial technology and the implications for investors.

We’ve also pulled together a short write-up on what we saw and how it feeds into the fund. Read the full article here.

21 April 2026 - Defence technology update

Events in the Middle East once again focus investors’ minds on geopolitical and military challenges.  As defence spending rises worldwide, innovation is reshaping how nations protect themselves.

Join Amati fund managers Mikhail Zverev and Graeme Bencke as they explore the investment opportunities emerging across Space, Cyber and Drones.

7 April 2026 – “Genomics: the next chapter”

How falling sequencing costs are accelerating clinical adoption.

In this Amati Insights call, we discuss how advances in genomic sequencing are driving a new phase of adoption in healthcare, with important implications for diagnostics companies and investors.

24 March 2026 - "Robots don't call in sick: automation in logistics"

Higher labour costs and faster delivery times are driving more innovative solutions across the logistics supply chain — creating meaningful opportunities for investors.

Join Amati fund managers Mikhail Zverev and Graeme Bencke as they share insights from the UK’s leading automation event and highlight where they see the most compelling areas for future growth.

10 March 2026 - "Lab in the loop" and the acceleration in life sciences innovation

The cycle of innovation in life science research is accelerating as developments in molecular tools, automation and AI combine to reveal new treatment pathways, drugs and diagnostic biomarkers.

Join Amati managers Graeme Bencke and Mikhail Zverev as they consider the implications for the enablers of this innovation, from lab equipment to clinical trials to healthcare robotics.

24 February 2026 - Do androids dream of electric sheep? A pragmatic look at humanoid robotics and physical AI

One of the themes of the recent CES (consumer electronics show) was “physical AI”, a new term for robotics, including humanoid robots, where AI algorithms will train machines to perform real world tasks.

Join Amati managers Mikhail Zverev and Graeme Bencke as they take a look at what is happening today, what has yet to happen in the future and how investors can benefit without having to believe their wilder dreams.

10 February 2026 - Great software sell-off of 2026 - an "insane" buying opportunity?

The software sector experienced an indiscriminate sell-off in the past weeks, in some ways comparable to the dot-com crash and global financial crisis. Companies recently regarded as the best business models in the world are now perceived to be at existential risk from AI.

Join Amati managers Mikhail Zverev and Graeme Bencke as they discuss risks and opportunities that this sell-off presents to investors.

27 January 2026 - Memory super-cycle: from demand boom to critical shortages

Memory semiconductor companies have been a long-held position in the WS Amati Global Innovation fund. The recent demand boom and associated stock price rallies contributed strongly to the fund performance.

Join Graeme Bencke and Mikhail Zverev as they discuss what happens next and how they’re evolving their exposure to this increasingly mission critical part of the technology sector.

18 November 2025 - RFID 2.0: accelerating adoption

Recent conversations with the industry suggest that RFID and other wireless IoT technologies continue to unlock new transformative applications – from retail to healthcare to everyday consumer life.

Join Amati Global Innovation fund managers Mikhail Zverev and Graeme Bencke as they discuss how they are investing to benefit from what’s coming next.

4 November 2025 - Alzheimer’s Disease: diagnostics revolution

Alzheimer’s Disease is one of the most pressing unmet clinical needs and is a huge cost to healthcare systems and societies. Recent developments in Alzheimer’s diagnostics are nothing short of revolutionary and promise to unlock improved patient outcomes and valuable new markets.

Join Amati managers Mikhail Zverev and Graeme Bencke as they discuss how they pursue this opportunity in the WS Amati Global Innovation Fund.

21 October 2025 - Photonics and optical communications in the Age of AI

Photonics and optical communications have been key enablers of the digital revolution. With AI, the industry is entering a hyper-growth stage.

Join Amati managers Mikhail Zverev and Graeme Bencke to hear why the transition to optical data communication is inevitable and where they see investment opportunities benefiting from this technological change.

