Hertfordshire Futures

Name

Hertfordshire Futures

Legal name

Hertfordshire Futures

Website

https://hertfordshirefutures.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Development Finance & Blended Finance Facilities (BPADAOAD)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Business growth support
• Skills and employment programmes
• Inward investment promotion
• Careers education

Headquarters

HQ city

Garden City

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Sector Funding: Hertfordshire Futures operates as a government-funded Local Enterprise Partnership. Primary funding comes from Hertfordshire County Council as accountable body, supplemented by central government departments including DfE (Skills Bootcamps, Step2Skills), DCMS/DSIT (Digital Hertfordshire, Create Growth Programme), DWP (Get Hertfordshire Working), and NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB (WorkWell).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hertfordshire Futures is the Local Enterprise Partnership for Hertfordshire, delivering publicly funded economic development services across business growth, skills and employment, inward investment, and digital infrastructure. Its portfolio includes the Hertfordshire Growth Hub (SME support), Hertfordshire Film Office (screen sector), Invest Hertfordshire (inward investment), Herts IQ (enterprise zone), Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal and Careers Hub (careers), Step2Skills (adult learning), Digital Hertfordshire (broadband and digital inclusion), and sector support for Life Sciences and Clean Growth. All core services are provided free at the point of access to businesses and residents.

Product overview

Hertfordshire Futures is an economic development organization (formerly Hertfordshire LEP) offering a portfolio of interconnected services under a platform-plus-programmes model. The core offerings include: Hertfordshire Growth Hub (business support for SMEs), Hertfordshire Film Office (screen sector promotion), Invest Hertfordshire (inward investment), Herts IQ (enterprise zone), and Digital Hertfordshire (telecoms infrastructure). Supporting services include Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal (HOP) for career exploration, Hertfordshire Careers Hub for youth employment pathways, Step2Skills for adult learners, Get Enterprising for start-ups, and Visit Herts for tourism. Sector-specific initiatives cover Life Sciences (supporting biotech and cell/gene therapy clusters), Clean Growth (low carbon economy), and the ESSV Framework (social value measurement). The organization also delivers Skills Bootcamps, Create Growth Programme, and Modern Work Experience as targeted intervention programmes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hertfordshire Growth Hub: Supports the growth of Hertfordshire SMEs with one-to-one advice, workshops, investment-readiness support, and connections to trusted partners. Founded in 2015, celebrating 10th anniversary in 2025.
• Hertfordshire Film Office
• Invest Hertfordshire
• Herts IQ
• Visit Herts
• Step2Skills
• Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal (HOP)
• Hertfordshire Careers Hub
• Digital Hertfordshire
• Get Enterprising
• Get Hertfordshire Working
• Clean Growth Programme

