Upshot
Upshot Systems CIC is a London-based social enterprise providing a cloud-based Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) SaaS platform to non-profits, funders, and local authorities, serving 1,400+ organisations across the UK and internationally on an unlimited-user subscription.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Upshot does
Upshot Systems CIC is a London-based Community Interest Company (social enterprise) that provides a cloud-based Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) SaaS platform to the non-profit and public sectors. Founded in 2012 inside the Football Foundation as an internal programme-monitoring tool and spun out as an independent CIC in March 2021, Upshot serves over 1,400 organisations — including funders, charities, local authorities, governing bodies, and education providers — across the UK, Netherlands, Ukraine, South Africa, India, and the USA. The platform is operated as a non-tiered subscription with unlimited users (annual licence from £1,200pa + VAT) and is complemented by a Progressive Web App with offline capability, an Eventbrite integration, GDPR-compliant data handling, and mapping overlays including Index of Multiple Deprivation data for the UK and Ireland. The system is localised into Welsh, Dutch, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, and is supported by a long-running development partnership with Bristol-based agency Torchbox.
The company monetises through three streams: (1) annual software licences priced by organisation size, turnover, and complexity (number of projects and accounts); (2) one-time setup and onboarding fees covering configuration, data migration, and training (starting at £1,200 + VAT); and (3) higher-margin MEL services including impact framework creation, data visualisation, bespoke dashboards, and interactive workshops (consultancy day rate £595 + VAT). Go-to-market combines self-serve web onboarding with dedicated account management for funders and large delivery organisations, supplemented by referral partnerships (Sported, Beyond Sport, Pro Sport Development, European Football for Development Network, Football Foundation) and content-led demand generation via monthly open training webinars and sector events. Approximately 60 UK local authorities are customers and key sport-sector logos include Football Foundation, The FA, Sport England, Premiership Rugby, and the Rugby Football League.
Operationally Upshot runs with a lean team of around 13 people based in London and India, with no disclosed external equity or venture funding; all profits are reinvested under the CIC's social-purpose constitution. A 2025 board refresh added senior executives from Oxfam International, Docplanner Group, and Credenza to support global scaling, and the company has publicly committed to an annual product roadmap published with the user community.
Upshot firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Upshot
- Legal name
- Upshot Systems CIC
- Website
- https://upshot.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Upshot Systems CIC is a London-based social enterprise providing a cloud-based Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) SaaS platform to non-profits, funders, and local authorities, serving 1,400+ organisations across the UK and internationally on an unlimited-user subscription.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Upshot industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Impact Measurement Software
- NAICS
- Information (51)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Assessment Analytics & Item/Question Intelligence (IRT, Item Banks, Diagnostic Insights) (EDAFAFAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Enterprise Work Management & Collaborative Workflow Platforms (HDAEAHAI)
Keywords
Where Upshot is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Upshot business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Annual Software Licence: Annual subscription fee for access to the Upshot system. Licence fee depends on organisation size/turnover and complexity of setup (number of projects, accounts, programmes). Unlimited users included. Starting at £1,200pa for delivery account with 1 project.
- Setup & Onboarding Services: One-time onboarding consultancy fee includes account configuration, setup, data migration, and training. Starts at £1,200 +VAT. Day rate for consultancy is £595 +VAT.
- MEL Services: Additional MEL services including impact framework creation, strategic planning, reporting tools, data visualisation, and interactive workshops. Bespoke pricing based on client needs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Delivery Account - 1 Project |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Setup & Configuration |
| Other | Multi-year contract | MEL Services - Bespoke |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Upshot product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Upshot provides a cloud-based Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) SaaS platform that enables funders, charities, and delivery organisations to collect participant data, track attendance via registers, monitor milestones through timeline events, conduct surveys, manage media, and generate real-time reports. The offering is delivered as a web platform accompanied by a Progressive Web App (PWA) with offline capability, and is supplemented by bespoke MEL consulting services including impact framework creation, data visualisation, and capacity-building workshops. The platform is used by over 1,400 organisations across the UK and internationally in sectors including sport for development, youth work, education, health and wellbeing, criminal justice, and local government.
Product overview
Upshot provides a unified Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) platform consisting of the core Upshot System SaaS platform and a companion Progressive Web App (PWA). The core system is supplemented by add-on modules including the Eventbrite Integration for booking data import, MEL Services (impact framework creation, data visualisation, and bespoke reporting tools), MEL Workshops (interactive training programmes), and Open Training Webinars. The company also provides consultancies delivered off-system alongside the technology. All new features are available to all users at no extra cost; the product does not operate on a tiered or versioned model.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Upshot System Cloud-based Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) SaaS platform enabling funders, charities, and delivery organisations to collect participant data, track attendance via registers, monitor milestones through timelines, conduct surveys, manage media, and generate real-time reports. Includes funder and deliverer account types with unlimited users on licence.
- Upshot Mobile App (PWA) Progressive Web App (PWA) version of the Upshot System optimised for mobile and tablet use, allowing users to submit registers, create and manage attendees, complete surveys, and review participant information on the go with offline data entry and automatic sync when back online.
- MEL Services Wrap-around consulting services complementing the Upshot System, including impact framework creation (Theory of Change, Logic Models, Outcomes Frameworks), bespoke data visualisation and reporting tools, and MEL capacity-building workshops delivered online or in-person with bespoke pricing.
