RISE UP

What RISE UP does

RISE UP is a UK-registered youth employment charity (Charity Number 1183457) founded in 2019, originally as Talent RISE (UK), operating from offices in Manchester, Birmingham, and Bristol. It serves young people aged 16-30 — particularly those classified as NEET (not in employment, education or training) or otherwise facing barriers to employment — through a coordinated portfolio of free services: 1:1 coaching, CV and LinkedIn guidance, interview preparation, mentoring, workshops, and facilitated work placements, apprenticeships, and paid work experience. The charity also runs an annual RISE Day fundraising event in June and operates an Opportunity Fund providing clothing grants, equipment, travel bursaries, and lunches to participants facing overlooked cost barriers.

The core offering is human-delivered: dedicated account managers and recruitment specialists coach, assess, onboard, and support participants, while a volunteer network of professionals delivers mentoring, masterclass talks, and mock interviews. The organization has supported 818 young people, delivered 812 hours of 1:1 coaching, facilitated 89 work placements, and built a network of 100 employer and community partners including FDM Group, Mears Group, ONS, Hippo Digital, and its parent collaborator Talent. There is no proprietary technology platform; the website is Wix-based and the service model is people-led rather than software-led.

RISE UP's revenue model is hybrid but donation-driven. The four primary streams are tax-deductible charitable donations, RISE Day fundraising events, corporate sponsorship packages (typically multi-year, bespoke, aligned to CSR/ESG), and a Careers Pathway Service that provides employers with cost-effective recruitment while guaranteeing at least 15% of revenue to the Opportunity Fund. Services are free at the point of use for young people; employer and corporate partner fees are bespoke and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is community-led, with strong word-of-mouth referral flows, employer partnerships, and event-driven awareness rather than paid acquisition.

Name

RISE UP

Legal name

Talent RISE

Website

https://riseupuk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RISE UP is a UK-registered charity (founded 2019) that supports 16-30 year-olds facing employment barriers with free 1:1 coaching, mentoring, and facilitated work placements across Manchester, Birmingham, and Bristol.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Employment Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD), Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services (EDAAAKAO)

Keywords

• Youth employment services
• Career coaching
• Apprenticeship programs
• Workforce development
• Employer partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals and organizations supporting the Opportunity Fund, which provides clothing grants, equipment, travel bursaries, and lunches for participants.
2. RISE Day Fundraising Events: Annual fundraising activities including treks, walks, and physical challenges. Organizations can sponsor events for brand visibility and CSR impact.
3. Careers Pathway Service: Cost-effective recruitment service for employers providing candidate attraction, process design, hiring management, and talent support. Funds are reinvested into RISE UP services with minimum 15% to Opportunity Fund.
4. Corporate Sponsorship: Sponsorship packages aligned with CSR and ESG strategies. Sponsors receive impact reports, preferred partner status on website, and social channel featuring.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

RISE UP is a UK youth employment charity that coaches and empowers young people aged 16-30 (especially those facing employment barriers) with independent job search support, and facilitates jobs, apprenticeships, and paid work experience placements via employer partners. It also runs workshops, events, mentoring, the Opportunity Fund (covering clothing, equipment, travel, lunches), an annual RISE Day fundraiser, and a cost-effective Careers Pathways recruitment service for employers with a minimum 15% routed back to the Opportunity Fund.

Product overview

RISE UP is a youth employment charity offering a coordinated suite of services designed to help young people aged 16-30, particularly those facing employment barriers, access and succeed in career opportunities. The core service portfolio centers on three pillars: (1) 1:1 coaching and mentoring to build job search skills and confidence, (2) facilitated work placements including jobs, apprenticeships, and paid work experience, and (3) careers pathways services that connect employers with vetted candidates. Complementary offerings include the annual RISE Day fundraising initiative, the Opportunity Fund for participant financial support, and employer engagement programs including masterclass talks, panel events, and mock interviews. The organization operates from multiple UK locations (Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol) and consistently reinvests service revenues back into operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 1:1 Coaching One-on-one coaching sessions provided to young people aged 16-30 to support job search, build confidence, develop CV and LinkedIn profiles, prepare for interviews, and progress into employment. Delivered through dedicated account managers and recruitment specialists.
• Work Placements
• Careers Pathways Service
• Mentoring Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 818 young people supported on journey towards meaningful employment
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable and minor.

