PNE

What PNE does

PNE (legally Project North East) is a Newcastle upon Tyne-based social enterprise founded in 1980 that delivers enterprise and business support services across North East England. It serves aspiring entrepreneurs, SMEs, social enterprises, women returning to work, and college-aged learners through a hybrid portfolio of one-to-one mentoring, training courses, structured programmes (Get Growing, Make It Happen, Newcastle Impact Incubator, Green For Go!, Social Enterprise Boost, Sustainable Creative Programme), CMI-accredited management qualifications, and grant administration services. The organisation operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries including North East Workspace Ltd. (commercial property rental on flexible terms), Silicon Alley (a science-based incubator recognised among the world's top ten), Enterprise Central (hotdesking), and PNE Foundation (charitable arm).

The business model blends three revenue streams: paid consultancy and programme design services for partner organisations such as NatWest and government bodies; grant administration and management fees (notably the £10m RBS Skills & Opportunities Fund, 2015–2018); and recurring commercial workspace rental through North East Workspace. Many frontline entrepreneur-support services are delivered free to end beneficiaries, funded through grants from local authorities (Newcastle City Council, North of Tyne Combined Authority), banks (NatWest, RBS), and programme partners. The company is not a technology firm — its core technology is described as "not applicable" — and it relies on standard tools such as Google Analytics for web analytics and Equifax for tenant credit screening.

PNE is privately held with no parent company, no venture or private equity backing, and no publicly disclosed revenue. It holds ISO 9001:2015, Investors in People, CMI awarding body accreditation, and Cyber Essentials certifications, and operates under a board chaired by Ceri Jones with CEO Tracey Moore leading a team of approximately 20 staff plus a broader network of expert supporters. Customer concentration is distributed across hundreds of individual start-ups and SMEs, but underlying revenue is structurally dependent on a small number of institutional grant funders and anchor partners.

Name

PNE

Legal name

Project North East

Website

https://pne.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PNE (Project North East) is a Newcastle-based social enterprise, founded in 1980, delivering business mentoring, training, grant administration, and commercial workspace to entrepreneurs, SMEs, and social enterprises across North East England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle Upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consultancy Services: PNE provides paid consultancy services to organizations seeking guidance on implementing best practices for business support, enterprise project delivery, and programme design.
2. Grant Administration: PNE acts as grant administrator for large funds such as the £10m RBS Skills & Opportunities Fund, managing application processes, fund allocation, and impact monitoring.
3. Commercial Workspace Rental: North East Workspace manages commercial office spaces for SMEs on easy-in easy-out terms, providing rental revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PNE provides business support services to entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, and social enterprises in North East England. Offerings include one-to-one mentoring, skills development courses, CMI-accredited management qualifications, leadership coaching, commercial workspace rental, and grant management. The organization also delivers B2B programme design, monitoring and evaluation, and consultancy services to enterprise agencies, local authorities, and financial institutions.

Product overview

PNE operates as a multi-service social enterprise platform offering a comprehensive portfolio of business support services. The core offering consists of one-to-one mentoring, training courses, and structured support programmes (including the Get Growing and Make It Happen programmes), complemented by leadership coaching and CMI-accredited management qualifications. The organisation provides commercial workspace through its North East Workspace sub-brand, including facilities at Enterprise Central hotdesking space and the award-winning Silicon Alley incubator. Key programmes include the Newcastle Impact Incubator for impact-focused start-ups, the Social Enterprise Boost funding programme, the Green For Go! enterprise education initiative, and the Sustainable Creative Programme for creative entrepreneurs. PNE also offers B2B consultancy services in programme design, monitoring and evaluation, and grant management to enterprise agencies and government bodies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• North East Workspace: Provides commercial workspace to small and growing businesses on 'easy in easy out' terms, managing PNE's portfolio of Newcastle-based properties.
• Green For Go!
• Engage and Excel
• Social Enterprise Boost