- Upshot MEL Workshops Paid series of interactive workshops delivered online or in-person to upskill teams in Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning, covering topics including Introduction to MEL, Planning your MEL Strategy, Ethics of Data Collection, Data Collection during Delivery, and Data Storytelling. Includes interactive exercises, resources, and handouts.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% positive support experience rating from users
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Upshot
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments13 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Upshot technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature8 records
Upshot partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Football FoundationcoreOriginal creator of Upshot; continued partnership for Active Through Football programme with presentation at Why Sports Conference alongside Upshot.
- Olympic Refuge FoundationcoreDelivered full MEL workshop series online to organisations delivering programmes for refugees globally.
- Sport for Refugees CoalitioncoreCoalition receiving customised MEL workshop series for member organisations.
- InFocuscoreImpact consulting partner providing MEL expertise and solutions to non-profit organisations.
- SportedcoreUK charity supporting youth organisations; referral partner bringing member organisations to Upshot.
- Beyond SportcoreInternational organisation using sport for social change; partnership for sector development and referrals.
- Pro Sport Development (PSD)minorIndian sports development organisation; referral and implementation partner in India.
- TorchboxcoreEthical digital agency for non-profits; built and maintained the Upshot system for over 13 years. Development partner from Bristol office.
- Sport for ConfidenceminorWorking group member testing new register page developments.
- Player's CoalitionminorWorking group member testing new register page developments.
- FC GroningenminorDutch football club testing new register page developments.
- OSCARminorIndian football for development organisation testing new register page developments.
- European Football for Development Network (EFDN)coreEuropean network of football clubs using sport for social development; partnership for MEL capacity building across Europe.
- Leeds Beckett UniversityminorEvaluation partner for Active Through Football programme alongside Football Foundation and Upshot.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Upshot competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- EvalEpic: EvalEpic (Eval) is an emerging cloud-based M&E platform for non-profits and social enterprises, offering surveys, beneficiary tracking, and reporting. It targets a similar deliverer-side user to Upshot, with a particular focus on smaller organisations adopting digital MEL for the first time.
Direct peers
- Fluxx: Fluxx is a grant management and impact reporting platform used by foundations and non-profits. It competes directly with Upshot at the funder side, providing application workflows, due diligence, and outcomes reporting for grantmakers and their grantees.
- Social Solutions / Apricot (Bonterra): Apricot by Bonterra (formerly Social Solutions) is a leading SaaS platform for non-profit case management, outcomes tracking, and reporting. It directly competes with Upshot in serving charities and funders that need to capture participant data, track outcomes, and demonstrate impact across programmes.
- CharityLog: CharityLog is a UK-based case management and outcomes platform for charities and local authorities, tracking service users, outcomes, and reporting. It directly competes with Upshot in the UK small-to-mid charity and public-sector MEL segment.
- GivingData: GivingData is a grants and impact management platform built specifically for community foundations, supporting the full grant lifecycle plus grantee reporting and outcomes. It overlaps with Upshot’s funder-side offering and serves a similar non-profit customer base.
- SmartSimple: SmartSimple offers a cloud-based platform for grant management, applicant tracking, and impact measurement used by foundations, governments, and corporations. Its end-to-end grants and outcomes workflow overlaps significantly with Upshot’s funder and deliverer use cases.
- Foundant Technologies: Foundant provides grant and scholarship management software for community foundations and non-profits, including application management, reporting, and outcomes capture. It is a comparable SaaS solution for funders seeking grantee impact data — the same job-to-be-done Upshot serves on its funder side.
Broad incumbents
- Salesforce.org Nonprofit Cloud: Salesforce.org is the non-profit arm of Salesforce, offering Nonprofit Cloud for program management, fundraising, and impact measurement. It overlaps with Upshot’s MEL and outcome-tracking capabilities but as part of a much broader CRM ecosystem serving large non-profits and global NGOs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Upshot social profiles
Digital presenceUpshot compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Upshot financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Upshot leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Upshot funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Upshot M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Upshot
What does Upshot do?
Upshot provides a cloud-based Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) SaaS platform that enables funders, charities, and delivery organisations to collect participant data, track attendance via registers, monitor milestones through timeline events, conduct surveys, manage media, and generate real-time reports. The offering is delivered as a web platform accompanied by a Progressive Web App (PWA) with offline capability, and is supplemented by bespoke MEL consulting services including impact framework creation, data visualisation, and capacity-building workshops. The platform is used by over 1,400 organisations across the UK and internationally in sectors including sport for development, youth work, education, health and wellbeing, criminal justice, and local government.
Is Upshot a public or private company?
Upshot is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Upshot founded?
Upshot was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Upshot based?
Upshot is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Upshot make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Annual Software Licence is the primary driver. The others are setup & Onboarding Services and MEL Services.
Who are Upshot's main competitors?
EvalEpic is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Fluxx, Social Solutions / Apricot (Bonterra), CharityLog, GivingData, SmartSimple and Foundant Technologies. Salesforce.org Nonprofit Cloud is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Upshot have an API?
No public API is recorded for Upshot.
What industry is Upshot in?
Upshot's product category is Impact Measurement Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAFAG, Assessment Analytics & Item/Question Intelligence (IRT, Item Banks, Diagnostic Insights), with a secondary code of HDAEAHAI, Enterprise Work Management & Collaborative Workflow Platforms. Its NAICS code is 51 and its SIC code is 7372.