What Innovation Unit does

Innovation Unit is a not-for-profit social enterprise founded in 2004 and headquartered in London, with additional offices in Manchester and Edinburgh. Its mission is to reduce inequalities and transform public service systems by growing people-powered innovations, delivered through consultancy, coaching, and advisory engagements with UK central government, local authorities, NHS bodies, combined authorities, and charitable foundations. The organisation operates across six sectors: children and families, mental health, climate, justice and reducing violence, combined authorities, and neighbourhood health.

The core product set consists of methodologies and codified programmes rather than software. Named offerings include Community-led Innovation, Systems Change, Living Well Systems (mental health), No Wrong Door (children's social care), GoodLives GM (Greater Manchester prevention partnership), Young Futures Hubs, and the Climate Action Fund Learning and Support Partnership. Technology is not a primary layer; the intellectual property sits in design, co-design, and systems change frameworks developed over 20 years.

Revenue is generated through commissioned consultancy projects and multi-year contract work, typically with public sector buyers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and operates on a quote-based, project-specific model. The organisation has no external shareholders or venture backing, and is led by Chief Executive Sarah Gillinson. Geographic reach is primarily UK, with episodic international work in Europe (Barcelona, Athens, Stockholm, Warsaw) and Bermuda.

Name

Innovation Unit

Legal name

The Innovation Unit Ltd

Website

https://innovationunit.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Innovation Unit is a UK not-for-profit social enterprise that designs and scales people-powered innovations with public sector partners, including local authorities, NHS bodies, and combined authorities, across children and families, mental health, climate, and justice sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Entrepreneurship & Impact Business (EDAMAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD), Technical Enablement & Adoption Services (Change Management, Adoption, Champions) (BPAEANAC), Change Management & Transformation (Org/HR) (BPACAJAD)

Keywords

• Public sector innovation
• Systems change consulting
• Community-led innovation
• Service design methodology
• Social enterprise advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consultancy and Advisory Services: Innovation Unit generates revenue through delivering consultancy projects, coaching, and advisory services to public sector clients including local authorities, NHS trusts, combined authorities, and government departments. Projects are commissioned on a contract basis, typically for multi-year programmes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Innovation Unit is a not-for-profit social enterprise that delivers consultancy, programme design, and advisory services to help public sector organisations, NHS bodies, local authorities, and foundations transform services through co-design, systems change, and community-led innovation methodologies. They work hand-in-hand with partners to design, test, and scale people-powered innovations addressing complex social challenges such as mental health, children's social care, climate action, and violence reduction.

Product overview

Innovation Unit is a not-for-profit social enterprise (not a SaaS software company) offering consultancy and programme services rather than a traditional product. Their portfolio includes core service offerings: Community-led Innovation, Systems Change, and Design methodology. They deliver programmes such as Living Well Systems (mental health), GoodLives GM (prevention culture), Learning and Support Partner (Climate Action Fund), No Wrong Door (children's social care), and Young Futures Hubs. Their work spans multiple service areas including Children and Families, Mental Health, Climate Action, Justice and Reducing Violence, Combined Authorities, and Neighbourhood Health. These offerings are consultancy-based methodologies and programmes rather than software products with technical integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Living Well: An integrated, person-centred approach to supporting people with complex mental health needs to access multidisciplinary support and live well in their local communities.
• No Wrong Door
• GoodLives GM
• GoodLives GM
• Strengthening Families, Protecting Children (SFPC)
• Young Futures Hubs
• Learning First Bermuda
• Climate Action Fund Learning and Support Partnership
• Growing People-Centred Systems

