Entrepreneurs’ Forum

What Entrepreneurs’ Forum does

Entrepreneurs' Forum is an independent not-for-profit membership organisation founded in 2002 and headquartered in Gateshead, United Kingdom. It serves significant shareholders of North East England businesses with turnover of £250,000 or more and a team of employees, addressing the isolation and peer-support needs of operating entrepreneurs. The organisation maintains a growing network of 350+ vetted members, supports additional audiences through corporate memberships, and runs specialised programmes for emerging founders (ASCENT, launched March 2026) and scaling leaders (Scale-up Leaders' Academy, relaunched for 2026 with an Entrepreneur in Residence track).

The Forum does not develop proprietary technology products. Its platform consists of a website, the "A Cast of Entrepreneurs" podcast, member publications, a quarterly Pulse Survey, and member-resource tooling — used primarily for content distribution and member engagement rather than as monetisable technology. The organisation instead delivers value through in-person and event-based services: mentoring connections, peer groups, flagship conferences, and the annual Entrepreneurial Awards ceremony (hosted at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead). The Forum's core services are its Membership Programme, Mentoring, the Scale-up Leaders' Academy, ASCENT, Events and Socialising, Podcasts and Publications, the Member Survey, the Entrepreneurial Awards, and Representation to public-sector bodies.

The revenue model combines recurring individual membership fees, recurring corporate membership and sponsorship fees from a network of corporate partners (Sage, Ward Hadaway, Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, RBC Brewin Dolphin, Blu Sky, Maitland, North East Times, Agilico, and others), and local-government support. In March 2026, the North East Combined Authority approved £7m to improve business support through a new partnership with the Forum, alongside £70m of venture capital available via the North East Fund for small businesses in the region. Distribution is regional, community-led and event-driven, with member referrals, corporate partner referrals, and direct membership enrollment as the principal acquisition channels.

Name

Entrepreneurs’ Forum

Legal name

Entrepreneurs' Forum

Website

https://entrepreneursforum.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Entrepreneurs' Forum is an independent North East England not-for-profit membership organisation serving 350+ vetted business-owner members with mentoring, peer groups, specialised scale-up and emerging-founder programmes, events, and policy representation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneur Membership Community

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Founder/Entrepreneur & Family Business Executive Coaching (EDABANAM), Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business (EDAMAHAI), Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Entrepreneur membership
• Business networking
• Peer mentoring
• Leadership development
• Scale-up support

Headquarters

HQ city

Gateshead

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The Forum generates revenue through membership fees from entrepreneurs who meet eligibility criteria (significant shareholders of North East businesses with turnover of £250,000 or more and a team of employees). Both individual entrepreneur memberships and corporate memberships are available.
2. Corporate Sponsorship and Partnerships: Corporate partners and members pay for sector-exclusive access to the entrepreneurial community and high-profile exposure, sustaining the Forum's year-round programme of activities.
3. Local Government Support: The Forum receives funding support from local government bodies including North East Combined Authority, which has approved £7m to improve business support through the partnership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Entrepreneurs' Forum is an independent not-for-profit membership organization that provides a comprehensive toolbox of support for entrepreneurs in North East England. Its core offering is a paid membership programme for significant shareholders of North East businesses with turnover of £250,000 or more, granting access to mentoring, peer groups, events, specialised learning programmes (Scale-up Leaders' Academy, ASCENT), publications, podcasts, and representation with public-sector decision-makers.

Product overview

The Entrepreneurs' Forum is a membership organization offering a unified platform of support services for North East entrepreneurs. Its core offerings include a Membership Programme (for entrepreneurs with £250,000+ turnover), Mentoring, and the Scale-up Leaders' Academy (SULA). The Forum has recently launched ASCENT for earlier-stage founders and runs Events, a Podcast ('A Cast of Entrepreneurs'), Publications, and an annual Entrepreneurial Awards programme. The Forum also conducts quarterly Pulse Surveys providing member insights and represents entrepreneurs in regional economic policy discussions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ASCENT: A programme launched in 2026 to support ambitious founders earlier in their growth journey, aimed at business owners generating less than £250,000 in annual revenue who are serious about building towards £1m and beyond, offering mentoring, peer groups, and access to Forum events.
• Scale-up Leaders' Academy (SULA)
• Entrepreneurial Awards
• Fastest 50 Awards
• Talking Future Podcast

