The Yorkshire Mafia
The Yorkshire Mafia is a privately held Yorkshire business networking community, founded in 2008 and headquartered in Leeds. It operates a 33,000+ member LinkedIn-based membership platform, hosts regular in-person events across Yorkshire, and monetizes via paid news placement and event sponsorship for regional SMEs and professionals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersLeeds, United Kingdom
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Yorkshire Mafia does
The Yorkshire Mafia is a privately held, Yorkshire-based business networking community operating under the legal entity The Yorkshire Mafia Limited, founded in 2008 by Geoff Shepherd and headquartered in Leeds city centre. The platform's core product is an exclusive, LinkedIn-hosted membership community of 33,000+ Yorkshire professionals, gated by a statement-of-intent application process, complemented by regular in-person events such as Leeds Business Social, Headcount, and the Big Leeds Tech Social, which routinely attract 200-350+ registered attendees under a sales-free ethos. The supporting technology stack is a WordPress website serving as the front end for event registration, news publishing, and a partner directory.
The business model is community-led with three monetization layers: (1) paid news article placement on the website at £80+VAT for standard placement and premium pricing for featured homepage placement, distributed via a weekly newsletter to the full member base; (2) event sponsorship packages, including flagship events like the Leeds Business Lunch; and (3) strategic partnerships that bring additional member benefits, such as DigitalXRAID's 20% cybersecurity discount and AD:VENTURE's £1,500-£10,000 growth grants. Customer segments are horizontal across Yorkshire-based business professionals and SMEs. The company has no disclosed external funding, operates solely in the Yorkshire region, and is closely associated with sub-brand Silicon Yorkshire and sister company iSource Group, which extends into talent acquisition services.
The Yorkshire Mafia firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Yorkshire Mafia
- Legal name
- The Yorkshire Mafia Limited
- Website
- https://theyorkshiremafia.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- The Yorkshire Mafia is a privately held Yorkshire business networking community, founded in 2008 and headquartered in Leeds. It operates a 33,000+ member LinkedIn-based membership platform, hosts regular in-person events across Yorkshire, and monetizes via paid news placement and event sponsorship for regional SMEs and professionals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Yorkshire Mafia industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Business Networking Services
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Professional & Business Networking Communities (MPACAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Interest-Based Communities & Forums (BPAMABAC), Affiliate Marketing & Partner Networks (BPAMALAI)
Keywords
Where The Yorkshire Mafia is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leeds
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Yorkshire Mafia business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Advertising and Featured Content: The Yorkshire Mafia generates revenue by offering businesses the ability to publish news articles and featured content on their website. Standard news placement is priced at £80 plus VAT, while featured news placement in prime website locations commands premium pricing. The platform also sells advertising opportunities to businesses wanting visibility to their 33,000+ member network.
- Event Sponsorship: The network offers sponsorship opportunities for events including the Leeds Business Lunch and other regional events. Sponsors receive branding visibility, speaking opportunities, and access to the engaged business community. The Terms & Conditions reference packages for advertisers and content contributors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard News Article |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Featured News Placement |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Yorkshire Mafia product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Yorkshire Mafia operates a LinkedIn-based business networking community of 33,000+ Yorkshire professionals and companies, anchoring its offering around an exclusive LinkedIn membership group and a calendar of in-person networking events (Leeds Business Social, Headcount, drinks evenings, business lunches). It supplements the community with paid services: standard and featured news article placement on its website and weekly email (£80+VAT for standard placement), event sponsorship packages, a partner business directory, and a content platform.
Product overview
The Yorkshire Mafia is a business networking community platform based in Yorkshire, UK. The core offering is a LinkedIn-based membership community (Yorkshire's biggest network) that facilitates business connections through hosted events and an online content platform. The community offers businesses and professionals access to networking events (Leeds Business Social, Headcount, drinks evenings), a business directory featuring partner organizations, and a news/blog content platform reaching 33,000+ members. The platform also offers paid news article placement services for businesses seeking to reach the regional business audience. The ecosystem includes partner services like AD:VENTURE business support grants.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Silicon Yorkshire: Tech-focused events and initiatives under The Yorkshire Mafia umbrella focusing on Yorkshire's technology sector.
Products and services
- Business Networking Events Regular in-person networking events including Leeds Business Social, Headcount, drinks evenings and large-scale business lunches, providing a sales-free environment in which Yorkshire business professionals connect and build relationships.
- LinkedIn-Based Membership Community Membership held exclusively on LinkedIn (33,000+ members), where applicants must have an active profile and submit a statement explaining why they would be a good addition to the community. Provides ongoing professional discussions, connections, and engagement beyond events.
- Standard News Article Placement Paid placement of standard news articles on The Yorkshire Mafia website, with potential inclusion in the weekly email distributed to 33,000+ members. Priced at £80 + VAT per article. Targeted at businesses seeking visibility within Yorkshire's business community.
- Featured News Article Placement Premium priced news placement in prime locations on The Yorkshire Mafia website (e.g., homepage) for one week, with promotion via the weekly email to 33,000+ members. Provides enhanced visibility over the standard placement option.
- Business Directory Online directory listing partner organisations and member businesses, including sponsors such as AD:VENTURE, iSource Group and SRVCD, providing visibility to The Yorkshire Mafia community.
- News and Blog Content Platform Original business news and blog articles covering topics such as networking tips, personal branding, cybersecurity and Yorkshire business news, reaching over 33,000 members via the website and weekly email distribution.
