upReach
upReach is a UK-registered charity running a free, structured career-development programme for undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds, delivered through university and employer partnerships across five UK offices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What upReach does
upReach is a UK-registered charitable company (Charity No. 1158896, Company No. 08300398, Registered in Scotland No. SC054356) that runs a structured, multi-year career-development programme for undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Its stated mission is to help these students secure top graduate jobs by combining personal development, work experience, mentorship, and direct introductions to UK employers. The organisation serves three stakeholder groups: the undergraduate beneficiaries (primary), UK universities that refer eligible students, and UK employers that provide internships, mentoring, and graduate opportunities.
upReach operates a small digital product portfolio centred on three web properties: the public-facing upreach.org.uk website for programme information, applications and donation capture; the my.upreach.org.uk Associate Portal, which uses LinkedIn OAuth for student authentication and serves as the engagement hub during the programme; and a separate alumni.upreach.org.uk portal for post-programme career support. The underlying technology is a standard web platform with LinkedIn single sign-on; no proprietary AI, mobile app, public API, or SDK layer is documented. The organisation runs five UK offices — London as regional HQ (Second Home, Hanbury Street), plus Manchester (Spaces, Peter House), Nottingham (Cubo, Fenchurch House), Bristol (Spaces Castle Park Programme, The Pithay) and Newcastle (The Racquets Court) — giving it a nationwide footprint across England, with charitable registration in Scotland.
The business model is donation-funded and free to students. upReach is financed by individual donors, corporate partners, and charitable foundations; no pricing, contract, or fee structure applies to the student programme. Go-to-market is hybrid and community-led: university partnerships drive student referrals, employer partnerships create placement opportunities, and engagement is delivered through structured programmes accessed via the Associate Portal. Marketing relies on an organic social stack (LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok), an email newsletter, and earned media. No revenue figures, funding rounds, or commercial transactions are disclosed in the available data, and the entity is not listed or publicly traded.
upReach firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- upReach
- Legal name
- upReach Charitable Company
- Website
- https://upreach.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- upReach is a UK-registered charity running a free, structured career-development programme for undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds, delivered through university and employer partnerships across five UK offices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
upReach industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth employability and social-mobility programmes
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- College & Career Transition Services (Bridge Programs, Dual Enrollment Pathways) (EDAAABAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Mentorship & Coaching (Career, Academic, Industry-Specific) (EDAMAKAA)
Keywords
Where upReach is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
upReach business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Funding: As a registered charity (No. 1158896), upReach operates primarily through donations from individuals, corporations, and charitable foundations. The organization receives funding to support its programmes connecting undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds with career opportunities.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
upReach product offering
Product offeringCore offering
upReach is a UK-registered charity that runs a free, structured career development programme for undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds, combining personal development, work experience, mentorship and direct employer connections to help participants secure top graduate jobs. The programme is delivered through university and employer partnerships and supported by a digital portal (my.upreach.org.uk) for active participants and an alumni portal for graduates of the programme.
Product overview
upReach operates as a charitable organisation offering a programme-based service to support undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The product portfolio consists of the main public website (upreach.org.uk) for information and applications, the my.upReach associate portal for active programme participants, and a separate alumni portal for graduates of the programme. Together these platforms support students throughout their journey from application through programme completion and into alumni status, helping them secure top graduate jobs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- upReach Career Development Programme
Quantifiable outcome
- Transforming the UK job market one young person at a time
Companies that use upReach
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
upReach technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
upReach partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- LinkedIncoreLinkedIn provides authentication and login services for the my.upreach.org.uk student portal. Students can log in using their LinkedIn credentials, enabling integration with professional identity systems.
- UK UniversitiescoreupReach partners with universities across the UK to identify and refer eligible undergraduates to its career development programmes. Universities provide institutional access and student referrals.
- UK EmployerscoreUK employers partner with upReach to access diverse graduate talent and participate in recruitment activities. Employers provide work experience opportunities, mentorship, and graduate positions.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
upReach competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Career Ready: UK charity connecting students from lower socio-economic backgrounds with professional mentors and workplace experiences. Operates a similar multi-year programme model with employer partnerships across the UK.
- The Sutton Trust: UK charity focused on improving social mobility through university access and graduate outcomes for disadvantaged students. Highly comparable mission and target population, with overlapping university and employer engagement models.
- SEO London: Career programme that supports students from under-represented backgrounds to access top UK employers through mentoring, internships, and training. Direct competitor for the same student and employer cohorts.
- Social Mobility Foundation: UK charity providing mentoring, internships, and career support to high-achieving students from lower-income backgrounds. Operates a programme-based model very similar to upReach, with comparable university and employer partnership structure.
- Making The Leap: UK charity delivering training, mentoring, and employability programmes to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds secure employment. Comparable charitable structure and target demographic.
Emerging players
- Bright Network: UK graduate recruitment and networking platform connecting students and recent graduates with top employers. Operates as a commercial entity rather than a charity, but targets overlapping student cohorts and employer partners.
- Rare Recruitment: UK diversity and social mobility recruitment specialist, placing high-achieving candidates from under-represented backgrounds into competitive roles. Overlaps with upReach's employer-facing outcomes but operates as a recruitment firm rather than a charity.
Broad incumbents
- The Prince's Trust: One of the largest UK youth charities, supporting young people into education, training, and employment. Significantly broader in scope than upReach, but addresses overlapping target demographics and competes for similar donor funding.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
upReach social profiles
Digital presenceupReach financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
upReach leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
upReach funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
upReach 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 upReach
What does upReach do?
upReach is a UK-registered charity that runs a free, structured career development programme for undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds, combining personal development, work experience, mentorship and direct employer connections to help participants secure top graduate jobs. The programme is delivered through university and employer partnerships and supported by a digital portal (my.upreach.org.uk) for active participants and an alumni portal for graduates of the programme.
Is upReach a public or private company?
upReach is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was upReach founded?
upReach was founded in 2012. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is upReach based?
upReach is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does upReach make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Charitable Funding.
Who are upReach's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Career Ready, The Sutton Trust, SEO London, Social Mobility Foundation and Making The Leap. Emerging players are Bright Network and Rare Recruitment. The Prince's Trust is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does upReach have an API?
No public API is recorded for upReach.
What industry is upReach in?
upReach's product category is Youth employability and social-mobility programmes. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAABAK, College & Career Transition Services (Bridge Programs, Dual Enrollment Pathways), with a secondary code of EDAMAKAA, Mentorship & Coaching (Career, Academic, Industry-Specific). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.