• Mears GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer partner providing work experience placements and full-time employment opportunities for RISE UP participants. Zahra Campbell was successfully placed as a Customer Service Agent through this partnership. Mears Group provides a welcoming, inclusive environment with thorough training and supportive team culture.
• FDM GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer partner where young person Muna was successfully placed as a Software Tester. FDM Group provides challenging roles that enable ongoing learning and problem-solving for young professionals.
• TalentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization and biggest collaborator. Talent RISE (UK) was the original name of RISE UP when founded in 2019. They design and deliver fast-paced and strategic talent solutions for organizations across all sectors.
• LBC (Leading Britain's Conversation)notableGTM or Marketing PartnerNational radio station that featured RISE UP CEO Roman Dibden on Matthew Wright Breakfast Show to discuss the youth unemployment crisis. Provides platform for awareness and advocacy.
• Hippo DigitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrganization benefiting from RISE Day participation. Using the initiative to meet social value objectives, build culture, and promote personal health among team members.
• ONS (Office for National Statistics)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment employer partner where young person Laura was placed following COVID redundancy. Represents RISE UP's engagement with public sector employment opportunities.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Catch22: UK social business delivering employment, education and justice services including dedicated youth employability programs. Overlaps directly with RISE UP on NEET-focused coaching and employer-led placement, and operates across more UK regions.
• Movement to Work: Coalition of UK employers committed to providing youth employment opportunities, pre-employment training and work experience. Operates a similar placement-and-coaching model through corporate partners and addresses the same NEET population as RISE UP.
• Youth Employment UK: UK charity focused specifically on youth employment policy, training and support. Operates the Youth Employment Hub and partners with employers — directly aligned with RISE UP's coaching-plus-employer-placement model at a smaller scale.

Others

• FDM Group: Global consultancy and employer partner that has hired RISE UP participants (e.g., Muna as a Software Tester). FDM runs its own graduate training-and-placement academy — comparable employer-side youth training model, and an existing RISE UP customer rather than a competing charity.

Broad incumbents

• Remploy: UK employment services provider (now part of Maximus) supporting people with disabilities and health conditions into work. Comparable model of coaching, employer engagement and barrier removal for disadvantaged jobseekers, at significantly greater scale.
• The Prince's Trust: The UK's largest youth charity, supporting 13-30 year olds into employment, training and education through coaching, mentoring and employer partnerships. Directly comparable mission and beneficiary age range, but operates at vastly greater scale and brand recognition than RISE UP.
• Shaw Trust: Large UK charity supporting people facing disadvantage into work, including a strong youth employment portfolio and the Prospects education/services brand. Comparable mission and beneficiary population, but with national scale and government contracts well beyond RISE UP's reach.

Emerging players

• Generation UK: Global nonprofit running free, employer-aligned training programs that move young people into careers, with a UK operation focused on tech and customer-service roles. Comparable coaching-plus-placement model targeting NEET-adjacent candidates.
• Breaking Barriers: London-based charity supporting refugees into meaningful employment through 1:1 coaching, English-language support and employer partnerships. Uses a near-identical coaching-plus-placement-plus-employer model to RISE UP, but with a narrower beneficiary focus.
• Smart Works: UK charity providing interview coaching, clothing and employment support to women returning to work. Overlaps with RISE UP on the coaching-plus-essential-supplies model (RISE UP's Opportunity Fund mirrors Smart Works' dressing service) but targets a different beneficiary group.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@RISEUP-Media/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/riseuporg
• Instagraminstagram.com/rise.up.uk?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 RISE UP