Quantifiable outcome
- 33,000+ members receive weekly newsletter
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Yorkshire Mafia
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Yorkshire Mafia technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Yorkshire Mafia partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- DigitalXRAIDcoreDigitalXRAID provides cybersecurity services to Yorkshire businesses and has partnered with The Yorkshire Mafia to offer members an exclusive 20% discount on their managed security services. Each contracted service also includes a free vulnerability assessment of 1 web application, or up to 25 external infrastructure IPs. As a Yorkshire-headquartered cybersecurity firm with over 25 years of expertise, they serve as a trusted security partner for the local business community.
- AD:VENTUREcoreAD:VENTURE is a fully funded business support program for ambitious new businesses in West Yorkshire. They are a sponsor and partner of The Yorkshire Mafia, offering growth support, business managers, events, workshops, and growth grants (£1,500-£10,000) to qualifying new businesses in the region.
- Silicon YorkshirecoreSilicon Yorkshire is a tech ecosystem initiative that partners with The Yorkshire Mafia to support and promote the Yorkshire technology sector. They sponsor events and collaborate on tech-focused networking opportunities including the Big Leeds Tech Social events.
- SRVCDminorSRVCD is listed as a sponsor and partner of The Yorkshire Mafia, supporting the business networking community.
- St Gemma's HospiceminorThe Yorkshire Mafia has established a charitable partnership with St Gemma's Hospice, supporting their vital care and community services in Leeds. Members are encouraged to support the hospice's work providing care to local people.
- iSource GroupcoreiSource Group is described as a sister company to The Yorkshire Mafia. They operate in talent acquisition and have collaborated on initiatives including working with Snowflake Computing to build a team in Leeds. The group is embedded within the Yorkshire Mafia ecosystem.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Yorkshire Mafia competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Institute of Directors (IoD): Long-established UK membership organization for business directors offering events, content, and networking. Comparable as a higher-end business membership community with events and regional chapters.
- Eventbrite: Event ticketing and management platform serving community organizers. Comparable as the infrastructure layer that monetizes community-driven events, though not a direct competitor to networking content.
- LinkedIn: The underlying platform hosting The Yorkshire Mafia's community. Comparable as a broad incumbent enabling professional networking communities at scale, and the source of platform dependency risk.
- Meetup: Event-driven community platform facilitating in-person group gatherings. Comparable as an enabling platform for local professional and interest-based communities and events.
Direct peers
- Enterprise Nation: UK-based small business community offering networking, events, content, and partner discounts. Comparable as a UK SMB community platform with similar revenue mix of memberships, event sponsorships, and partner offers.
- Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): UK membership organization providing services, networking, and advocacy to small businesses. Comparable in operating a paid membership model combined with events, content, and partner benefits for SMBs.
- BNI (Business Network International): Global referral-based business networking organization with local chapters. Most directly comparable as a membership-driven business networking community that combines in-person events with member directories and regular structured networking.
Regional players
- Propel (by Network Norfolk): UK regional business community and networking organization. Comparable as a regional-focused business network offering events and content, similar geographic-specialization model.
- Local Chamber of Commerce (e.g., Leeds Chamber): Regional chambers offer membership-based business networking, events, and advocacy in defined UK geographies. Comparable as the traditional incumbent for regional business community services that The Yorkshire Mafia competes with.
Others
- Silicon Valley Bank / HSBC Innovation Banking UK ecosystem events: Banking and financial institution ecosystems that sponsor tech and startup networking events. Comparable as a sponsor/category participant in the regional tech business networking space alongside partners like Silicon Yorkshire.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Yorkshire Mafia social profiles
Digital presenceThe Yorkshire Mafia compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The Yorkshire Mafia financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Yorkshire Mafia leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Yorkshire Mafia funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Yorkshire Mafia 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 The Yorkshire Mafia
What does The Yorkshire Mafia do?
The Yorkshire Mafia operates a LinkedIn-based business networking community of 33,000+ Yorkshire professionals and companies, anchoring its offering around an exclusive LinkedIn membership group and a calendar of in-person networking events (Leeds Business Social, Headcount, drinks evenings, business lunches). It supplements the community with paid services: standard and featured news article placement on its website and weekly email (£80+VAT for standard placement), event sponsorship packages, a partner business directory, and a content platform.
Is The Yorkshire Mafia a public or private company?
The Yorkshire Mafia is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Yorkshire Mafia founded?
The Yorkshire Mafia was founded in 2008. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is The Yorkshire Mafia based?
The Yorkshire Mafia is headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Yorkshire Mafia make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising and Featured Content is the primary driver. The others are event Sponsorship.
Who are The Yorkshire Mafia's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Institute of Directors (IoD), Eventbrite, LinkedIn and Meetup. Direct peers are Enterprise Nation, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and BNI (Business Network International). Regional players are Propel (by Network Norfolk) and Local Chamber of Commerce (e.g., Leeds Chamber). Silicon Valley Bank / HSBC Innovation Banking UK ecosystem events is listed as an others.
Does The Yorkshire Mafia have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Yorkshire Mafia.
What industry is The Yorkshire Mafia in?
The Yorkshire Mafia's product category is Business Networking Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAJAB, Professional & Business Networking Communities, with a secondary code of BPAMABAC, Interest-Based Communities & Forums. Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8600.