Initiative for Social Entrepreneurs

What Initiative for Social Entrepreneurs does

iSE (Initiative for Social Enterprise) is a Birmingham-based social enterprise support organisation founded in 2000 that operates as a one-stop shop for growing the social economy across the West Midlands. It delivers a portfolio of services including startup support through Social Enterprise In A Box (workshops at £150/person, one-to-one consultancy at £75/hour), Social Enterprise In Schools programmes, guided Social Enterprise Tours, business support, ESG consultancy, and training. The organisation is not a technology company and builds no proprietary software; its core platform consists of two physical hubs — the Women's Enterprise & Community Hub in Sparkbrook and the Digbeth Social Enterprise Hub — that provide workspace, meeting room hire, and community infrastructure for tenants and events.

iSE's business model blends four revenue streams: professional consultancy services for social enterprises and trading charities, paid training and workshops, rental income from hub spaces (shop fronts, serviced offices, meeting rooms, hot desking), and funded programme delivery. Funded projects — including the Social Economy Boost Fund (SEBF), Inclusive Health, Green Economy Scheme, Diabetes Wellbeing, Digbeth Social Economy Cluster, Community Hub Business Support, Coalition 4 Impact, and Neighbourly Neighbourhoods — are financed by public-sector bodies such as WMCA and DCMS, often in consortium with partners like the University of Birmingham, Health Innovation West Midlands, and the Living Well Consortium. Pricing is largely low-ticket and transactional, supplemented by free advisory services for eligible businesses.

The customer base spans aspiring social entrepreneurs, established trading charities, schools, women-led enterprises, underrepresented and ethnically diverse founders, local and combined authorities seeking social economy growth, and corporate organisations pursuing ESG and social value strategies. iSE is governed by a board chaired by Steve Harding with Drew Currie as CEO, and reinvests surplus into community impact consistent with its social enterprise structure. The organisation marked its 25th anniversary in October 2025 and operates the annual Social Economy Drive & Awards, which convenes 40+ finalists and multiple sponsors including Big Issue Invest and NatWest.

Name

Initiative for Social Entrepreneurs

Legal name

Initiative for Social Enterprise

Website

https://i-se.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

iSE is a Birmingham-based social enterprise support organisation founded in 2000 that delivers consultancy, training, funded programmes, and physical workspace to social enterprises, women-led ventures, schools, local authorities, and underrepresented founders across the West Midlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Enterprise Support Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG Governance, Sustainability Reporting & Assurance Advisory (BPAHAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Adult Learner Support Services (Advising, Case Management, Wraparound Supports) (EDAAABAJ)

Keywords

• Social enterprise support
• Business consultancy services
• Community development programs
• ESG consulting
• Startup incubation

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Consultancy Services: iSE delivers consultancy services to help start, grow and sustain social enterprises, trading charities or community organisations. Services include strategy planning, business planning and social value offering.
2. Training and Workshops: SE In a Box Workshop costs £150 per person. SE In a Box Consultancy at £75 per hour for one-to-one support.
3. Space Rental: Rental income from shop fronts and serviced offices at Women's Enterprise Hub and Digbeth Social Enterprise Hub. Meeting room hire for events and training.
4. Funded Projects and Programmes: iSE runs funded projects supporting social economy growth, either using their own profits or through funded programmes from government bodies like DCMS, WMCA, and local authorities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

iSE provides comprehensive support services for social enterprises including startup guidance through workshops and one-to-one consultancy, ESG and social value consulting, training programs, and managed funded projects supporting community-focused businesses across the West Midlands. The organization also operates physical hub spaces offering meeting rooms, hot desking, and offices for social enterprises.

Product overview

iSE operates as a social enterprise support organisation offering a portfolio of services focused on growing the social economy. The core offerings include Social Enterprise In A Box (startup support through workshops and consultancy), Social Enterprise In Schools (youth education programmes), Social Enterprise Tours (guided experiences of Birmingham's social economy), Business Support (free consultancy for eligible businesses), ESG Consultancy, and Training. iSE also manages funded programmes including the Social Economy Boost Fund (SEBF), Inclusive Health, Green Economy Scheme, and Diabetes Wellbeing. Physical hubs include the Women's Enterprise & Community Hub (WECH) in Sparkbrook and Digbeth Social Enterprise Hub, which offer meeting room hire and hot desking spaces. The organisation runs an annual Social Economy Drive & Awards programme celebrating impact across the West Midlands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Social Economy Drive: A program celebrating and supporting social enterprises across the West Midlands, including awards and networking events.
• SE In A Box
• Women's Enterprise Hub
• Digbeth Social Enterprise Hub