Portfolio

WS Amati Global Innovation Fund

As at 31st May 2026

Top 10 Holdings

10 Largest Holdings% of total assets
Samsung Electronics6.3%
MKS5.1%
Infineon Technologies4.4%
Basler3.6%
Allegro Microsystems3.4%
Impinj3.3%
Tecan Group3.3%
Lumentum3.1%
Dexcom2.9%
Bruker2.9%

 

Performance

WS Amati Global Innovation Fund

B Class

Performance

 

Cumulative Performance Table
as at 29/05/2026

Time periodFund Return
(%)
Benchmark Return**
(%)
1 month13.946.01
3 months12.847.26
6 months16.4511.39
1 year41.6530.33
2 years39.7639.84
3 years70.6668.20
Since launch*73.2778.00

* Since launch data is calculated from 23/05/2022.

** MSCI ACWI Index (GBP), Total Return. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.

 

Discrete Performance
as at 31st May 2026

Period 12 months toFund Return
(%)
Benchmark*
return (%)
31.05.202641.6530.33
31.05.2025-1.347.30
31.05.202422.1120.28

* MSCI ACWI Index (GBP), Total Return.

C Class

Performance

 

Cumulative Performance Table
as at 29/05/2026

Time periodFund Return
(%)
Benchmark Return**
(%)
1 month13.986.01
3 months12.997.26
6 months16.7511.39
1 year42.3630.33
Since launch*38.2536.48

* Since launch data is calculated from 24/06/2024.

** MSCI ACWI Index (GBP), Total Return. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.

 

Past performance is not a guide to future performance. Source – Waystone Management (UK) Limited and FE Fundinfo. Further details: Issued by Amati Global Investors Ltd., authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in Scotland, number: SC199908. Registered address: 8 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh, EH3 7AL

Risk Warning

Past performance is not a reliable guide to future performance. The value of investments and the income from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amount they originally invested. The return on investments in overseas markets may increase or decrease as a result of exchange rate movements. There may be occasions where there is an increased risk that a position in the Fund cannot be liquidated in a timely manner at a reasonable price. In extreme circumstances this may affect the ability of the Fund to meet redemption requests upon demand. Prospective investors should always read the Key Investor Information Document and the Prospectus, which contain full details of the costs and charges applicable to the Fund as well as specific risk warnings.

 

Literature

Ratings

WS Amati Global Innovation Fund has the following rating:

  • FundCalibre Elite Radar Rating

How to Invest

WS Amati Global Innovation Fund is administered by Waystone Management (UK) Limited. Before investing you should view the relevant documents below.

For telephone dealing and enquiries please call:

Waystone Management (UK) Limited

Client Services and Dealing Line
T: +44 (0)345 922 0044
E: wtas-investorservices@waystone.com

 

Application Form

For further information regarding the application form, please visit Waystone’s website here.

FAQS

Please find below answers to some of the most frequently asked questions for WS Amati Global Innovation Fund. Should you wish to discuss another query, please contact us on 0131 503 9115 or email info@amatiglobal.com.

If you wish to apply for shares directly, please read the ‘How to Invest’ section and download the relevant application form.

Alternatively, you can also choose to invest in the platform of your choice. Please contact your platform directly to invest.

 

The WS Amati Global Innovation Fund is available on the majority of platforms. If your chosen platform does not currently hold the fund, please contact the relevant platform manager and ask that they contact us on 0131 503 9115 or email us on: info@amatiglobal.com

Daily at Midday.

T+4.

The minimum lump sum investment is £1,000.

The minimum lump sum top up is £500.

The minimum regular monthly investment is £50 per month.

As the WS Amati Investment Funds are intended for investors seeking long-term capital growth, all income arising within them is reinvested into the value of shares. In other words the shares are all accumulation shares. The annual income allocation date is 31 March and the interim income allocation date is 30 September.

MSCI ACWI Index (GBP) Total Return.