Capital at risk

Irish UCITS

Worldwide Discovery Fund

Share class

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Overview

Investment proposition

The Worldwide Discovery Fund seeks out initially immature entrepreneurial companies from across the world. Importantly, it is the immaturity of the opportunity which is key, and not just 'smallness'. Companies typically have a market capitalisation below that of the largest index constituent by market cap and often exhibit pronounced levels of innovation and a differentiated strategy. Highly asymmetric investment opportunities such as these are, we believe, ideal for bottom-up analysis, and it is in this opportunity set that inefficiencies and valuation anomalies can be most pronounced.

Strategy behind the fund

Worldwide Discovery
Finding early opportunities in small-to-mid-cap firms with the aim of discovering lasting growth and success.

The capabilities behind this strategy

Share price and charges

Share class

B, Acc, USD

NAV per share

17.67

% change

0.61%

Ongoing charges*

0.89%

Initial charge

0%

Fund facts

As at: 30 April 2026

Current number of holdings

64

Guideline number of holdings

50-75

Benchmark

MSCI ACWI Small Cap Index

Active share

99%**

Annual turnover

44%

Fund launch date

6 September 2017

Style

Global Smaller Companies

Fund Settlement Cycle

Trade date plus three business days (T+3)

Fund size calculated using base currency in US dollars and converted into listed currencies.

**Relative to MSCI All Country World Small Cap Index. Source: Baillie Gifford & Co, MSCI.

Meet the managers

Risks

General Investment Risk

Investment markets can go down as well as up and market conditions can change rapidly. The value of an investment in the Fund, and any income from it, can fall as well as rise and investors may not get back the amount invested. The specific risks associated with the Fund include:

Market Conditions

Any value assigned to illiquid securities which are difficult to trade, such as those in smaller, immature companies, may not accurately reflect the price the Fund might receive upon their sale.

Custody

Custody of assets involves a risk of loss if a custodian becomes insolvent or breaches duties of care.

Smaller, Immature Companies

Investment in smaller, immature companies is generally considered higher risk as the market for their shares may be less liquid and more difficult to trade than that for more established companies. As a result, share price fluctuations may be greater. In addition, smaller, immature companies may not do so well in periods of adverse economic conditions. Where such companies have business models and competitive positions which are less well established, this could result in an increased likelihood of loss for investors.

Concentration

The Fund's concentration in a particular geographical area or industry may result in large movements in the share price in the short term.

Foreign Currency

The Fund has exposure to foreign currencies and changes in the rates of exchange will cause the value of any investment, and income from it, to fall as well as rise and you may not get back the amount invested.

Environmental, Social and Governance

The Fund's approach to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) means it cannot invest in certain sectors and companies. The universe of available investments will be more limited than other funds that do not apply such criteria/ exclusions, therefore the Fund may have different returns than a fund which has no such restrictions. Data used to apply the criteria may be provided by third party sources and is based on backward-looking analysis and the subjective nature of non-financial criteria means a wide variety of outcomes are possible. There is a risk that data provided may not adequately address the underlying detail around material non-financial considerations. Please consider all of the characteristics and objectives of the fund as described in the Key Information Document (KID) and prospectus before making a decision to invest in the Fund. For more information on how sustainability issues, such as climate change are considered, see bailliegifford.com.

Volatility

The Fund's share price can be volatile due to movements in the prices of the underlying holdings and the basis on which the Fund is priced.

Further Details

Further details of the risks associated with investing in the Fund can be found in the Key Information Document (KID), or the Prospectus. Copies of both the KID and Prospectus are available at bailliegifford.com.

Definitions

Active Share - A measure of the Fund's overlap with the benchmark. An active share of 100 indicates no overlap with the benchmark and an active share of zero indicates a portfolio that tracks the benchmark.

Index disclaimer

Source: MSCI. MSCI makes no express or implied warranties or representations and shall have no liability whatsoever with respect to any MSCI data contained herein. The MSCI data may not be further redistributed or used as a basis for other indexes or any securities or financial products. This report is not approved, endorsed, reviewed or produced by MSCI. None of the MSCI data is intended to constitute investment advice or a recommendation to make (or refrain from making) any kind of investment decision and may not be relied on as such.

Complaints

In the first instance, clients should contact their normal Client Contact with any concerns. Alternatively, or for those clients who do not have a direct client contact assigned, complaints can be emailed to Baillie Gifford’s Compliance Department at: InstitutionalComplaints@bailliegifford.com.

A summary document which contains details on Baillie Gifford’s complaints management policy is available upon request. All material complaints are recorded in an in-house incident management system and are escalated to, and dealt with by, members of staff of suitable seniority, independent of the area from which the matter arose.

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Fund performance

Performance data is not currently available for this share class.

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Fund portfolio holdings

The list of top 10 holdings that this fund invests in.

As at: 30 April 2026

#Holding% of total assets
1Alnylam Pharmaceuticals5.3%
2Twist Bioscience3.9%
3Axon Enterprise3.7%
4ASPEED Technology3.6%
5American Superconductor Corp2.9%
6Aehr Test Systems2.9%
7Xometry, Inc.2.8%
8MercadoLibre2.6%
9Astera Labs2.6%
10Oxford Nanopore Tech2.4%

The information contained on this page is intended as a guide only and should not be relied upon when making investment decisions.

