What Uptree does

Uptree is a UK-based social mobility platform that connects employers with students aged 14-21 from underrepresented backgrounds through work experience programmes, online careers courses, and structured school partnerships. Founded in 2015 by former teacher Tamsin Dewhurst, the company operates an online Student Platform that has registered approximately 147,987 students, alongside a Schools Programme with 700-800+ UK state school partnerships. The platform facilitates three core product lines: live and virtual Work Experience Events, online self-directed Careers Courses, and an Employer Partnership Programme that delivers structured talent pipelines for corporate partners.

Uptree has delivered over 650 unique work experiences across its ten-year operating history and registered 49,416 work experience applications in its most recent reporting period. The company's proprietary MeasureUp framework and recently launched Social Value Report provide employers with measurable social impact metrics tied to programme participation. Named enterprise partners include JPMorganChase, Lloyds, Shawbrook Bank, IBM, Arm, Deloitte, KPMG, Just Eat Takeaway.com, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Trowers & Hamlins LLP, and the National Cyber Force, spanning financial services, technology, professional services, consumer goods, and government sectors.

The business model is B2B-funded with the Student Platform and Schools Programme offered free to students and educational institutions, while employers pay for partnership programme access. The company is structured as a social enterprise with a distributed team across the UK, EEA, and Canada, operating with co-working office spaces rather than a centralized headquarters. Revenue drivers are employer partnership contracts, with £1.77m-£3m in social value generated for communities in the most recent reporting period used as a proxy for programme scale.

Name

Uptree

Legal name

Uptree Limited

Website

https://uptree.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Uptree is a UK-based social mobility platform connecting employers with students aged 14-21 from underrepresented backgrounds through work experience programmes, online careers courses, and 700+ state school partnerships across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Careers Talent Platform

NAICS

Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Career Services & Job Placement Platforms (Jobs, Recruiting, Employer Networks) (EDAFAMAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms (EDAFAMAL), Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms (EDAFAMAN), Education Access & EdTech for Equity (Low-cost Learning, Skills Platforms) (BPAGALAH)

Keywords

• Early careers platform
• Student work experience
• Diversity talent pipeline
• Careers education support
• Employer school partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Employer Partnership / Programme Fees: Uptree is funded by employers who pay for access to its platform and programmes. Employers sponsor the platform to reach students from underrepresented backgrounds, deliver work experiences, and build diverse early careers pipelines. The service is free for students and schools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Uptree operates an online platform that connects employers with UK students aged 14-21 through in-person and virtual work experience events, online careers courses co-developed with employers (e.g. Lloyds Banking Group, National Cyber Force), and downloadable career resources. Students and schools access the platform at no cost, while employers fund partnership programmes on a recurring basis to access a diverse student pipeline, run branded events, and report social value for ESG purposes.

Product overview

Uptree operates as a social mobility platform connecting employers with students from underrepresented backgrounds aged 14-21 through its Online Student Platform. The core offering consists of Work Experience Events (in-person and virtual experiences with employer partners), an Online Careers Courses programme (including Lloyds Banking Group, National Cyber Force, and Essential Skills courses), and the Student Resource Hub providing downloadable CV and cover letter templates. For employers, the Employer Partnership Programme enables talent pipeline building through work experience facilitation, while the Schools Programme supports UK educational institutions in meeting Gatsby Benchmarks. Additional offerings include the free Careers Guide, Student Outreach Calendar, and the Future Proofed webinar series. The platform serves as an intermediary connecting students, schools (700+ UK state school partnerships), and employers to facilitate career pathways and social mobility outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Student Platform Free web-based platform for UK students aged 14-21 offering profile creation, event and apprenticeship discovery, applications, application tracking, employer following, and certificate downloads.
• Work Experience Events (Unique Experiences of Work) Structured in-person and virtual experiences of work connecting UK students aged 14-21 with enterprise employer partners (e.g. JPMorganChase, IBM, Arm, KPMG, Just Eat Takeaway.com) across the UK.
• Online Careers Courses Self-paced online careers courses (20–60 minute lessons) co-developed with employer partners such as Lloyds Banking Group and the National Cyber Force, producing certificates officially recognised by employers and shareable on LinkedIn.
• Employer Partnership Programme B2B partnership programme giving enterprise employers access to Uptree's UK state school network and 147,987+ students to build diverse early-career talent pipelines via work experience programmes, employer-branded events, and targeted student outreach.
• Schools Programme Free-to-schools programme supporting UK state secondary schools in delivering careers education aligned with the Gatsby Benchmarks (England) and the Careers Education Standard (Scotland), providing teacher portals, assembly videos, downloadable resources, and direct account management.