Products and services

• Membership Programme Paid membership for significant shareholders of North East businesses with turnover of £250,000 or more and a team of employees. Provides access to a private community of 350+ members, mentoring, events, peer groups, learning programmes, publications, podcast, and representation with regional decision-makers.
• Scale-up Leaders' Academy (SULA) A specialised learning programme designed to hone entrepreneurial leadership skills for founders looking to scale their businesses significantly. Includes an Entrepreneur in Residence initiative and a focus on team engagement.
• ASCENT Programme A new programme supporting ambitious founders earlier in their growth journey. Aimed at business owners generating less than £250,000 in annual revenue who are serious about building towards £1m and beyond. Provides mentoring, peer groups, and access to Forum events.
• Corporate Membership A corporate-tier offering providing companies with sector-exclusive access to the entrepreneurial community, high-profile exposure, and event participation for their senior teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members grow their teams by average of 117% after Scale-up Leaders' Academy programme
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• North East Combined AuthorityflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2026The North East Combined Authority and Entrepreneurs' Forum announced a new partnership to strengthen business support for entrepreneurs across the North East region. Mayor Kim McGuinness and the Combined Authority Cabinet approved £7m to improve business support, while £70m in venture capital is available through the North East Fund for small businesses. The partnership establishes a direct dialogue channel between public sector decision-makers and entrepreneurs to shape future regional economic strategy.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ScaleUp Institute: UK body that benchmarks and advocates for scale-up ecosystems, having endorsed the Forum's SULA programme. Comparable as a UK-scale-up ecosystem organization, though it is research and policy-led rather than a peer-to-peer founder community.
• Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): UK-wide membership organization representing small businesses and self-employed professionals, providing lobbying, networking, and benefits. Comparable as a national SME membership body, but broader in remit and less focused on high-growth founders than the Entrepreneurs' Forum.

Direct peers

• Vistage: CEO peer advisory and executive coaching organization running peer group meetings, workshops, and 1:1 coaching for SME leaders. Directly comparable as a peer-group, mentoring, and learning-driven membership community for SME founders and CEOs.
• TIGER 21: Peer membership organization for high-net-worth investors and entrepreneurs, built around small group discussions, expert sessions, and asset management. Comparable in its curated peer-group and confidential discussion model, though aimed at wealth holders rather than growth-stage founders.
• YPO (Young Presidents' Organization): Premier global leadership community for chief executives, organized around peer forums, learning networks, and executive education. Closely comparable in model (membership tiers, peer groups, leadership programming) though it operates globally and serves larger enterprises.
• Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO): Global membership community for founders of businesses with at least US$1m in annual revenue, offering peer groups, learning events, and networking. Directly comparable as a tiered, members-only entrepreneur community targeting high-growth founders.
• The Entrepreneurs Network: UK think tank and membership network for entrepreneurs focused on policy, with programmes connecting founders to policymakers. Comparable in its UK entrepreneur membership and policy-representation role, though more London-centric than regionally focused.

Others

• Beauhurst: UK platform tracking high-growth companies, investors, and entrepreneurial ecosystems, often partnering with regional bodies to support founders. Comparable as an enabling ecosystem player that overlaps with the Forum's investor-connection and Pulse Survey roles.

Regional players

• Tech Nation (Founders' Network): UK-wide founder network and accelerator historically supporting UK tech founders with peer networks, programmes, and government liaison. Comparable as a peer and founder-development community, though it has a national, tech-leaning remit versus the Forum's regional, non-vertical focus.
• North East Chamber of Commerce: Regional chamber serving North East England businesses with networking, policy representation, and member services. Comparable as a regional business membership organization in the same geography, though broader in remit and more trade-focused than entrepreneur-specific.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/entrepreneurs-forum
• Xx.com/entforum
• Facebookfacebook.com/entforum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Entrepreneurs’ Forum