Products and services

• Hertfordshire Growth Hub A business support service that accelerates the growth of Hertfordshire SMEs through one-to-one advice, workshops, investment-readiness support, and access to grants and funding. Delivered by the Exemplas consortium.
• Hertfordshire Film Office Maximises the potential of Hertfordshire's film and TV sector, supporting productions, managing filming permits, and driving economic growth through screen tourism.
• Invest Hertfordshire Inward investment service supporting businesses looking to locate or expand in Hertfordshire, facilitating strategic introductions and showcasing the county's investment pipeline across 24 opportunity sites.
• Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal (HOP) Digital self-service portal for Hertfordshire residents, students, and employers providing access to job listings, apprenticeships, skills programmes, career guidance, and the Careers Coach career-matching tool.
• Hertfordshire Careers Hub Bridges the gap between education and employment for young people, working with 113 local schools and colleges and delivering Generation careers fairs connecting 26,500+ young people with 400+ employers.
• Step2Skills Provides training and support for Hertfordshire residents facing barriers to learning and employment, delivering adult skills provision with 3,000 learners engaged and 1,300 achieving nationally recognised qualifications.
• Herts IQ A 3 million sq. ft. enterprise zone for future-facing businesses in west Hertfordshire, providing planning facilitation and infrastructure support, with £1.88m of approved project funding.
• Visit Herts Official destination management service for Hertfordshire, promoting screen tourism and local attractions and supporting the growth of the visitor economy.
• Get Enterprising Fully funded specialist support for pre-start and early-stage businesses in Hertfordshire, engaging 2,700+ clients since April 2025 and supporting 118 jobs created and 92 business launches.
• Digital Hertfordshire Develops Hertfordshire's telecoms infrastructure and promotes digital inclusion, having achieved 91% gigabit-capable broadband coverage and providing the Digital Help Finder tool.
• Life Sciences Sector Support Supports the Hertfordshire life sciences sector including biopharma, med tech, and cell and gene therapy; the sector generated £5.3bn sales revenues in 2021 with 4,350 core sector jobs and 245 active businesses.
• Clean Growth Programme Accelerates enterprise and innovation in the low carbon environmental goods and services sector, including the Hertfordshire Retrofit Strategy 2025-2028 targeting 483,000 homes for retrofit by 2050.
• Employment, Skills and Social Value (ESSV) Framework Helps employers deliver economic, social, and environmental benefits through public sector activities, using the National TOMs framework to measure social value outcomes.
• Skills and Employment Dashboard Interactive dashboard providing labour market data and analytics for stakeholders to understand Hertfordshire's skills and employment landscape and support data-driven decision making on skills provision.
• Skills Bootcamps Employer-led skills training programmes in sectors including film & TV, visitor economy, green skills, leadership, digital, construction, and early years, with 766 learners starting in 2025 and 451 achieving positive outcomes.
• Create Growth Programme DCMS and Innovate UK programme connecting SMEs to commercial opportunities within Hertfordshire's film & TV sector; since 2024 over 80 businesses have completed the programme generating £1.66m regional GVA.
• Catalyser Business Accelerator Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst programme enabling high-potential biotech companies to refine market strategies and secure funding; Creasallis announced a $7M seed round during the programme.
• Modern Work Experience Flexible workplace experience programme partnering with Hertfordshire employers to provide meaningful workplace experiences for young people during secondary school.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,000+ businesses supported, £64.2m economic value generated over 10 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.

• Hertfordshire County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccountable body for Hertfordshire Futures. Provides governance, funding, and operational delivery through the Growth & Environment directorate. Farnham House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage is the shared headquarters.
• Hertfordshire Growth BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCountywide partnership enabling the county to manage growth together. Members include Hertfordshire County Council, Hertfordshire Futures, and all 10 district and borough councils. Committed to delivering 100,000 new homes and jobs by 2031.
• ExemplascoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLead delivery partner for Hertfordshire Growth Hub, providing one-to-one business advice, workshops, and investment-readiness support. Part of consortium with University of Hertfordshire, Visit Herts, and Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce.
• University of HertfordshirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey education partner in Growth Hub consortium. Offers Cell & Gene Therapy GMP training,Propellor Stages studio for creative industries, and Hertfordshire Science Partnership (£6m SME support project).
• Visit HertskeyImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOfficial destination management service for Hertfordshire, part of Growth Hub delivery consortium. Supports visitor economy growth alongside Hertfordshire Film Office.
• Hertfordshire Chamber of CommercekeyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPart of Growth Hub consortium, connecting businesses to support services and providing business networking opportunities.
• WentacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDelivery partner for Get Enterprising programme, providing fully funded specialist support for pre-start and early-stage businesses in Hertfordshire.
• Department for Work and PensionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of Skills and Employment Strategy. Partner in Get Hertfordshire Working plan focusing on health and work, and WorkWell initiative coordination.
• NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICBkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvider of WorkWell Leadership Funding supporting Get Hertfordshire Working Health and Work Plan. Joint working on health inequalities and economic inactivity prevention.
• UK Screen Investment ProgrammekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational programme partnered with Hertfordshire Futures for inaugural UK Screen Investment Summit at BAFTA. Hertfordshire leading national screen sector advocacy.
• Greater South East Energy HubkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration of 11 Local Enterprise Partnerships in south east England. Funded by BEIS, supports low carbon local energy projects. Hertfordshire Futures is a member.
• Stevenage Bioscience CatalystcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSK/Wellcome Trust joint venture campus, UK's largest cell and gene therapy cluster. Delivered most advanced Catalyser programme for 8 high-potential biotech companies. Companies have raised £2.9bn in funding.
• Cell and Gene Therapy CatapultcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner£55m manufacturing centre in Stevenage supporting new large-scale manufacturing systems. Runs ATAC apprenticeship community and ATSTN skills training network. Key to Stevenage life sciences ecosystem.
• GSK (GlaxoSmithKline)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor presence at R&D Hub in Stevenage and respiratory manufacturing plant in Ware. Developed open innovation campus with Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst. Provided industry expertise for Catalyser programme.
• PharmaronkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal CRMO based in Hoddesdon with discovery and early development activity. Leverages global expertise supporting local biotech ecosystem.
• EisaikeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Knowledge Centre at Hatfield Business Park. Life sciences panel member driving sector growth strategy.
• OneNucleuskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerNot-for-profit life sciences membership organization with ~460 members including pharmaceutical, biotech, med tech companies. Life sciences panel member.
• District and Borough Councils (10 councils)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership across all Hertfordshire districts: Broxbourne, Dacorum, East Herts, Hertsmere, North Herts, St Albans, Stevenage, Three Rivers, Watford, Welwyn Hatfield. Collaboration on careers fairs, work experience, and economic growth.
• Royal Veterinary CollegekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-ranked veterinary medicine institution with £28m Centre for Vaccinology and Regenerative Medicine. Provides specialist training 18 miles from Stevenage.
• OpenreachkeyImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrimary broadband infrastructure partner through Connected Counties programme. Delivered 50,000+ superfast connections. Active supplier for Project Gigabit Lot 26C.