Products and services

• Social Enterprise In A Box

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000s of women supported through Women's Enterprise Hub tenants
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Access to BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the West Midlands Social Enterprise Boost Fund (SEBF) programme delivering support in Wolverhampton and Sandwell area.
• Sweda ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the West Midlands Social Enterprise Boost Fund (SEBF) programme supporting social enterprise activity.
• Sandwell Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the West Midlands Social Enterprise Boost Fund (SEBF) programme delivering support in Sandwell.
• Health Innovation West Midlands (HIWM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Inclusive Health programme delivering Social Enterprise Program for health, well-being and social care sector innovations.
• Living Well ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership delivering Inclusive Health programme. Home to mental health services operating at Digbeth Social Enterprise Hub.
• University of BirminghamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in Green Economy programme supporting existing businesses to explore green economy opportunities.
• Tyseley Energy ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Green Economy programme. Venue for events and tours showcasing green technologies and opportunities.
• Business Growth West Midlands (BGWM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration delivering FREE BUSINESS ADVICE for eligible businesses across West Midlands.
• West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner and collaborator on multiple programmes including SEBF, Community Hub Business Support, and Digbeth Social Economy Cluster.
• Race Equalities TaskforceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Community Hub Business Support connecting local entrepreneurs to regional business support.
• Women's Hub PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVarious partners for Diabetes Wellbeing programme targeting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
• NatWest Accelerator BirminghamminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for Social Economy Awards lunch events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Locality: UK membership body supporting community-led organisations with advice, resources, and convening. Locality is comparable through its place-based, community-organisation support and operates regional programmes that overlap with iSE's Community Hub Business Support work.
• School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE): UK charity that provides training, mentoring, and support programmes for people starting and growing social enterprises. SSE is a direct peer given its near-identical model of education, incubation, and community-building for social entrepreneurs.
• UnLtd: UK foundation that supports social entrepreneurs with funding, advice, and networking through regional 'hubs'. UnLtd is a direct peer in terms of target audience (social entrepreneurs), service mix (grants + advisory), and emphasis on under-represented founders.
• Keyfund: Community-finance organisation providing loans and grants to charities and social enterprises across the UK, listed by iSE as a supporter/sponsor. Comparable as a regional-finance peer targeting similar beneficiaries in the same geography.
• Power to Change: Independent trust that funds and supports community businesses in England. Power to Change is a direct peer through its grant programmes, business support offers, and research on the community business sector — areas that overlap with iSE's funded-programme model.
• Ashoka UK: Global organisation supporting leading social entrepreneurs ('Ashoka Fellows') with stipends, networks, and programmes. Comparable as a peer in social-entrepreneur identification, capacity-building, and ecosystem convening, though operating at a larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Social Enterprise UK: National membership body for social enterprises, providing policy advocacy, events, and the Social Enterprise Awards. Comparable because it operates one tier above iSE as the convening voice for the UK social-enterprise sector iSE serves locally.

Regional players

• Cooperatives UK: UK trade body promoting cooperative and mutual enterprises, offering advice, development programmes, and policy advocacy. Adjacent peer addressing a closely related (but distinct) legal form — community-owned and cooperative enterprises — that frequently overlaps with iSE's CIC and social-enterprise beneficiaries.

Emerging players

• Big Issue Invest: Social investment arm of The Big Issue that provides loans and investment to social enterprises and charities. iSE lists Big Issue Invest as both a Social Economy Awards sponsor and a featured speaker, making it an adjacent financial partner and comparable funder/investor in the same beneficiary pool.
• Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES): UK think-and-do tank promoting local economic strategies including social economy, community wealth building, and inclusive growth. CLES is a thematic peer — comparable through iSE's place-based social-economy cluster work in Digbeth and Coalition 4 Impact — though CLES operates as a policy/research body rather than a direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ise_cic
• Facebookfacebook.com/isocialenterprise
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isocialenterprise
• Instagraminstagram.com/isocialenterprise

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Initiative for Social Entrepreneurs