Little Inventors
Little Inventors is a UK-based creative education organization running a free web platform where children worldwide submit invention ideas and have selected designs built by professional makers. It serves children, teachers, and cultural partners through funded challenges, workshops, and published activity books.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersNewcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Little Inventors does
Little Inventors is a UK-based creative education organization that operates a web platform enabling children aged 4–17 worldwide to upload invention ideas as drawings, receive personalized feedback, and see selected designs brought to life as physical prototypes by professional makers. Founded around 2016 by Dominic Wilcox and operated as a trading name of Tomorrow Projects (a private UK limited company, company number 09815872), the organization is headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne with a core team of six staff and a wider network of collaborating makers. The platform underpins a community-led go-to-market model where children, teachers, parents, and cultural partners participate in structured challenges such as Open Challenge, Mini Challenges, JOY LAB, and the Lit & Phil Invention Challenge, often co-delivered with museums, libraries, schools, and academic partners.
The business model is a hybrid of publishing, events/workshops, and grant funding. Revenue is generated through (1) retail book sales of four activity titles (The Handbook, Go Green!, In Space, Mission Oceans) via Amazon, (2) delivery of workshops and events with cultural institutions and schools, and (3) public funding from Arts Council England, South Tyneside Council, The Cultural Spring, the University of Sunderland, NSERC, and the Reece Foundation. The core platform, resource packs, and idea submission service are free to all users, with no monetization on the platform itself. Distribution occurs through the website, partner venues (Lit & Phil, Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, National Glass Centre), social media, and the published book channel. Notable international milestones include a partnership with the Canadian Space Agency and NSERC on the Life in Space challenge (yielding 3,000+ child submissions and 30 prototypes), exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and inventions broadcast from the International Space Station.
Little Inventors firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Little Inventors
- Legal name
- Tomorrow Projects
- Website
- https://littleinventors.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Little Inventors is a UK-based creative education organization running a free web platform where children worldwide submit invention ideas and have selected designs built by professional makers. It serves children, teachers, and cultural partners through funded challenges, workshops, and published activity books.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Little Inventors industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Creative Education
- NAICS
- Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (33993), Fine Arts Schools (61161), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)
- SIC
- Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Blankbooks, Looseleaf Binders & Bookbindg & Relatd Work (2780)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Children’s Activity & Practice Books (Workbooks, Puzzles, Handwriting) (EDAGAIAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early Learning & Preschool Trade (Ages 0–5) (EDAGAIAA), Digital/Interactive Curriculum Content (Apps, Games, Multimedia Lessons) (EDACAJAK), Early Science & Discovery Content (EDAGACAD), Children’s Activity & Workbook Publishing (MPAJAFAG)
Keywords
Where Little Inventors is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Newcastle Upon Tyne
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Little Inventors business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Publishing: Little Inventors publishes activity books (The Handbook, Go Green, In Space, Mission Oceans) sold through retailers like Amazon. The books contain invention activities, guidance, and examples of inventions brought to life.
- Events and Workshops: Delivery of workshops and events in partnership with cultural institutions, schools, and venues. Revenue generated through project delivery with partners.
- Public Funding and Grants: Project funding from Arts Council England, South Tyneside Council, The Cultural Spring, University of Sunderland, Sunderland Culture, and other public bodies for specific creative initiatives.
- Resource Sales: Free curriculum-linked resource packs and challenges available, with activity sheets and certificates downloadable from the website.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free platform access for all users |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Little Inventors product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Little Inventors runs a global web platform where children aged 4-17 upload invention drawings and descriptions, receive personalized feedback, and have selected ideas turned into real prototypes by professional makers. The organization publishes activity books, delivers creative workshops and themed challenges (Open Challenge, Mini Challenges, JOY LAB, Lit & Phil), and provides free curriculum-linked resource packs for teachers and parents.
Product overview
Little Inventors is a creative education organization operating a web platform that connects children aged 4-17 with professional makers to transform invention drawings into real objects. The core platform enables children to upload invention ideas, receive feedback, and see selected designs brought to life by skilled makers. The product portfolio includes four published activity books (The Little Inventors Handbook, Go Green!, In Space, and Mission Oceans), ongoing creative challenges (Open Challenge, Mini Challenges), regional initiatives (JOY LAB, Lit & Phil Challenge), and free resource packs for educators. The ecosystem includes virtual exhibitions, maker profiles, and event workshops across the UK and internationally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- JOY LAB: A creative challenge project inviting people of all ages to invent something to bring a moment of happiness to someone's day. Launched in 2026 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Little Inventors.
- Little Inventors Handbook
- Little Inventors Go Green!
- Little Inventors In Space
- Mission Oceans
Products and services
- Little Inventors Platform A web-based creative education platform where children aged 4-17 upload invention drawings and descriptions, receive personalized feedback, and have selected ideas matched with professional makers who build real prototypes.
- The Little Inventors Handbook A step-by-step activity guide encouraging children to think big and develop confidence in their creativity, featuring problem-solving techniques and examples of made inventions.
- Little Inventors Go Green! An environmental activity book inspiring children to become green inventors with activities focused on protecting animals, creating energy solutions, and cooling the Earth.
- Little Inventors In Space A space-themed activity book featuring ideas for inventions related to living in orbit, space travel, and planning life on Mars.
- Little Inventors Mission Oceans An ocean-themed activity book encouraging children to create inventions related to marine life and ocean conservation.
- Open Challenge An ongoing creative challenge inviting children to invent anything they can imagine, with supporting resources provided for teachers and parents.
- Mini Challenges Shorter, themed challenges presenting problems for children to solve creatively, covering serious or humorous topics.