Products and services

• 1-2-1 Advice & Mentoring One-to-one personalised business advice and mentoring sessions delivered by experienced business advisors to support entrepreneurs at every stage of their business journey.
• Develop Your Skills (Training Courses) Training courses and skills development programmes including an eight-week start-up course covering finance, marketing, and key business topics.
• Management Qualifications CMI-accredited management and leadership qualifications ranging from Level 3 to Level 6, including the Level 6 Diploma in Professional Management and Leadership Practice.
• Leadership Coaching Executive coaching and leadership mentoring for business owners and managers to develop leadership capabilities.
• PNE Pioneers (Membership) Membership programme providing ongoing business support, networking, and access to expertise for established entrepreneurs.
• IT Support Technology support services for SMEs and tenants, including management of IT infrastructure at Silicon Alley workspace.
• Business Resources Resource hub providing templates, tools, and practical materials for starting and growing a business.
• Newcastle Impact Incubator Incubator programme providing free city centre office space, business support, workshops, and grant funding to impact-focused start-ups in Newcastle, running in annual cohorts.
• Social Enterprise Boost Funding programme promoting social enterprise activity in Sunderland and South Tyneside, co-led with Firstport, providing Kickstarter grants to social enterprises.
• Green For Go! Enterprise education programme delivered in partnership with FIRST, bringing together young learners from North East colleges to explore entrepreneurship and sustainable thinking through workshops and competitions.
• Sustainable Creative Programme Nine-month programme delivered in partnership with Creative Central Newcastle, empowering aspiring entrepreneurs to build creative and cultural businesses through workshops and networking events.
• Programme Design and Consultancy Expert consultancy services helping organisations design and implement business support programmes, including guidance on supporting individuals, organisations and communities.
• Project Monitoring and Evaluation Monitoring and evaluation services for enterprise projects, providing ongoing evaluation of programme impact.
• Grant Management Grant administration and management services, including administration of the £10m RBS Skills & Opportunities Fund.
• NatWest Back Her Business (Enterprise Consultancy) Enterprise consultancy engagement since 2019 supporting NatWest's UK-wide programme to provide entrepreneurship support and engage hard-to-reach communities.
• North East Workspace (Commercial Property Rental) Property management service providing commercial office spaces to small and growing businesses on easy-in/easy-out terms across Newcastle-based properties.
• Enterprise Central (Hotdesking Space) PNE's hotdesking space at Enterprise Central providing flexible workspace for entrepreneurs and small businesses with meeting facilities.
• Silicon Alley (Science-Based Incubator) Workspace facility recognised as one of the world's top ten science-based incubators, providing IT infrastructure for technology start-ups.
• Engage and Excel Programme Programme delivered in partnership with Women Empowering Women Network supporting 42 unemployed BME migrant and refugee women in Newcastle and South Tyneside to explore self-employment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 271% increase in students feeling 'very empowered' to help solve climate change problems
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Women Empowering Women Network (WEWN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020PNE partnered with WEWN to deliver the Engage and Excel programme, supporting 42 unemployed BME migrant and refugee women in Newcastle and South Tyneside to explore self-employment.
• NatWest GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Since 2019, PNE has been enterprise consultants to the NatWest Back Her Business programme, supporting the programme to develop a UK-wide network of partners for entrepreneurship support and providing ongoing evaluation of programme impact.
• FIRST (learning and development organisation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019PNE partnered with FIRST to design and deliver the Green For Go! Programme, bringing 172 college students into entrepreneurship and sustainable thinking through workshops and inter-college competitions.
• Newcastle UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for professional development programmes, including management qualifications and leadership training.
• Chartered Management Institute (CMI)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPNE is accredited by CMI to offer management and leadership qualifications at various levels.
• Together for ChildrenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting BlueJay Wellness CIC in delivering mental health services to young people.
• Newcastle CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partnership for Green For Go! programme delivery.
• Silicon AlleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPNE subsidiary workspace, part of the PNE Group, which was named one of the world's top ten science-based incubators.
• PNE FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of PNE Group of companies, focusing on foundation-level enterprise support activities.
• North East Workspace Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPNE subsidiary managing commercial workspace properties across Newcastle.
• FirstportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-leader with PNE of the Social Enterprise Boost programme, supporting social enterprises in Sunderland and South Tyneside.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Firstport: UK social enterprise support organisation co-leading the Social Enterprise Boost programme with PNE. Directly comparable as a social-enterprise-focused support provider offering grants and mentoring.
• The Prince's Trust: UK charity supporting young people into enterprise and employment through training, mentoring, and funding. Comparable as a UK enterprise-support organisation with target segments that overlap PNE's (young people, disadvantaged groups).
• Enterprise Nation: UK business support platform founded by Emma Jones, offering startup advice, networking, and events to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Directly comparable to PNE in serving UK SMEs and pre-startup founders.
• Start Up Loans: UK government-backed delivery partner programme providing loans and mentoring to new businesses. Operates a similar model of combining access to capital with business mentoring and training.

Others

• National Enterprise Network: Membership body for enterprise support organisations across the UK, of which PNE is an award-winning member. Comparable as a peer in the enterprise support ecosystem and an indirect collaborator through shared programmes and standards.

Broad incumbents

• NatWest Back Her Business: NatWest's UK-wide programme supporting female entrepreneurs, for which PNE already serves as enterprise consultant. Comparable because it directly competes for the same funding and grants that PNE is a delivery partner on.
• Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): UK membership body providing lobbying, advice, and support services to small businesses. Comparable as a broader SME support provider offering advice and policy advocacy, though operating at significantly larger national scale than PNE.
• Tech Nation (formerly Tech City UK): National organisation supporting UK tech entrepreneurs through programmes, networks, and policy. Comparable as an enterprise support operator with similar incubator-style services (Silicon Alley competes with the Tech Nation ecosystem).

Emerging players

• School for Startups: UK-based startup training and mentoring provider offering courses and 1-2-1 support. Comparable because it overlaps with PNE's skills-development and start-up course offerings.

Regional players

• WMCA / West Midlands Combined Authority Enterprise Programmes: Regional UK enterprise support programmes delivered through combined authorities, similar to how PNE operates in the North East. Regional peer offering overlapping services in business support and skills training.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pne_enterprise
• Facebookfacebook.com/pne.enterprise
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pne-group

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries3 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 PNE