Orange Bow CIC

What Orange Bow CIC does

Orange Bow CIC is a London-based Community Interest Company founded in 2018, headquartered at 353 Norwood Road with its primary delivery hub at Tulse Hill in Lambeth. The organisation delivers free certified training courses, employability support, and paid work placements for young people and adults who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), with a particular focus on 14–24 year-olds at risk of serious violence, child criminal exploitation, and grooming in Lambeth and surrounding south-London boroughs. Service offerings span business/admin, creative/digital, ESOL, functional skills, construction, engineering, health, and customer-service pathways, complemented by one-to-one mentoring, CV building, interview preparation, and pastoral support through a trauma-informed, culturally competent model. Since launch the organisation has supported over 750 individuals, with reported outcomes including 70% securing interviews post-course and 62% entering employment within three months.

The organisation operates a hybrid revenue model that blends grants and commissioned public-sector funding with income generated by two wholly-owned social-enterprise subsidiaries: Sage & Poppy, a coffee shop by day and event space by night (£50/hr evening hire) that doubles as a real-world hospitality training environment, and Mic Check Studios, a podcast recording studio launched in 2024 in partnership with BBC1 Extra Producer Janine Kambadoo that functions as both a creative training facility and a paid service for community, charity, and corporate clients. Funding streams include three consecutive years of Lambeth Made Safer VAYP commissioning (2021–2023), UK Youth Summer Jobs Programme delivery, and partnerships with Job Centre Plus, Ingeus, Co-op, L&Q, Peabody, St Giles, and multiple London borough councils. Reach is built through a multi-channel referral architecture spanning schools, partner agencies, families, peers, and self-referral, with marketing presence across the Orange Bow website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and the in-house MIMS Podcast.

Name

Orange Bow CIC

Legal name

Orange Bow CIC

Website

https://orangebow.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Orange Bow CIC is a Lambeth-based Community Interest Company, founded in 2018, that delivers free training, employability support, and paid work placements to NEET young people and adults aged 14–24 at risk of violence and exclusion in London, operating from a Tulse Hill hub alongside social-enterprise subsidiaries Sage & Poppy and Mic Check Studios.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Training and Employability Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative Education & Dropout Prevention / Re-Engagement Programs (EDANAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN), Study Habits & Homework Systems Workshops (EDAMAIAL)

Keywords

• Youth employability training
• NEET support services
• Community education programmes
• Youth violence prevention
• Creative skills workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Primary funding from donations, grants, and commissioned programmes including Lambeth Made Safer VAYP programme and UK Youth funding.
2. Venue and Space Hire: Revenue from hiring out Sage & Poppy event space (£50/hr evenings), podcast room (Mic Check Studios), and meeting rooms. Coffee shop operations generate income reinvested into community programmes.
3. Training Programme Delivery: Free courses for NEET individuals funded through commissioning arrangements with local authorities and programme partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Orange Bow CIC delivers free employability training, accredited and non-accredited courses, one-to-one guidance, and paid work placements to NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) young people and adults in Lambeth, London. The organisation also runs violence-prevention diversion programmes for 14–24 year-olds at risk of exploitation. Income-generating social enterprises — Sage & Poppy (coffee shop and event space) and Mic Check Studios (podcast studio) — fund community programmes while providing real-world training environments for participants.

Product overview

Orange Bow CIC operates as a multi-service community organisation rather than a single unified technology product. Its portfolio comprises employability and training services (UK Youth Summer Jobs Programme, Certified Courses, Employability Support, Bespoke Programmes) alongside creative/facility services (Mic Check Studios podcast room, Sage & Poppy coffee shop/event space, Spaces for Hire). Training programmes are offered both online and at the Tulse Hill hub, with courses spanning business, creative/digital, ESOL, functional skills, construction, engineering, health, and customer service sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sage & Poppy: Coffee shop by day, event space by night. An income-generating venue supporting Orange Bow's training and employment programs for young people and adults. All proceeds are reinvested into community programs.
• MicCheck Studios

Products and services

• UK Youth Summer Jobs Programme A 5-6 week paid work placement programme for vulnerable young people aged 16-20 facing challenges, providing experience across sectors including childcare, hospitality, admin, media companies, nurseries, charities, and corporate consultancy firms at £12.71 per hour.
• Certified Courses and Workshops Free tailored workshops, bootcamps, and accredited training across London covering Business + admin, Creative + digital, ESOL, Functional skills, Construction, Engineering, Health, and Customer service, with guaranteed job interviews upon completion for NEET young people and adults.
• Employability Support

