What Big Ideas does

Big Ideas is a UK-based social impact agency and Community Interest Company (CIC), founded in 2015 by Dr Virginia Crompton and headquartered in London (ScreenWorks, Unit 205, 22 Highbury Grove, N5 2EF; Limited Company no. 09426254; CIC no. 10535798). The organization designs and delivers educational and community engagement programs with a primary focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) outreach to UK schools and underserved communities, supplemented by historical commemoration and social-action projects (e.g., Remember Together, Foundation Stones, Tull100). Its portfolio spans more than a dozen programs including Rockets for All (UK Space Agency-funded), We Can Be Engineers (RAF Youth and STEM-funded across multiple regional editions), Cyber Super (DSIT-funded, Northern Ireland), The Great Exhibition² Schools Programme (Imperial College London five-year partnership), London Wonder (Royal Commission of 1851-funded), STEM with Wings, NASA Live, Clean Plate, and the Black Heroes of Mathematics Youth Festival.

The company's technology footprint is minimal and operational rather than productized: it runs a WordPress-based website used for content marketing and event information, supplemented by RSS feeds, social media channels, and contact forms. Program delivery is human-mediated through workshops, festivals, school visits, and digital events supported by partner mentors (e.g., Royal Commission Award Holders, Imperial Space Lab staff, QUB ACE-CSE academics). There is no proprietary software platform, API, or technical product behind the service line. The organization maintains earned media relationships resulting in coverage by BBC, ITV, Sky News, Evening Standard, Good Morning Britain, The Voice, and the Auschwitz Museum Memoria magazine.

Big Ideas' commercial model is grant- and commission-funded rather than fee-for-service; programs are delivered free to schools and end participants, with revenue sourced from UK government departments, royal commissions, and military-affiliated STEM programs. The organization employs approximately 31 staff, has reached over 54,000 participants in 2023, and serves as a delivery intermediary connecting institutional funders and academic/industry partners with UK schools and underrepresented young people. Growth and sustainability are tied to winning and renewing multi-year grant commissions and maintaining its convening role across a coalition of core partners.

Name

Big Ideas

Legal name

Big Ideas

Website

https://big-ideas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big Ideas is a UK Community Interest Company founded in 2015 that delivers grant-funded STEM education, commemoration, and social-action programs to schools and underserved communities across the UK through partnerships with institutional funders and academic partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education and Social Impact Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD), Engineering Design & Project-Based Learning Programs (EDAMADAB), STEM & Maker Education (Makerspaces, Coding Clubs, Robotics) (EDAAAFAL)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• Community engagement services
• Educational outreach programmes
• Social impact delivery
• Youth enrichment workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Program Funding and Grants: Social impact organization operating through grants, commissions, and partnerships with funding bodies such as UK Space Agency, RAF Youth and STEM, and Royal Commission of 1851 to deliver educational and community programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Big Ideas is a social impact agency that designs and delivers community and education programs across the UK, focused on STEM education, historical commemoration, and social justice. The organization runs school-based workshops, competitions, and engagement events for primary and secondary students, funded through grants and commissions from bodies including the UK Space Agency, RAF Youth and STEM, and the Royal Commission of 1851. Programs are offered free to participating schools and communities, with Big Ideas operating as a Limited Company and Community Interest Company.

