Cornwall Marine Network

What Cornwall Marine Network does

Cornwall Marine Network is a private not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, established in 2002 and owned by more than 300 local marine businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The organisation acts as a marine-sector trade and cluster body, providing expert specialist support to member companies across marketing, skills, innovation commercialisation, and workplace productivity. Its service surface combines a member directory and online portal, a jobs board, training and apprenticeship programmes, recruitment support, an innovation mentoring scheme (Propel Project), engineering-software access grants (e.g., ANSYS), and paid conference/meeting facilities, all delivered in Southwest England.

The CMN Group extends the platform into adjacent marine verticals through four wholly-owned subsidiaries: Cornwall Marine Academy (vocational training for young people aged 9–24, founded 2008), Cornwall Apprenticeship Agency, MOR Group (marine renewables), and Blue Growth UK (blue-tech and marine innovation). Revenue is drawn from three streams: membership subscriptions from 300+ marine SMEs, government project funding (notably a share of the nearly £1M, nine-cluster UK Maritime Clusters Initiative allocation announced 2024-12-09), and fee-paid or publicly funded training and apprenticeship programmes. No revenue, pricing, or profitability figures are publicly disclosed.

Cornwall represents roughly one in seven of the UK's marine-sector businesses, with local marine SMEs employing around 12,500 people across 707 businesses and contributing approximately £345M to GDP. CMN's cumulative disclosed outcomes include 5,000 jobs and apprenticeships generated, £42M secured for member investment, and £660M in GVA generated for Cornwall. The organisation has been led by CEO Paul Wickes and holds Ofsted 'Good' and Matrix Standard accreditations for its Academy and guidance services.

Name

Cornwall Marine Network

Legal name

Cornwall Marine Network

Website

https://cornwallmarine.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cornwall Marine Network is a private not-for-profit, member-owned marine trade body established in 2002 that supports 300+ marine SMEs in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly through training, apprenticeships, recruitment, innovation mentoring, and government-funded cluster programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Falmouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Project Funding: Receives government funding for maritime cluster support, training initiatives, innovation hubs, and regional economic growth projects. Part of nearly £1M allocation to nine maritime clusters across the UK.
2. Membership Fees: Private not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, owned by more than 300 local marine businesses. Revenue generated through membership subscriptions providing access to support services, training, and network benefits.
3. Training and Skills Services: Provides CMN Training and Skills programs, apprenticeships, and business training courses. Generates revenue through fully funded and paid training programs for marine sector employees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cornwall Marine Network is a private not-for-profit membership organisation, limited by guarantee and owned by more than 300 local marine businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It delivers expert specialist support to marine SMEs through training programmes, apprenticeships, recruitment services, business development assistance, networking events, and access to a member directory and jobs board. It also operates wholly-owned subsidiaries including Cornwall Marine Academy, Cornwall Apprenticeship Agency, MOR Group, and Blue Growth UK.

Product overview

Cornwall Marine Network is a membership organization for the marine sector in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, established in 2002 and owned by more than 300 marine businesses. The organization operates as a platform-plus-services model, providing a core membership platform with access to a member directory, jobs board, and member portal, supplemented by training and skills services (including apprenticeships and recruitment support), and conference facilities. The network also encompasses subsidiaries Cornwall Marine Academy (vocational training for youth aged 9-24), Cornwall Apprenticeship Agency, MOR Group (business support), and Blue Growth UK/Blue Tech (marine innovation).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cornwall Marine Network Membership
• CMN Training and Skills
• Apprenticeships
• Recruitment Services
• Propel Project
• Conference and Meeting Rooms
• Cornwall Marine Academy
• Cornwall Apprenticeship Agency
• MOR Group
• Blue Growth UK

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000 jobs and apprenticeships generated
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cornwall Marine AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of CMN Group - a related organization focused on training young people (aged 9-24) for marine careers, delivering vocational training and work experience. CMA has helped 40,000+ young people.
• Cornwall Apprenticeship AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of CMN Group - supports apprenticeship placement and development for marine businesses in Cornwall.
• MOR GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of CMN Group - marine renewables focused entity under the Cornwall Marine Network umbrella.
• Blue Growth UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of CMN Group - blue tech and marine innovation initiative.
• OfstedminorOthersCornwall Marine Academy rated 'Good' by Ofsted for its educational services.
• Matrix Standard (Quality in Advice and Guidance)minorOthersCornwall Marine Academy holds Matrix accreditation for information, advice and guidance services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mersey Maritime: UK marine sector cluster and membership organization covering the Merseyside / Northwest England maritime economy; operates an almost identical model of marine business support, networking, training, and cluster development, making it the closest direct peer.
• Society of Maritime Industries (SMI): UK trade association for maritime engineering, equipment, and service suppliers; comparable as a membership body representing marine industry interests, advocating for sector growth, and delivering networking and policy engagement.
• British Marine: UK trade association for the leisure marine, superyacht, and small commercial marine sector; comparable as a marine-sector membership organization providing member services, training, events, and policy voice to marine businesses.
• IMarEST (Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology): International professional body for marine engineers, scientists, and technologists; comparable as a marine-sector membership institution focused on professional development, training, qualification, and networking.

Broad incumbents

• Maritime UK: The umbrella industry body for the entire UK maritime sector; overlaps with CMN's marine cluster advocacy role but operates at a national level across all maritime sub-sectors rather than a single regional cluster.

Regional players

• Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership: The local enterprise partnership for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly; operates in the same geographic remit as CMN with overlapping goals around regional economic growth, skills development, and marine sector strategy, sometimes as a funder or partner.

Others

• Marine Management Organisation (MMO): UK government regulator for marine planning, licensing, and conservation in English waters; adjacent to CMN's ecosystem as a policy and funding stakeholder rather than a direct membership competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CornwallMarine
• Facebookfacebook.com/100063652624533
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cornwall-marine-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cornwall Marine Network