Quantifiable outcome

• 750+ individuals supported since 2018; 62% enter employment within 3 months; 70% secure interviews after completing courses
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lambeth Made Safer (VAYP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree consecutive years of commissioning by Lambeth Made Safer's Violence Affecting Young People programme to deliver targeted diversion and engagement work with young people at heightened risk of violence.
• UK YouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding and delivery partnership for UK Youth Summer Jobs Programme providing 6-week paid work placements for vulnerable young people aged 16-20 across Lambeth and neighbouring boroughs.
• Job Centre PluscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary referral pathway for NEET individuals seeking training and employment support. Job Centre directs job seekers to Orange Bow's programmes and courses.
• IngeusminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEmployment services provider referring participants and supporting employment pathways.
• Co-opminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership supporting employment and training opportunities.
• L&QminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing association partnership supporting community development initiatives.
• PeabodyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing association partnership supporting community engagement and training.
• ElevateminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEmployment support services provider partnership.
• Mic Check StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital partner project created with BBC1 Extra Producer Janine Kambadoo. Mic Check Studios provides professional podcast recording facilities and training through Orange Bow's hub.
• Lambeth CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned to record and edit the Lambeth Made Podcast for the borough's youth platform covering education, training, and employment topics.
• Skills SpotminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSkills and employment services provider partnership.
• GeatherminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEmployment support services provider partnership.
• Bob CentleminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEmployment services provider partnership.
• St GilesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCharity partnership supporting vulnerable young people.
• KalosminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity services provider partnership.
• NBBLminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYouth services provider partnership.
• RisingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYouth development services provider partnership.
• Southwark CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership at One Hub Youth Festival hosted at Peckham Levels, with Mic Check Studios podcasting workshop.
• Peckham LevelsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partnership for youth festival delivery.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Catch22: Large UK social business delivering employability programmes, apprenticeships and youth justice services. Comparable on target population (NEET, at-risk youth) and operating model (commissioned programmes + employer partnerships), but at materially larger scale.
• The Prince's Trust: UK youth charity offering training, mentoring and employability programmes for 11-30 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds. Overlaps with Orange Bow on NEET engagement and employment outcomes, but operates nationally and at much greater scale.

Direct peers

• Movement to Work: UK coalition of employers and providers delivering paid work placements and traineeships for young people Not in Education, Employment or Training. Directly comparable to Orange Bow's UK Youth Summer Jobs programme and employer referral model.
• St Giles Trust: UK charity supporting disadvantaged young people and offenders into employment through training, mentoring and employer engagement. Highly comparable to Orange Bow's NEET and violence-prevention focus; St Giles is also an existing Orange Bow partner.
• Key4Life: UK charity working with young people at risk of offending and reoffending through mentoring, training and reintegration. Strongly comparable to Orange Bow's violence-affecting-young-people and child criminal exploitation cohort.
• Only Connect UK: London-based charity supporting young people in the criminal justice system and those at risk of offending through training and personal development. Directly comparable on cohort (London youth at risk of violence/exploitation) and training-led re-engagement approach.
• Tomorrow's People: UK employment charity focused on long-term unemployed and disadvantaged individuals, providing training, coaching and employer engagement. Directly comparable outcomes focus and target population to Orange Bow's employability programmes.
• Generate (UK): London-based social enterprise providing training, mentoring and employment pathways for disadvantaged young people, including those at risk of exclusion. Comparable Lambeth-adjacent operations and NEET focus.

Emerging players

• User Voice: UK charity that empowers people with lived experience of the criminal justice system and at-risk youth to influence policy and access opportunity. Adjacent peer — comparable cohort and policy context to Orange Bow's violence-reduction work.
• The Clink Charity: UK charity running training restaurants and horticulture programmes inside prisons to reduce reoffending. Comparable model of combining a trading social enterprise (training café/restaurant) with a training mission for disadvantaged people.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OrangeBowuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orange-bow-cic
• Instagraminstagram.com/orangebowcic/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Orange Bow CIC