Grow, Hackney
Grow, Hackney operates an independent canalside cafe, bar, kitchen, and grassroots music venue in Hackney Wick, London, serving local residents, East London creatives, and Olympic Park visitors with food, drinks, live music, private hire, and an adjacent coworking/studio ecosystem.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersHackney Wick, London, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Grow, Hackney does
Grow, Hackney operates an independent canalside cafe, bar, kitchen, and grassroots music venue on the River Lea in Hackney Wick, London, established in 2014 from a former canalside sausage factory. The venue serves Hackney Wick locals, the East London creative community, and visitors to adjacent Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park / East Bank cultural institutions (Sadler's Wells East, V&A East, UCL East, London College of Fashion), drawing 30,000+ visitors annually across an indoor warehouse, a 2021-built mezzanine, a canalside terrace, and a greenhouse made from upcycled bus shelters. The site runs an eclectic cultural programme of 200+ free events per year (live jazz, DJs, cultural history, workshops) alongside a paid event ticketing operation; in parallel, Grow Studios (founded 2007) operates an adjacent coworking and artist studio ecosystem supporting 100+ practitioners and 300+ creatives cumulatively through its history.
The core product surface comprises the venue's food and drinks menu (seasonal Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and British plates; organic wines, craft beers, cocktails, low/no-alcohol options), event programming and ticketing, private venue hire, off-site catering, and the Grow at Home digital content platform. Underlying technology is essentially a stack of standard third-party tools: SquareSpace-hosted web, StoreKit for QR-code table ordering, OpenTable for reservations, DICE/Resident Advisor/Eventbrite for tickets, and Stripe/email for subscriptions. Sustainability is a substantive operational feature rather than an AI feature: the venue runs on solar panels and eco-electricity, sources through Square Mile Coffee, Hackney Herbal, and Hearth Bakery, and pays the London Living Wage.
The business model is multi-stream and direct-to-consumer: per-cover food and beverage spend, transaction-fee event tickets, one-time private hire bookings, and a recurring subscription tail from Grow Studios coworking desks (£190/month) and artist studios (£290/month). Distribution is wholly physical-walk-in plus digital ticketing; marketing is community-led, event-driven, and press-amplified through grassroots music and cultural festival networks. Ownership remains founder-controlled (co-founding directors Jordanna Greaves and Reuben) with no institutional equity investors, financed historically by emergency grants from Arts Council England and the UK Government Culture Recovery Fund and, in 2024, by a community crowdfunder.
Grow, Hackney firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Grow, Hackney
- Legal name
- Grow, Hackney
- Website
- https://growhackney.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Grow, Hackney operates an independent canalside cafe, bar, kitchen, and grassroots music venue in Hackney Wick, London, serving local residents, East London creatives, and Olympic Park visitors with food, drinks, live music, private hire, and an adjacent coworking/studio ecosystem.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Grow, Hackney industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Music Venue and Bar
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regional & National Breweries (THAFALAD)
Keywords
Where Grow, Hackney is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hackney Wick, London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Grow, Hackney business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Food and Beverage Sales: Brunch, lunch, evening plates, organic wines, craft beers, cocktails, and low/no alcohol options served through table service
- Event Tickets: Tickets sold for live music, jazz nights, DJ events, and cultural performances via DICE, Resident Advisor and Eventbrite
- Venue Hire and Private Events: Private hire for parties, group bookings, corporate events, and celebrations; mezzanine and indoor space rentals
- Studio and Coworking Rentals: Desk space at £190/month and artist studio space at £290/month through Grow Studios ecosystem supporting over 100 creatives
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Desk Space Coworking |
| Subscription | Monthly | Artist Studio Space |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Event Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Food and Drink |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Grow, Hackney product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Grow is an independent canalside cafe, bar, kitchen and grassroots live music venue located in Hackney Wick, London. It serves food and drinks throughout the day and runs a year-round programme of live music, DJ nights, jazz and cultural events. The venue also offers private hire of its bar and event space, and shares a site with Grow Studios coworking and artist studios that operate as part of the same broader ecosystem.
Product overview
Grow, Hackney is an independent canalside cafe, bar, kitchen and grassroots music venue operating since 2014, forming part of the broader Grow Studios ecosystem. The core offering consists of the main venue with multiple distinct spaces (indoor warehouse, mezzanine, greenhouse, and canalside terrace), complemented by an online Grow at Home platform for virtual engagement. The venue provides food and beverage services through its Kitchen Menu and Drinks Menu, while offering event programming including live jazz, DJ nights, and cultural events. Additional offerings include Grow Studios coworking space, the Grow Pod artist residency programme, catering services, private hire options, and a Growing Communities organic vegbox pickup point. The portfolio also encompasses the wider Grow Studios creative ecosystem of studios and coworking facilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Grow Main Venue (cafe, bar, kitchen and live music venue) Walk-in canalside venue serving food, drinks and a year-round programme of live music, DJ nights, jazz and cultural events for the Hackney Wick community and wider London audiences.
- Private Hire (bar and event space) Booking of Grow's canalside bar and event space for private parties, brand events, album launches, film shoots and small celebrations, with in-house kitchen and bar service.
- Grow Studios Coworking Space Shared creative workspace offering desks and coworking facilities within the Grow Studios ecosystem in Hackney Wick, targeted at freelance creatives and small studio tenants.
- Artist Studios Longer-term artist and maker studios within the Grow Studios ecosystem, rented to creative practitioners seeking workspace in Hackney Wick.