Product overview

Big Ideas is a social impact agency that functions as a portfolio of educational and community engagement programmes rather than a unified software product. The organization delivers projects across STEM education, historical commemoration, and social justice, including We Can Be Engineers, The Great Exhibition² Schools Programme, Rockets for All, Cyber Super, STEM with Wings, London Wonder, 1851der Tent, NASA Live, Clean Plate, Black Heroes of Mathematics Youth Festival, Remember Together, Foundation Stones, and Tull100. These programmes are delivered in partnership with institutions including Imperial College, Royal Commission of 1851, UK Space Agency, and RAF Youth and STEM. Big Ideas is not a technology platform but an outreach organization running educational projects for communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NASA Live Live interactive sessions connecting students with NASA, providing direct engagement with space science and NASA personnel. Targeted at UK school students.
• We Can Be Engineers Engineering outreach program with multiple regional editions (Welsh Valleys, Rotherham, Middlesbrough, Luton) that connects students with engineering role models and includes interactive digital events and prize trips. Funded by RAF Youth and STEM.
• Clean Plate Food and nutrition education project engaging communities around healthy eating and food awareness. Targeted at schools and communities.
• The Great Exhibition² Schools Programme Five-year partnership with Imperial College delivering invention workshops in schools across Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and Hammersmith & Fulham, engaging pupils aged 7-14 in creating prototype inventions. Reached 600 pupils across 18 schools.
• London Wonder Royal Commission of 1851-funded outreach programme inspiring secondary school students in Barking and Dagenham to envision careers in STEM through workshops with award holders and festival attendance.
• 1851der Tent Interactive exhibition tent at the Great Exhibition Road Festival featuring Science and Engineering Fellows' exhibits including breath/health apps, Rube Goldberg machines, and quantum computing demonstrations.
• Rockets for All UK-wide youth-run water rocket competition with space careers workshops, reaching over 50 schools, funded by the UK Space Agency in partnership with Imperial Space Lab.
• Cyber Super Cyber security education project for children and young people aged 7-14 across Northern Ireland, reaching over 10,000 students in more than 50 schools, funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
• STEM with Wings Rolling termly STEM engagement programme featuring expert panels and interactive sessions; includes specific editions like 'What's next for Quantum?' reaching nearly 7,000 students, funded by RAF Youth and STEM.
• Black Heroes of Mathematics Youth Festival Celebration event showcasing Black mathematicians and their contributions to inspire underrepresented students in mathematics.
• Remember Together Commemorative programme covering Holocaust education and nuclear test veterans stories, engaging schools with historical remembrance and testimony.
• Foundation Stones Holocaust memorial education project providing educational resources about Holocaust history, featured in the Auschwitz Museum's Memoria magazine.
• Tull100 Walter Tull commemoration project celebrating the Black British footballer's centenary, supported by England footballers and featured in BBC coverage.

Quantifiable outcome

• 54,000+ participants in 2023
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Imperial College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary strategic partner for multiple programs including Great Exhibition² Schools Programme, 1851der Tent, Imperial Space Lab experiences, and Rockets for All prize trips. Imperial mentors lead workshops and provide venue access for student experiences.
• Royal Commission for the Exhibition 1851coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder and partner for London Wonder outreach programme and 1851der Tent at Great Exhibition Road Festival. Provides funding and Royal Commission Award Holders for school workshops.
• Queen's University Belfast - Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Cyber Super project delivering cyber security education to schools in Northern Ireland. Provided workshops, tours, and expertise for the program reaching over 10,000 students.
• National Cyber Security Centre (CyberFirst NI)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Cyber Super project to support young people, particularly girls, in pursuing cyber security careers through bursaries, competitions, and mentorship opportunities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• STEM Learning: UK charity that delivers STEM education support to schools, teachers and young people nationally. Directly comparable to Big Ideas' STEM outreach mission, with deeper resources and longer history.
• TeenTech: UK-based initiative that helps young people understand STEM career pathways through school events and industry connections. Directly comparable to Big Ideas' career-inspiration programmes like Rockets for All and We Can Be Engineers.
• WISE Campaign: UK campaign encouraging women and girls into STEM. Highly comparable to Big Ideas' inclusion and underrepresented-audiences focus within STEM education.
• Speakers for Schools: UK charity connecting state school students with leading professionals through talks and work experience. Directly comparable to Big Ideas' model of pairing young people with industry role models.
• Primary Engineer: UK not-for-profit that brings engineering into primary and secondary schools through project-based learning. Highly comparable to Big Ideas' engineering and Rockets for All programmes targeting underrepresented pupils.
• The Smallpeice Trust: UK charity inspiring young people into engineering through hands-on activities and residential courses. Comparable delivery model to Big Ideas' school engineering programmes.
• The Brilliant Club: UK charity widening access to university for underrepresented students, including via school-based programmes. Comparable to Big Ideas' inclusion-focused, school-partnered delivery model.
• EngineeringUK: UK not-for-profit focused on inspiring the next generation of engineers. Closely comparable to Big Ideas' We Can Be Engineers and STEM with Wings programmes, including work with schools and corporate partners.

Broad incumbents

• The Prince's Trust: Large UK youth charity offering education and employment programmes, including STEM pathways. Broader incumbent in the same youth-development and inclusion space as Big Ideas.
• Royal Institution: Historic UK science engagement organisation running public lectures, school workshops and demonstration events. Comparable public-engagement and STEM-communication mission, with a much larger heritage brand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/big_ideas_co
• Facebookfacebook.com/bigideasco
• Instagraminstagram.com/bigideasco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-ideas-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Big Ideas