Products and services

• Community-led Innovation A service offering that works with local communities to improve places where people live, using community engagement and co-design approaches to find root causes of problems and design meaningful change. Targeted at local authorities, community organisations, and public sector partners.
• Systems Change A methodology that helps nurture the ground in which innovations can take root by growing people-powered systems, addressing barriers from decision-making to leadership norms. Targeted at public sector leaders and system-wide change initiatives.
• Living Well Systems An integrated, person-centred approach to supporting people with complex mental health needs, providing holistic, flexible, community-rooted mental health support. Originally inspired by Living Well Lambeth and scaled across UK localities.
• No Wrong Door An approach developed with North Yorkshire County Council that works with adolescents in care or on the edge of care, reducing young people coming into care and supporting permanence in family settings. Targeted at local authorities and children's services.
• GoodLives GM A strategic partnership programme with Greater Manchester Combined Authority supporting the GM workforce to grow a culture of prevention and reduce structural inequalities.
• Strengthening Families, Protecting Children (SFPC) A five-year Department for Education programme supporting local authorities to improve their work with families and safely reduce the number of children entering care, through Family Valued, Family Safeguarding, and No Wrong Door innovations.
• Young Futures Hubs Open access multidisciplinary mental health hubs designed with young people and rooted in communities, acting as catalysts for integration and system change for young people's wellbeing.
• Climate Action Fund Learning and Support Partnership A seven-year partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund's Climate Action Fund, supporting over 130 community-led climate projects across the UK through co-designed learning and support opportunities, in consortium with Arup, Creature & Co., and University of Leeds.
• European Mayor's Challenge Support Support for Bloomberg Philanthropies' Mayor's Challenge winners including Barcelona, Athens, Stockholm, Kirklees and Warsaw to share learnings and create tools for other cities.
• Learning First Bermuda A programme designed and facilitated in partnership with the Bermudian Department of Education to improve Bermuda's school system through Signature Schools and Signature Learning Programmes.
• Neighbourhood Health An approach creating more human and joined-up models of neighbourhood health, wellbeing and prevention, working with NHS and partners to transform from bureaucratic to human services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95-98% of grant holders report increased awareness, understanding, and confidence through learning programmes
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The National Lottery Community Fund (Climate Action Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025Seven-year CAF Learning and Support Partnership where Innovation Unit is part of a consortium including Arup, Creature & Co., and University of Leeds. Innovation Unit leads the 'Enable' strand, delivering co-designed learning and support to build capacity of 100+ community climate action grant holders.
• ArupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in the CAF Learning and Support Partnership, providing expertise in sustainability and climate resilience and generating evidence about community-led climate action.
• Creature & Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurpose-driven communications agency creating and curating a collective voice for CAF grant holders in the learning and support partnership.
• University of LeedscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading academic institution providing research and insights on climate action and community engagement as part of the CAF Learning and Support Partnership.
• Tavistock Institute for Human RelationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting climate communication research with Innovation Unit for ClimateXChange on effective public health messaging during adverse weather events.
• University of EdinburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Community-led Just Transition Partnership working with communities, organisations and policy makers to design, test and implement community-led solutions.
• Strathclyde Centre for Energy PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Community-led Just Transition Partnership providing energy policy expertise.
• North Yorkshire County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support local authorities in adopting and adapting the No Wrong Door approach to working with young people in or on the edge of care.
• Spring Consortium (Deloitte, Mutual Ventures)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInnovation Unit as part of Spring Consortium was delivery partner for DfE's Children's Social Care Innovation Programme, supporting 70 projects covering 90 local authorities with £155m in funding.
• Mutual VenturescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSupport partner alongside Innovation Unit and SCIE for Scaling Social Care Innovation (SFPC programme), supporting 18 local authorities.
• Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSupport partner alongside Innovation Unit and Mutual Ventures for Scaling Social Care Innovation programme.
• Bloomberg PhilanthropiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with Bloomberg Philanthropy to support winners of the European Mayor's Challenge to connect, share learnings, and create tools for other cities.
• Hub North Scotland & Scottish Futures TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to design and deliver the Caithness Challenge - a sustainable, collaborative approach to place-based change rooted in communities.
• NHS ConfederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with NHS Confederation and Local Trust to support six Big Local areas to explore neighbourhood health leadership and community-led approaches.
• Local TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NHS Confederation and Innovation Unit supporting communities to lead neighbourhood health transformation.
• The Health FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation Unit as support partner for The Health Foundation's Adopting Innovation Programme, working with four health and care innovation hubs.
• Greater Manchester Combined AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoodLives GM strategic partnership to empower, equip and connect Greater Manchester leaders, practitioners and communities to build good lives for all.
• FuturePlusminorOthersWorking with FuturePlus to track and improve environmental performance using a structured and externally benchmarked framework, supporting journey to Net Zero.
• OnePlusOneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Essex County Council on enhancing relational capability across the county's early years services.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nesta: UK innovation foundation that invests in and applies innovation methods to social challenges, including health, public services and the green economy. Highly comparable mission and methodology to Innovation Unit's design-led, people-powered innovation approach.
• The Young Foundation: UK social innovation research and development organisation that co-designs and evaluates new public service approaches with communities. Closely matches Innovation Unit's community-led innovation and systems change focus.
• New Philanthropy Capital (NPC): Research and consultancy organisation advising charities, foundations and government on social impact. Comparable in its advisory, evidence-led approach to the social sector, including health and public services.
• Social Finance: Impact advisory and outcomes-based commissioning specialist working with government and foundations on complex social challenges. Comparable as a UK social-purpose consultancy partnering with public-sector commissioners.
• Locality: UK membership and support body for community-led organisations, helping local groups access funding and deliver services. Comparable to Innovation Unit's community-led innovation and place-based work with voluntary and community organisations.
• Mutual Ventures: Social-purpose consultancy supporting local authorities and NHS partners on children's services, adult social care and public service reform. Direct competitor and existing consortium partner on Innovation Unit's DfE programmes.
• Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE): Improvement agency for adult and children's social care, providing evidence, guidance and co-design support to local authorities. Comparable as a publicly funded social-care improvement partner, and existing consortium partner with Innovation Unit.

Broad incumbents

• Tribal Group: Larger UK-listed education and public-sector technology and consulting business. Overlaps with Innovation Unit on children's services, education innovation, and public-sector digital transformation, though operating at significantly greater scale.
• PA Consulting: Global innovation and transformation consultancy with established public-sector and healthcare practices in the UK. Comparable in its innovation and service-design methodology, though operating across much broader industries and geographies.

Others

• The King's Fund: Independent health-policy think tank working with NHS, government and communities on health and care improvement. Adjacent rather than direct — comparable thought-leadership role in UK health systems change where Innovation Unit also operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-innovation-unit-limited
• Xx.com/innovation_unit
• Facebookfacebook.com/130741566972876

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Innovation Unit