Quantifiable outcome

• £1.77m–£3m social value generated for employers in 2024/2025 academic year, equating to £1.87–£3.16 per £1 invested
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Cyber ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUptree partnered with National Cyber Force to develop and deliver an online careers course 'Introduction to the National Cyber Force', which teaches students about the UK's defence and intelligence ecosystem and related Early Careers opportunities. The course takes 30 minutes to complete and includes a certificate.
• Lloyds Banking GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLloyds Banking Group co-developed an online careers course 'Insight into Lloyds Banking Group' available on Uptree's Careers Learning Platform. The course takes 1 hour to complete and results in a certificate officially recognised by employers. LBG also hosts events through Uptree including application workshops and assessment centre sessions.
• ArmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour-year partnership with Arm to raise employer brand awareness among students through school assemblies, workshops, virtual and in-person insight events, and online careers content. Arm employees volunteer at events as role models. Nearly 400 employees have given over 300 hours of volunteering. Student employer attractiveness rating for Arm increased 608%.
• KPMGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKPMG runs its 'One+1 Social Mobility Work Placement' programme through Uptree — matching every student from KPMG's own networks with one from Uptree's underrepresented student network. Four annual insight days delivered through Uptree across the UK. KPMG's Opening Doors campaign has reached 800,000+ people since 2023. KPMG contributed to Uptree's social value webinar.
• Shawbrook BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShawbrook Bank runs Application Masterclasses and Work Experience Days through Uptree. Over 300 student applications generated, 23% of attendees applied for the Thrive Apprenticeship Programme, with 4 securing roles. Focus on reaching students from free school meals backgrounds and female students underrepresented in banking.
• IBMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBM partnered with Uptree to raise employer profile among school-leavers, particularly BAME and low-income students in London. Uptree delivered content to nearly 30,000 students via careers lessons and 5,355 students in 47 schools via assemblies and workshops. 232 applications to IBM work experience events, 163 students attended from 100+ schools. Employer attractiveness increased from 49% to 93%.
• DeloittecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeloitte hosts ASPIRE Work Experience in Manchester and 'Women in Finance Virtual Insight Session' through Uptree. Uptree alumni have been featured at Deloitte events. Deloitte contributed to Uptree's social value webinar series.
• JPMorganChasecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJPMorganChase runs multi-session work experience programmes through Uptree at their Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bournemouth, and London offices. Programmes target students aged 14-16 (Year 10-11/S3-S4) and include virtual workshops, in-person office visits, and follow-up sessions. Limited spaces with 8-week prioritisation process.
• Coca-Cola Europacific PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoca-Cola Europacific Partners hosts work experience events through Uptree. Uptree alumni Rene secured a Sales Associate Apprentice role at CCEP after attending multiple Uptree events.
• Just Eat Takeaway.comcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJust Eat Takeaway.com runs STEM Work Experience Placement Weeks through Uptree in Bristol and London. Five-day placement programmes for Year 12 students covering tech, career talks, team shadowing, and apprenticeship information. 10 spaces available per event.
• Trowers & Hamlins LLPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrowers & Hamlins delivers 'Getting into Law' webinars through Uptree's school webinar series, featuring Solicitor Apprentice Lily discussing her journey to law and apprenticeship application process.
• Addleshaw GoddardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAddleshaw Goddard is a partner company listed on Uptree's platform offering Legal Support Apprentice roles with application deadlines and placement start dates published through Uptree.