Source: Baillie Gifford & Co.

Totals may not sum due to rounding.

Sector

As at: 30 April 2026

#
Sector
Fund %
Index % *
Difference %
1
Information Technology
32.8
14.3
18.5
2
Health Care
28.1
9.3
18.8
3
Industrials
23.9
20.5
3.4
4
Consumer Discretionary
4.6
10.4
-5.8
5
Financials
4.5
13.8
-9.3
6
Real Estate
2.4
7.5
-5.1
7
Materials
1.5
9.1
-7.6
8
Consumer Staples
1.1
4.2
-3.1
9
Cash
1.1
0.0
1.1
Total
100.0
89.1

Top 10 geographical locations

As at: 30 April 2026

#
Top 10 locations
Fund %
Index % *
Difference %
1
United States
57.4
52.2
5.2
2
UK
7.3
3.6
3.7
3
China
6.0
1.5
4.5
4
Japan
5.4
10.8
-5.4
5
Brazil
5.0
0.5
4.5
6
Taiwan
4.7
3.4
1.3
7
Australia
3.7
3.2
0.5
8
Israel
3.4
1.5
1.9
9
France
1.7
1.2
0.5
10
Netherlands
1.6
0.4
1.2
Total
96.1
78.3

Region

As at: 30 April 2026

#
Region
Fund %
Index % *
Difference %
1
North America
57.4
55.9
1.5
2
Emerging Markets
20.5
14.2
6.3
3
Developed Asia Pacific
9.1
15.2
-6.2
4
UK
7.3
3.6
3.7
5
Europe (ex UK)
4.7
11.0
-6.3
6
Cash
1.1
0.0
1.1
Total
100.0
100.0

Quarterly transactions

Transactions for the three-month period ending 31 March 2026

New purchases

  • Circle Internet Group
  • Rubrik
  • Stoke Therapeutics, Inc. Com

Complete sales

  • SkyWater Technology
  • Upwork Inc

Contact us

Still have a question?  Please get in touch with us.

Insights

Key articles, videos and podcasts relating to the fund:

Filters

Insights

Viewing 10 of 10
  1. alt=""

    Discovery Q1 update

    Investment specialist Bill Chater reflects on recent performance, portfolio changes and market developments.
    April 2026
    Video8 minutes
  2. alt=""

    Discovery Q4 update

    Investment specialist Bill Chater reflects on recent performance, portfolio changes and market developments.
    January 2026
    Video8 minutes
  3. Discovery Q3 update

    Investment specialist Bill Chater reflects on recent performance, portfolio changes and market developments.
    October 2025
    Video7 minutes
  4. Discovery Q2 update

    Investment manager Douglas Brodie reflects on recent performance, portfolio changes and market developments.
    July 2025
    Video5 minutes
  5. Alnylam: Stock Story

    Richie Vernon explores the revolutionary drugs transforming patient lives.
    April 2025
    Video3 minutes
  6. Discovery Q1 update

    The Discovery Team reflects on recent performance, portfolio changes and market developments.
    April 2025
    Video12 minutes
  7. Discovery: our philosophy

    Investment manager, Douglas Brodie, discusses the Baillie Gifford Discovery Strategies.
    February 2025
    Video3 minutes
  8. Small cap strife: big opportunities

    Exploring the transformative potential of small-cap companies such as DexCom, Tesla and Axon.
    October 2024
    Article8 minutes
  9. Our best disruptive ideas

    Bill Chater spotlights three companies making world-changing breakthroughs: Alnylam, Axon and SpaceX.
    September 2024
    Video3 minutes
  10. Small caps: Beyond the myths

    Opportunities remain in small-cap investing, regardless of interest rates or market volatility.
    November 2023
    Article

Contact us

Still have a question?  Please get in touch with us.

How to invest

You can invest in our funds through a wide range of investment platforms. If your preferred platform does not currently offer our funds, they may be made available upon request by contacting the platform directly.

Baillie Gifford does not sponsor, maintain, or have any control over the content of any other websites. Therefore, we are not responsible for the adequacy or accuracy of any of the information you may view, nor do we undertake to ensure successful transmission to any linked website.

Documents

How to invest

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Account opening form

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Subscription request form

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Redemption request form

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Documents

You can access any literature about the Fund here.

To download any document you will need Adobe Reader. Please note that we can now provide you with Braille and audio transcriptions of our literature on request. It may take up to 10 days for the transcription to be completed dependent on the size of the document.

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Important information

Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited is wholly owned by Baillie Gifford & Co. Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited provides investment management and advisory services to non-UK clients. Both are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The information provided does not constitute an offer of or solicitation for purchase or sale of securities or provision of any investment services. Any general enquiries regarding Baillie Gifford should be directed to the relevant individual as noted in the Contact Us section.

The information contained in this website has been compiled with considerable care to ensure its accuracy at the date of publication. However, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made to its accuracy or completeness. Nothing in this information or elsewhere in this website shall exclude, limit or restrict our duties and liabilities to you under the United Kingdom's Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 or any conduct of business rules which we are bound to comply with.

This website is informative only and the information provided should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a particular investment. Read our Legal and regulatory information for further details.