Scale indicators30 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Invest Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland's regional economic development agency delivering inward investment, business growth support, and skills programmes. Functionally analogous to Hertfordshire Futures in mission (inward investment, SME growth, skills pipeline), but operating at much larger national-region scale with greater budget and remit.
• Scottish Development International: Scotland's national economic development agency, jointly funded by Scottish Government and the private sector. Compares to Hertfordshire Futures on inward investment promotion, business support, and sector cluster strategy — but at much larger scale, covering an entire nation's economy.
• Welsh Government - Business Wales: Welsh Government's Business Wales service delivers business support, skills, and economic development programmes across Wales. Comparable in delivering publicly-funded business advisory and skills programmes to a defined regional economy, though operated directly by the national government rather than an arm's-length partnership.

Direct peers

• London & Partners: London's regional investment promotion and economic development agency, mayoral-backed and partially publicly funded. Directly comparable in mission — inward investment attraction, business growth support, and economic strategy delivery — though at much greater scale and resourcing than a county LEP.
• Buckinghamshire Council: Buckinghamshire absorbed its former LEP functions into the unitary council in 2020 — a neighbouring county with a similar economic profile. Represents the LEP-to-council transition path that could face Hertfordshire Futures, and currently runs equivalent business support, skills, and inward investment programmes directly through the council.
• South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP): SEMLEP is a neighbouring UK Local Enterprise Partnership covering Bedfordshire, Luton, and Northamptonshire. Structurally and functionally similar to Hertfordshire Futures — runs a Growth Hub, business support programmes, skills initiatives, and inward investment promotion for a defined sub-region of England.
• Enterprise M3 LEP: Enterprise M3 is a UK Local Enterprise Partnership covering Hampshire, Surrey, and part of Berkshire. Equivalent LEP structure with Growth Hub, business support, skills, and inward investment functions — comparable regional economic development body serving a similar sub-economy of southern England.
• Greater Manchester Combined Authority: Greater Manchester's combined authority absorbed the former Greater Manchester LEP and now delivers equivalent economic development, skills, and business support functions. Most directly comparable UK regional economic development body in scope and remit (Growth Hub equivalent, skills programmes, inward investment, sector cluster development).
• Coast to Capital LEP: Coast to Capital is a UK Local Enterprise Partnership covering coastal West Sussex, Brighton, and the wider Gatwick Diamond. Directly comparable LEP in function and structure: business support, skills, inward investment, infrastructure coordination for a defined regional economy.

Regional players

• Invest Essex: Essex's inward investment and economic development body, neighbouring Hertfordshire with a similar South East England economy (logistics, life sciences, advanced manufacturing). Comparable in inward investment promotion and SME support focus, though operating under a different organisational model.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hertfordshire-futures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 Hertfordshire Futures