- Live Music and Event Programming Curated programme of grassroots live music, jazz, DJ and cultural events staged at the Grow venue and ticketed via DICE, Resident Advisor and Eventbrite.
- Catering and In-House Kitchen Service Food and beverage service from the Grow kitchen, serving both walk-in venue guests and private hire bookings.
- Grow at Home (online streaming) Online streaming platform extending Grow's live music and event programming to remote audiences outside the physical canalside venue.
- Grow Online Shop (StoreKit merchandise) Branded merchandise and related goods sold online through the StoreKit-powered Grow shop.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30,000+ people through doors annually
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Grow, Hackney
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Grow, Hackney technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature1 record
Grow, Hackney partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Growing CommunitiescorePartnership with Hackney's favourite vegbox scheme offering organic produce collection point at Grow. Supports local farmers, low-carbon distribution, and sustainable food systems. Collection times Wed-Fri with prices starting at £9/week.
- Music Venue TrustcoreReceived audio upgrade assistance from Music Venue Trust in 2023. Partner in advocacy for grassroots music venues and signed open letter for venue survival during pandemic.
- Chisenhale StudiosminorPartnership with 'Into The Wild' programme supporting early-career artists with mentoring, studio space in Grow's eco-pod, and annual showcase events since 2017.
- Wah Wah 45sminorRecord label hosts monthly Wah Wah Live nights at Grow featuring emerging and established acts. Bi-monthly events showcasing eclectic musical programming.
- Guildhall School of Music & DramaminorPartnership for 'Charge' showcase event featuring electronic music students from this top-ten performing arts institution.
- Square Mile Coffee RoastersminorCoffee supplier partnership emphasizing relationship-driven approach to coffee sourcing with connection to suppliers.
- Hackney CouncilcorePartner in #HelloAgainHackney campaign encouraging residents to rediscover local venues. Received Black History Season funding and support for community workshops.
- Hackney Herbal and Hearth BakeryminorLocal maker partnerships for serving and selling products from Hackney-based independent businesses.
- Equal PartsminorResident party collective hosting quarterly events since 2018, bringing diverse music programming to the venue.
- Hackney Night ShelterminorCharity partnership hosting fundraising events including Big Wowie comedy cabaret, with portion of ticket sales donated.
- EFG London Jazz FestivalminorAnnual participation in the EFG London Jazz Festival with dedicated event programming.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Grow, Hackney competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Moth Club: Independent Hackney music venue and club offering live music and DJ events in a converted warehouse. Comparable in scale, geography and grassroots music venue positioning to Grow.
- Pickle Factory: Hackney-based independent music and events venue in a converted industrial space. Directly comparable to Grow on geography, venue type and grassroots music positioning.
- Village Underground: Independent Shoreditch venue hosting live music, club nights and creative studios in repurposed industrial space. Closely mirrors Grow's Hackney Wick format of grassroots music plus creative workspace and community programming.
- Café OTO: Independent music venue in Dalston combining a cafe/bar with a live music programme for experimental, jazz and global artists. Directly comparable to Grow as a grassroots music venue with daytime F&B and a curated cultural programming model.
- The Social: Long-running independent music venue and bar in central London. Comparable to Grow as an independent grassroots venue pairing live music with bar service and a community-led identity.
- Corsica Studios: Independent grassroots music venue in Elephant & Castle focused on underground electronic and live music programming. Comparable as a small, independent venue with a strong curatorial identity and event-led revenue model.
- Servant Jazz Quarters: Small independent music venue in Dalston focused on jazz, improv and experimental live music. Comparable to Grow's intimate jazz and grassroots live music programming.
- Colour: Hackney independent venue focused on live music and club events. Comparable as a small, independent grassroots venue in the same East London market as Grow.
Broad incumbents
- Phonox: Larger South London music venue operating club nights and live events. Comparable as a London grassroots-tier venue, though it operates at greater scale and focuses more on club programming than Grow's grassroots/community mix.
- Jazz Cafe: Established Camden music venue and bar hosting live jazz and other genres. Comparable to Grow's live jazz and grassroots music positioning, but operates at a larger, more established scale with ticketed ticketing.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Grow, Hackney social profiles
Digital presenceGrow, Hackney financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Grow, Hackney leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Grow, Hackney subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Grow, Hackney funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Grow, Hackney 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 Grow, Hackney
What does Grow, Hackney do?
Grow is an independent canalside cafe, bar, kitchen and grassroots live music venue located in Hackney Wick, London. It serves food and drinks throughout the day and runs a year-round programme of live music, DJ nights, jazz and cultural events. The venue also offers private hire of its bar and event space, and shares a site with Grow Studios coworking and artist studios that operate as part of the same broader ecosystem.
Is Grow, Hackney a public or private company?
Grow, Hackney is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Grow, Hackney founded?
Grow, Hackney was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Grow, Hackney based?
Grow, Hackney is headquartered in Hackney Wick, London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Grow, Hackney make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are event Tickets, venue Hire and Private Events and studio and Coworking Rentals.
Who are Grow, Hackney's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Moth Club, Pickle Factory, Village Underground, Café OTO, The Social, Corsica Studios, Servant Jazz Quarters and Colour. Broad incumbents are Phonox and Jazz Cafe.
Does Grow, Hackney have an API?
No public API is recorded for Grow, Hackney.
What industry is Grow, Hackney in?
Grow, Hackney's product category is Live Music Venue and Bar. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFALAD, Regional & National Breweries. Its SIC code is 5810.