The Growth Hub

What The Growth Hub does

The Growth Hub is a UK Government-funded, countywide business support service operating under Gloucestershire County Council. Founded in 2014 with its original hub co-located at the University of Gloucestershire, the organization has expanded to six physical hubs — Gloucester, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Forest of Dean, Stroud, and Tewkesbury — each anchored to a tier-one local institution such as a council office, agricultural university, FE college, or cyber-sector campus. Its core service is structured around free Discovery Meetings with Business Navigators producing tailored Growth Plans, complemented by a mentorship programme, a dedicated Net Zero business support line, and the Gloucestershire Procurement Portal partnership with Together Gloucestershire.

The product surface spans advisory services, expert-led workshops and one-to-one mentoring, and physical workspace products including coworking hot-desks, hourly and daily meeting and conference rooms, and subscription-based incubation offices. Pricing is published per hub, with coworking access free to Gloucestershire businesses and meeting rooms ranging from £35 to £100 per hour and incubation offices from £200 to £500 per calendar month, all plus VAT. The underlying technology stack is standard web infrastructure (website, email newsletter, video conferencing) rather than proprietary platforms, and there are no disclosed AI, API, or SDK capabilities.

The business model is grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. All core advisory, mentoring, workshop, and Growth Plan services are fully funded by the UK Government, Gloucestershire County Council, and local borough councils and delivered free of charge to Gloucestershire businesses. Ancillary workspace hire provides nominal commercial income that is secondary to the public-support mandate. The organization targets three primary segments — startups, growing businesses, and established businesses — across the county, with reported scale of 16,000+ businesses helped, 1,600+ events delivered, and 30,000+ visitors through the Gloucester hub, contributing to an attributed £21.5M economic boost projected to reach £48.4M by 2025.

Name

The Growth Hub

Legal name

The Growth Hub Gloucestershire

Website

https://thegrowthhub.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Growth Hub is a UK Government-funded business support service operating six physical hubs across Gloucestershire, delivering free advisory services, mentoring, workshops, Net Zero support, and paid coworking and meeting-room space to 16,000+ local startups, growing, and established SMEs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Support Services

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Facilities Support Services (56121), Business Service Centers (56143)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Services-Miscellaneous Business Services (7380)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

Keywords

• Business advisory services
• Co-working spaces
• Business mentoring
• SME business support
• Workshops and training

Headquarters

HQ city

Gloucester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Business Support: All core business support services are fully funded by the UK Government, with additional funding from Gloucestershire County Council and local borough councils. Businesses receive free access to advisors, workshops, mentoring, and co-working spaces at no cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Growth Hub provides free, government-funded business support services to Gloucestershire-based businesses. Core offerings include one-to-one Discovery Meetings with Business Navigators, tailored Growth Plans, expert-led workshops, mentorship, Net Zero advisory, and physical co-working, meeting and incubation office space across six local hub locations.

Product overview

The Growth Hub is a comprehensive business support ecosystem offering advisory services, educational programmes, and physical workspace solutions across Gloucestershire. The core offering centres on Discovery Meetings and Growth Plans delivered through Business Navigators, complemented by a Mentorship Programme connecting businesses with experienced advisors. Specialised modules include Net Zero Business Support for sustainability guidance, and the Gloucestershire Procurement Portal for local supplier connections. Physical infrastructure across six hub locations provides Co-working Spaces, Meeting Rooms, and Incubation Offices. A diverse Workshops & Training Events programme covers finance, marketing, sales, operations, and strategy topics. All core services are fully funded by the UK Government and Gloucestershire County Council.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Support Services Core advisory service providing tailored business advice, guidance, and resources for businesses at all stages of growth, fully funded by the UK Government.
• Discovery Meeting & Growth Plan Initial consultation service where Business Navigators assess business needs and create customised Growth Plans within 5 working days, signposting relevant resources, workshops, and mentorship opportunities.
• Mentorship Programme Programme connecting businesses with experienced mentors who provide guidance, insights, and fresh perspectives for growth.
• Net Zero Business Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped over 16,000 Gloucestershire businesses with expert tailored advice
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, specialist and minor.

