What The Drive Project does

The Drive Project Ltd is a UK creative social enterprise incorporated in 2015 and operationally active since 2011, headquartered in Ightham, Sevenoaks with a team of approximately 20 people. It designs and delivers bespoke storytelling training, communication training, creative projects, podcast and film production, motivational speaking and arts-based recovery and wellbeing programmes for corporate enterprises, charities/non-profits and educational institutions. Core clients include PWC, Deloitte, Caffe Nero, Facebook, Lloyds Bank, NHS Wales, Science Museum Group, Royal British Legion and Blesma (The Limbless Veterans); named flagship programmes are Making Generation R, The Story of Us, Veterans Work, and Bravo 22 Company.

The company's underlying methodology fuses neuroscience evidence on story-driven retention (citing a London Business School figure of 65–70% retention through storytelling versus 10% through data alone) with theatre and performance techniques. Delivery is led by a multidisciplinary team that includes a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, international storytellers with credits at NASA and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and actors/movement directors from West End and film productions such as War Horse and Gravity. Services are quoted on a bespoke basis with multi-year contract structures rather than fixed-price tiers.

Revenue is generated entirely through professional services fees for workshops, training series, podcast/film commissions and speaker bookings, distributed via direct enterprise sales, charity partnerships and speaking engagements. Distribution is UK-domiciled only, with no disclosed international revenue and no external funding, M&A activity or institutional investors identified in the source data. The business is founder-led by Alice Knight-Driver and operates as a privately held limited company with no public listing.

Name

The Drive Project

Legal name

The Drive Project Ltd

Website

https://thedriveproject.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Drive Project is a UK creative social enterprise that delivers bespoke storytelling training, arts-based recovery programmes, podcasts, films and motivational speakers to corporate enterprises (PWC, Deloitte, Facebook, Lloyds), charities (Royal British Legion, Blesma) and public-sector clients such as the NHS.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training and Creative Communications Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Creative Writing & Storytelling (Fiction, Poetry, Screenwriting) (EDAMAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Branded Documentary / Nonfiction (Corporate & NGO) (MPADADAK)

Keywords

• Storytelling training
• Communication coaching
• Arts recovery programmes
• Creative project services
• Motivational speaking

Headquarters

HQ city

Ightham, Sevenoaks

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

Revenue model

1. Storytelling Training Services: Professional storytelling training delivered as interactive sessions or series of workshops. Training focuses on why powerful stories are needed in business and how to craft impactful narratives. Sessions delivered by professional storytelling trainers.
2. Communication Training: Public speaking skills development working with professional storytelling trainers. Can be delivered to individuals or groups, providing technical performance tools for audience communication.
3. Creative Projects: Design and delivery of innovative projects in response to training, communication and wellbeing needs. Projects aim to develop individuals whilst engendering social and cultural change.
4. Podcasts & Films Production: Podcast launching and film production services for campaigns. Includes development, production and delivery of engaging podcasts and impactful films.
5. Motivational Speakers: Booking service for professionally trained speakers with powerful stories of overcoming adversity. Structured session format includes introduction, inspirational talk and Q&A.
6. Arts Recovery & Wellbeing Programmes: Creative workshops and programmes for beneficiaries of partner charities. Includes art, comedy, photography, theatre skills, social events and cultural visits. Oversaw by psychologist with independent evaluation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Drive Project delivers bespoke storytelling training and creative projects to develop and inspire people in organisations. Core offerings include storytelling and communication training workshops, podcast and film production, arts-based recovery and wellbeing programmes, and motivational speaker bookings. Programmes are tailored to each client and delivered through interactive sessions, workshops, and long-term partnerships with corporate, charity, NHS and educational clients.

