Collaborate
Collaborate CIC is a UK-based social enterprise consultancy that helps public sector bodies, health partnerships, and voluntary sector organisations develop collaborative capabilities, systems change practice, and leadership for tackling complex social challenges.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Collaborate does
Collaborate CIC is a UK-registered Community Interest Company (social enterprise) headquartered at the Clarence Centre for Enterprise & Innovation in London, founded around 2012. Operating with a headcount band of 11-50 staff, the firm functions as a specialist consultancy that helps people, teams, organisations and partnerships collaborate more effectively to tackle complex social challenges. Its client base spans local authorities (Wigan, Camden, Test Valley, Barnet, Thurrock, Norwich, East Sussex, among others), combined authorities, NHS bodies and Integrated Care Systems, voluntary and community sector organisations, and funders including Save the Children UK and the British Science Association.
The firm's "product" is a portfolio of advisory services rather than software. Core offerings include collaboration advisory (board development, cross-sector collaboration, collaborative leadership), systems change support delivered as a learning and evaluation partner, Human Learning Systems (HLS) practice, a Test and Learn methodology for working in complexity, and governance and leadership development (including the Leading Greater Essex programme). Underpinning these are proprietary frameworks: a Healthy Public Engagement System Framework (five themes), a Systems Change Maturity Model (ten conditions, co-developed with NPC for Save the Children), Learning Cycles methodology, and the published Collaboration Academy learning resources. No software product, API, or technology platform exists.
Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements, formal learning partner arrangements with funders, and leadership development programmes. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-driven. Go-to-market is sales-led, layered with substantial content marketing (blog, monthly newsletter, webinars, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, sector publications including The MJ). Distribution relies on direct client relationships, competitive tenders, trusted supplier panels (e.g., Active Partnerships), and strategic co-development partnerships - most notably a 2026 three-way partnership with law firm Anthony Collins and the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS) to support councils through UK local government reorganisation. Founder and Chair Lord Victor Adebowale and former CEO Anna Randle provide the firm's primary sector credibility; Anna Randle announced her departure in 2024, with a new CEO transition underway.
Collaborate firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Collaborate
- Legal name
- Collaborate CIC
- Website
- https://collaboratecic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Collaborate CIC is a UK-based social enterprise consultancy that helps public sector bodies, health partnerships, and voluntary sector organisations develop collaborative capabilities, systems change practice, and leadership for tackling complex social challenges.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Collaborate industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Sector Consulting
- NAICS
- Other Management Consulting Services (541618)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Workplace & Collaboration Consulting (BPAHAEAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Collaboration & Teamwork (EDABAMAC)
Keywords
Where Collaborate is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Collaborate business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Consultancy Services: Collaborate CIC provides paid consulting engagements to public sector organisations including local authorities, NHS bodies, combined authorities, and voluntary sector organisations. Engagements include board development, organisational strategy, collaboration support, systems change facilitation, and leadership programmes.
- Learning Partner Services: Acts as learning and evaluation partner on programmes funded by organisations such as the British Science Association and Save the Children, providing systems change expertise and programme evaluation.
- Training and Development: Delivers leadership programmes such as Leading Greater Essex, providing facilitation and development services to public sector leaders.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Collaborate product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Collaborate CIC is a UK-based consultancy that helps people, teams, organisations and partnerships collaborate more effectively to tackle complex social challenges. The firm delivers paid advisory engagements to local authorities, NHS bodies, combined authorities and voluntary sector organisations, covering board development, organisational strategy, systems change facilitation, cross-sector collaboration support and leadership programmes. It also operates as a learning and evaluation partner on programmes funded by third parties such as the British Science Association and Save the Children.
Product overview
Collaborate is a Community Interest Company (CIC) providing advisory and consultancy services focused on helping people collaborate to tackle complex social challenges. The organization offers a portfolio of service offerings rather than a software product or technology platform. Its core services include collaboration advisory (board development, cross-sector collaboration, community engagement, collaborative leadership), a Test and Learn methodology for working in complexity, systems change support as a learning partner, and Human Learning Systems practice. The organization also provides governance and leadership development services, and maintains a Collaboration Academy as a learning resource. Collaborate works primarily with public sector organisations, health and care partnerships, local authorities, and voluntary sector partners across the UK.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Collaboration Advisory Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Influenced Wigan Council's development of Progress with Unity strategy and subsequent hyperlocal neighbourhood working approach
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Collaborate
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Collaborate technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Collaborate partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.
- Anthony Collins (Law Firm)coreInformal partnership with Anthony Collins (national law firm with deep local government expertise) and Centre for Governance and Scrutiny to support councils through local government reorganisation. Anthony Collins provides legal and constitutional expertise while Collaborate brings systems change and collaboration support.
- Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS)coreThree-way partnership supporting councils with LGR. CfGS contributes governance, scrutiny and democratic leadership expertise to help new authorities develop effective decision-making and accountability structures.
- Active Partnerships National OrganisationsecondaryAppointed as trusted supplier for external board evaluations across the Active Partnerships network in England. Provides governance support including board recruitment, development, and alignment with changing community needs.
- IPPR NorthsecondaryCollaborated alongside IPPR North to support Wigan Council's review of The Deal and development of Progress with Unity strategy, contributing systems change expertise to the partnership.