• Winston TaylorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWinston Taylor runs a 'Tomorrow Talent Work Experience Programme (Paid)' event through Uptree.
• UK Intelligence Agencies (MI5, MI6, GCHQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK Intelligence Agencies partner with Uptree to promote early careers and apprenticeships across MI5, MI6, and GCHQ through Uptree's jobs and placements listings. GCHQ is also listed as a Civil Service careers opportunity.
• ADM (Archer Daniels Midland)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerADM is listed as a partner company offering Engineering Maintenance Technician Apprentice, Nutrition and Education Intern, and Mill Operative roles through Uptree's platform.
• Hubble (Co-working Spaces)minorOthersUptree provides employees access to hundreds of co-working spaces across the UK and Europe through a partnership with Hubble. This supports flexible and nomad working arrangements for the distributed team.
• MeasureUpcoreOthersUptree uses the MeasureUp open valuation framework (aligned with HM Treasury Green Book guidance) to calculate and report the social value generated through its employer partnerships. All figures in Uptree's first social value report were calculated through MeasureUp at Bronze level.
• Impact Reporting / Social Value InternationalminorOthersCatherine Manning, Head of Impact Practice at Impact Reporting and Programme Lead at MeasureUp, collaborated with Uptree on its social value measurement methodology and webinar content.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Multiverse: UK-based professional apprenticeship platform matching employers with young talent through funded apprenticeship programmes. Overlaps with Uptree's apprenticeship and early-careers placement offering and shares the UK enterprise employer customer base.
• Springpod: UK-focused virtual work-experience and early-careers platform connecting students aged 13-24 with employers through online programmes. Directly competes with Uptree on employer-funded work-experience placements, school partnerships, and student engagement, especially in the UK social-mobility segment.
• Amazing Apprenticeships: UK organisation providing apprenticeship resources, school engagement, and employer-matching programmes. Targets the same 14-21 UK student demographic and overlapping employer base as Uptree, with comparable school-led distribution.
• Forage: Global virtual work-experience platform offering free, employer-branded job simulations to students. Competes with Uptree on the employer-pipeline-building value proposition, particularly for large multinationals, although with a heavier virtual-content focus versus Uptree's school-led model.
• Handshake: US-headquartered early-careers network linking university students with employers for jobs, internships, and events. Conceptually analogous to Uptree in connecting students to employer pipelines, with a stronger US university footprint and similar B2B revenue model.
• RateMyApprenticeship: UK platform providing apprenticeship reviews, advice, and employer-matching tools for school-leavers. Comparable to Uptree on UK apprenticeship discovery and student-to-employer matching, although with a review-led model rather than work-experience delivery.
• GetMyFirstJob: UK early-careers jobs and apprenticeship matching platform serving school-leavers and graduates. Directly comparable to Uptree on the student-to-employer job-matching component and UK geographic focus.

Others

• Pathway CTM: Provider of career-services management software to universities and employers. Operates adjacent to Uptree's employer-and-school-facing platform, focused on higher-education career centres rather than school-age work-experience delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Salesforce Trailhead: Free online learning and credentialing platform offering employer-recognised badges and career pathways. Comparable to Uptree's online careers courses with shareable certificates, although narrower in scope (Salesforce ecosystem) and without Uptree's UK school-distribution layer.
• LinkedIn (Learning & Early Career): Global professional network with learning content, job-matching, and recruitment products. Competes broadly with Uptree on student-to-employer connections and career skills, but as a much larger incumbent without Uptree's social-mobility or school-distribution specialisation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/getuptree
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uptree
• Instagraminstagram.com/getuptree

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Uptree