Product overview

The Drive Project is a creative social enterprise that delivers storytelling training and creative projects to develop and inspire people. The company offers a portfolio of six interconnected core services: Storytelling Training, Communication Training, Projects, Podcasts & Films, Arts Recovery & Wellbeing, and Motivational Speakers. These services are delivered through bespoke training programmes tailored to each organisation. Notable named programmes include Making Generation R (an award-winning storytelling programme for Blesma), The Story of Us (for the NHS), Veterans Work (a podcast and film campaign for Deloitte), and Bravo 22 Company (a recovery and wellbeing through the arts programme for the Royal British Legion). The company was founded in 2011 and has been using storytelling and the arts as tools for training, recovery and wellbeing for over 10 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Storytelling Training Interactive storytelling training focused on why organisations need powerful stories and how to craft narratives that impact audiences, delivered as individual sessions or series of workshops by professional storytelling trainers.
• Communication Training Public speaking and communication skills development delivered by professional storytelling trainers to individuals or groups, providing technical performance tools for communicating with audiences.
• Projects Innovative creative projects designed in response to training, communication and wellbeing needs, developing individuals while engendering social and cultural change with tangible learnings that extend beyond the training room.
• Podcasts & Films Full-service podcast and film production including development, production and delivery, using a team of producers, directors, researchers and musicians to create engaging content with clear messaging and lasting impact.
• Arts Recovery & Wellbeing Creative workshops using art and theatre as wellbeing and recovery tools for people facing extreme difficulties such as veterans, NHS staff and charity beneficiaries. Includes clay modelling, performance skills, wire sculpture and other creative expressions, overseen by a clinical psychologist with independently evaluated outcomes.
• Motivational Speakers Professionally trained speakers booked for events whose stories of overcoming adversity, facing prejudice and demonstrating mental resilience are presented at conferences, away-days and awards dinners. Structured session format includes an introduction, an inspirational talk of 20-35 minutes, and a Q&A facilitated by a host.
• Making Generation R Award-winning storytelling programme that trains veterans to tell their personal stories of overcoming adversity and resilience to inspire young people and frontline workers. 110 trained veterans have shared their stories with over 140,000 people.
• The Story of Us Innovative storytelling programme designed and delivered for the NHS in response to the NHS Staff Survey. Culminated in a live sharing experience where stories of NHS Trust staff were heard by senior leadership, filmed as a legacy piece for cultural change.
• Veterans Work Adaptation of the Deloitte/Forces in Mind Trust report into a podcast, live debate and series of films, featuring business leaders from BT and Deloitte alongside celebrity supporters of veteran transition, raising awareness of veteran employment throughout the UK.
• Bravo 22 Company Recovery and wellbeing through the arts programme for the Armed Forces Community managed by Royal British Legion, offering 800 members an annual programme of creative workshops including art, comedy, photography, theatre skills, social events and cultural visits.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65-70% information retention through storytelling vs 10% through data alone
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Royal British LegioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Royal British Legion generously funded the original 'The Two Worlds of Charlie F' production in 2011. This ground-breaking play ran at Theatre Royal Haymarket, received 5-star reviews, did 2 UK tours and went to Canada. The Legion continues to partner on Bravo 22 Company, an award-winning recovery and wellbeing through the arts programme for the Armed Forces Community with 800 members.
• Blesma (The Limbless Veterans)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlesma partnered with The Drive Project to create 'Making Generation R' in 2016 - an award-winning storytelling programme training veterans to share their stories of overcoming adversity. 110 trained veterans have reached over 140,000 young people and frontline workers. The programme won the 2021 Soldiering On Award for Education, Training & Development.
• DeloittecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeloitte partnered with The Drive Project to adapt the 'Veterans Work' report into a podcast, live debate and series of films. The report highlights challenges faced by UK veterans entering employment. The Drive Project produced three short films featuring business leaders from institutions such as BT and Deloitte, plus celebrity supporters of veteran transition.
• NHScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Drive Project designed and delivered 'The Story of Us' storytelling programme in response to NHS Staff Survey. This culminated in a live sharing experience where staff stories were heard by senior leadership. The project was filmed as a legacy piece to support cultural change. Also created a podcast currently in production.
• Forces in Mind TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced the original 'Veterans Work' report in 2016 alongside Deloitte and Officers' Association, highlighting challenges faced by UK veterans entering employment and benefits organisations can realise by recruiting from the veteran talent pool.
• Officers' AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced the original 'Veterans Work' report in 2016 alongside Deloitte and Forces in Mind Trust, highlighting challenges faced by UK veterans entering employment.
• Science Museum GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Drive Project designed and delivered storytelling training for professional development, with workshops led by International Storyteller Clare Murphy (NASA, Royal Shakespeare Company) and Actor & Movement Director Al Nedjari (War Horse, Gravity) to develop authentic narrative and technical presentation skills.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• The Moth: The Moth is a globally recognized storytelling platform with corporate storytelling workshops and community events, providing a much larger brand in the same narrative-training category as The Drive Project.
• Second City Works: Second City Works applies improvisation-based training to corporate communication, leadership and storytelling, overlapping with The Drive Project's theatre-derived corporate training offerings at greater scale.
• National Theatre Theatreworks: The National Theatre's Theatreworks program delivers theatre-based corporate training (some Drive Project team members trained via this programme), making it a direct adjacent incumbent in the UK's theatre-for-business category.

Direct peers

• Anecdote: Anecdote is a specialist storytelling-for-business training firm offering workshops and keynotes for organizations, closely matching The Drive Project's core storytelling training service.
• RADA Business: RADA Business is the commercial training arm of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, offering theatre-based communication, leadership and presence training to organizations, directly comparable to The Drive Project's methodology.
• StoryCenter: StoryCenter delivers storytelling workshops and digital storytelling programs for nonprofits, educators, and corporate clients globally, paralleling The Drive Project's blend of corporate training and social-impact storytelling.
• Speaking Your Brand: Speaking Your Brand provides storytelling and public-speaking coaching for women leaders and corporate clients, mirroring The Drive Project's communication-training and public-speaking development services.

Emerging players

• Bravo 22 Company: Bravo 22 is The Drive Project's named recovery-through-the-arts programme managed with the Royal British Legion; it is both partner and adjacent peer in arts-based veteran recovery services.
• The True North Teams: True North Teams delivers team-building and leadership workshops using storytelling and experiential methods, partially overlapping with The Drive Project's bespoke corporate and team-cohesion programmes.

Regional players

• Fluxx Productions: Fluxx is a UK creative agency producing branded films, podcasts and live events, comparable to The Drive Project's podcast/film production and creative-project delivery services for corporate and NGO clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thedriveproj
• Facebookfacebook.com/thedriveproj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thedriveproject

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 The Drive Project