• Hub8 Minster Exchange (MX)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership for newest Cheltenham hub opened summer 2024 at core of county's cyber sector. Provides co-working spaces and connection to cyber industry ecosystem.
• Gloucestershire CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Cheltenham hub partnership providing access to academic experts and student talent as part of the cyber sector growth initiative.
• South Gloucestershire and Stroud CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Strategic alliance providing access to academic expertise, youth talent, cutting edge technology, research, professional courses, training, and adult education for businesses using the Stroud hub.
• Tewkesbury Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018First Growth Hub to be hosted by a local council. Located within Tewkesbury Borough Council Public Services Centre. Hub opened in 2018.
• Royal Agricultural UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Cirencester hub located in grounds of Royal Agricultural University. Provides access to leading academics in land use innovation, food and farming, and policy experts.
• University of GloucestershirecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Only UK university with co-located Growth Hub on campus. Hub located at School of Business Computing and Social Sciences (Oxstalls Campus). Provides academic experts, specialist courses, research, and student talent access.
• Gloucestershire County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerData Controller for personal information collected. Primary government partner providing funding and strategic oversight for The Growth Hub network across all 6 hub locations.
• Together GloucestershiremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNot-for-profit platform connecting SMEs with procurement teams from Gloucestershire's Top 100 companies and public sector organizations. Exclusive 3-month free trial offered to Growth Hub registrants.
• Sirius TransformationspecialistTechnology or IntegrationAdvanced Engineering and Manufacturing (AEM) specialist advisors providing growth and innovation strategy support exclusively for Tewkesbury-based businesses.
• DAISI (The DAISI Project)minorOthersDAISI (Developing Applications & Integrating Services for Industry) project partnership supporting digital innovation for Gloucestershire businesses.
• The Lines GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGloucester-based brand, design and digital agency that designed and built The Growth Hub website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gloucestershire Chamber of Commerce: Local chamber offering Gloucestershire businesses networking, training, representation, and member services. Comparable in serving the same regional SMB base with advisory and community functions, though funded through membership.
• Hertfordshire Growth Hub: Another UK Growth Hub providing free business advisory, events, and mentoring to local SMBs. Directly comparable in funding model, service mix, and target audience.
• Be the Business: UK-wide non-profit focused on boosting small and mid-sized business productivity through advisory, benchmarking, and peer learning programs. Comparable as a publicly-supported business improvement service targeting UK SMBs.
• Enterprise Nation: UK membership community offering small business support, mentoring, events, and government-backed programmes such as Start Up Loans. Direct overlap with The Growth Hub's startup and SMB advisory focus.
• Shell LiveWIRE: Shell-funded global programme offering training, awards, and networking to young entrepreneurs. Comparable in offering free enterprise skills training and startup support, though privately rather than government funded.
• Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): UK membership body offering small businesses advice, networking, representation, and training. Comparable in providing ongoing advisory and community support to UK SMBs, though funded via membership rather than direct government grants.
• GFirst LEP (Gloucestershire LEP): Local Enterprise Partnership covering Gloucestershire, coordinating public-private growth strategy, skills, and infrastructure investment. Directly comparable as a regional economic development body operating in The Growth Hub's home geography.
• West Midlands Growth Hub: One of the UK's regional Growth Hubs delivering free government-funded business support, advisory, and workspace. Operates the same national Growth Hub model as The Growth Hub Gloucestershire, serving a different geography.

Emerging players

• Prince's Trust Enterprise Programme: Charity-backed programme providing training, mentoring, and grants to aspiring young entrepreneurs in the UK. Comparable in supporting early-stage business formation and skills development, with a more youth-focused mandate.

Regional players

• Business Gateway (Scotland): Scottish government-funded business support service providing free advisory, training, and workspace to SMBs. Same model and public funding structure as The Growth Hub, but operating in Scotland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/growthhubchelt
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ThegrowthhubBiz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/5147889/admin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 The Growth Hub