- InvolvesecondaryPartnership with Involve (public participation charity) to provide independent scrutiny of Grenfell support programme, exploring restorative scrutiny approaches for rebuilding trust between councils and communities.
- NPC (New Philanthropy Capital)secondaryJoint work with NPC on evaluating Save the Children's Early Learning Communities programme, developing maturity models and sharing insights through co-authored reports.
- British Science Association (BSA)coreCollaborate serves as learning partner to BSA's Ideas Fund, an equitable programme foregrounding partnerships between communities and researchers. The multi-year partnership supports infrastructure development in four areas: Highlands & Islands, Hull, Oldham, and Northwest Northern Ireland.
- Science Ceilidh (Highlands & Islands)secondaryInfrastructure partner in Highlands & Islands working on community knowledge and research ethics, developing participatory approaches to ethics processes.
- Ideas Fund Infrastructure Areas (Hull, Oldham, NWNI)secondaryRegional infrastructure partnerships in Hull, Oldham, and Northwest Northern Ireland working to develop healthy public engagement systems through the Ideas Fund programme.
- Save the Children UKcoreSystems change learning and evaluation partner to Save the Children's Early Learning Communities programme across four locations (Bettws, Feltham, Margate, Sheffield), developing and applying maturity models for evaluating systems change.
- Wigan Borough Community FirstsecondaryVCFSE infrastructure organisation in Wigan leading grant funding processes to distribute resources to local community providers, part of the Progress with Unity approach.
- 3Ni (Northern Ireland)minorPartner in exploratory work on understanding social capital in Wigan neighbourhoods alongside 3Ni.
- Edinburgh Futures InstituteminorCollaboration on Scottish Prevention Hub work, bringing together public sector collaboration expertise.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Collaborate competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Shared Intelligence: UK public-services consultancy advising councils, government departments, and the NHS on strategy, governance and improvement. Comparable: similar client segments, similar engagement types (board development, system-wide strategy), and similar bespoke advisory model.
- Involve: UK charity supporting public participation and democratic innovation, including citizen assemblies and scrutiny. Partner of Collaborate on Grenfell scrutiny work; directly comparable on participatory governance and restorative practice with public bodies.
- New Economics Foundation (NEF): UK think tank and consultancy working on economic and social systems change with public sector partners. Comparable as a values-driven advisory organisation building practical frameworks (e.g., well-being economy) for local authorities and ICSs.
- Locality: UK-wide membership body supporting community organisations, with a consultancy arm advising local authorities and funders on community-led approaches. Comparable: same hyperlocal/neighbourhood working themes and overlapping council and VCSE client base.
- Cordis Bright: UK research and evaluation consultancy supporting charities, public sector, and health partners. Comparable as a values-driven, mid-sized consultancy delivering evaluation and learning partner roles in the same VCSE/NHS commissioning space.
- IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research): Progressive think tank producing research and advising public bodies on public service reform. Recent direct partner with Collaborate on the Wigan Progress with Unity strategy and works with the same council and combined-authority clients on long-term place strategy.
- Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS): UK charity supporting good governance and scrutiny in local government and the NHS. Direct partner of Collaborate in the LGR three-way alliance and serves the same council and ICS buyer audience on governance reform.
- New Philanthropy Capital (NPC): UK charity and consultancy advising charities, funders, and public bodies on impact, strategy, and systems change. Directly comparable: NPC co-developed the Systems Change Maturity Model with Collaborate for Save the Children and operates in the same non-profit/funder advisory space.
- The Young Foundation: UK social innovation research and development organisation advising public services on systems change and place-based reform. Comparable methodology (complex-systems thinking, social innovation) and similar local-authority / VCSE client base.
Broad incumbents
- Capita Local Public Services: Large UK outsourcer and consultancy with a major local government and learning services practice. Broad incumbent operating across much wider service lines than Collaborate, competing for similar transformation, governance, and partnership mandates from councils and ICSs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Collaborate social profiles
Digital presenceCollaborate financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Collaborate leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Collaborate funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Collaborate 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 Collaborate
What does Collaborate do?
Collaborate CIC is a UK-based consultancy that helps people, teams, organisations and partnerships collaborate more effectively to tackle complex social challenges. The firm delivers paid advisory engagements to local authorities, NHS bodies, combined authorities and voluntary sector organisations, covering board development, organisational strategy, systems change facilitation, cross-sector collaboration support and leadership programmes. It also operates as a learning and evaluation partner on programmes funded by third parties such as the British Science Association and Save the Children.
Is Collaborate a public or private company?
Collaborate is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Collaborate founded?
Collaborate was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Collaborate based?
Collaborate is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Collaborate make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Consultancy Services are the primary driver. The others are learning Partner Services and training and Development.
Who are Collaborate's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Shared Intelligence, Involve, New Economics Foundation (NEF), Locality, Cordis Bright, IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research), Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS), New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) and The Young Foundation. Capita Local Public Services is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Collaborate have an API?
No public API is recorded for Collaborate.
What industry is Collaborate in?
Collaborate's product category is Public Sector Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAEAH, Digital Workplace & Collaboration Consulting, with a secondary code of EDABAMAC, Collaboration & Teamwork. Its NAICS code is 541618 and its SIC code is 8742.