- JOY LAB: Inventing for Happiness A creative community project across Sunderland and South Tyneside inviting people of all ages to invent something that brings a moment of happiness to someone's day, with selected inventions brought to life by professional makers.
- Lit & Phil Invention Challenge An annual invention challenge partnership with Lit & Phil library in Newcastle, inviting children to create invention ideas inspired by the library's collections, with selected ideas brought to life and exhibited.
- Resource Packs Free curriculum-linked resource packs and challenges for teachers and parents to run Little Inventors activities in schools or at home.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3000+ invention designs received from children globally in major challenges
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Little Inventors
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Little Inventors technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Little Inventors partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Cultural SpringcoreCultural organization in South Tyneside partnering on JOY LAB project, supporting creative workshops and community engagement activities.
- University of SunderlandcoreAcademic partner providing support for JOY LAB, with AMAP (Faculty of Engineering & Advanced Manufacturing) contributing maker expertise to bring inventions to life.
- Sunderland CultureminorCultural partnership organization supporting JOY LAB project delivery in Sunderland region through Culture Start program.
- Canadian Space AgencycoreGovernment space agency partnered on Life in Space challenge, engaging Canadian children to invent solutions for living in space. Astronaut David Saint Jacques announced winners from ISS.
- ArtsmarkminorArts Council England program recognizing schools and settings committed to arts and culture. Little Inventors is partnered with Artsmark.
- Atlas Theatre CompanyminorTheatre company collaborating on JOY LAB workshop delivery, bringing creative expertise to community engagement.
- Tomorrow ProjectscoreParent organization and trading name of Little Inventors (company number 09815872). The Tomorrow Projects family of creative initiatives includes Little Inventors and projects like JOY LAB.
- Lit & Phil (Newcastle)coreHistoric Newcastle library (200,000+ books) partnered on annual invention challenges. Hosted exhibitions of inventions brought to life and delivered schools workshops program.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Little Inventors competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- LEGO Education: LEGO Education is the educational arm of the LEGO Group, providing hands-on STEAM learning experiences and building kits for classrooms globally. It is comparable to Little Inventors because both target children with creative, hands-on invention and design-thinking activities, though LEGO Education operates at vastly greater scale and via physical product kits.
- DK (Dorling Kindersley): DK is a major illustrated reference and activity book publisher for children and adults, producing visually rich educational titles. It is comparable to Little Inventors because both produce visually oriented, activity-driven children's educational books sold through major retail channels like Amazon.
- CBeebies (BBC): CBeebies is the BBC's television and digital channel for young children, providing educational shows, games, and creative activities. It is comparable to Little Inventors because both deliver free creative and educational content for young children via digital platforms, supported by public-interest funding.
- National Geographic Kids: National Geographic Kids is the children's division of National Geographic, producing books, magazines, digital content, and educational programs about science, nature, and discovery. It is comparable to Little Inventors because both publish themed educational activity books for children (e.g., space, oceans, environment) and deliver educational content for schools.
- Scholastic: Scholastic is a major global children's book publisher and education company producing activity books, workbooks, and educational content. It is comparable to Little Inventors because both publish children's activity and educational books sold through retail channels and developed for school and home use.
Direct peers
- Tate Kids: Tate Kids is the children's educational platform of the Tate galleries, offering art activities, games, and creative challenges for children. It is comparable to Little Inventors because both engage children in creative projects, are linked to major UK cultural institutions, and publish digital creative content and resources for schools and families.
- IDEO: IDEO is a global design and innovation consultancy known for design-thinking education, including its work with schools to teach children creative problem-solving and prototyping. It is comparable to Little Inventors because both center on enabling children to develop and prototype inventive ideas, with overlap in design-thinking methodology and educational workshops.
- Maker Ed: Maker Ed is a US nonprofit that supports maker education in schools and communities, providing resources, programs, and partnerships for hands-on learning. It is comparable to Little Inventors because both deliver creative maker-based learning programs for children, partner with schools and cultural institutions, and publish educational content.
Regional players
- Design Museum: The Design Museum in London runs educational programs, workshops, and exhibitions focused on design and making for children and families. It is comparable to Little Inventors because both deliver design and invention-based learning experiences for children in partnership with UK schools and cultural organizations.
Emerging players
- Young Inventors: Young Inventors is a smaller educational organization that runs invention challenges and STEM programs for children. It is comparable to Little Inventors because both focus on child-led invention and maker education, host challenges, and connect children with creative project experiences, though Young Inventors has a narrower geographic and program scope.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Little Inventors social profiles
Digital presenceLittle Inventors financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Little Inventors leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Little Inventors funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Little Inventors 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 Little Inventors
What does Little Inventors do?
Little Inventors runs a global web platform where children aged 4-17 upload invention drawings and descriptions, receive personalized feedback, and have selected ideas turned into real prototypes by professional makers. The organization publishes activity books, delivers creative workshops and themed challenges (Open Challenge, Mini Challenges, JOY LAB, Lit & Phil), and provides free curriculum-linked resource packs for teachers and parents.
Is Little Inventors a public or private company?
Little Inventors is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Little Inventors founded?
Little Inventors was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Little Inventors based?
Little Inventors is headquartered in Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Little Inventors make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Publishing is the primary driver. The others are events and Workshops, public Funding and Grants and resource Sales.
Who are Little Inventors's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are LEGO Education, DK (Dorling Kindersley), CBeebies (BBC), National Geographic Kids and Scholastic. Direct peers are Tate Kids, IDEO and Maker Ed. Design Museum is listed as a regional player. Young Inventors is listed as an emerging player.
Does Little Inventors have an API?
No public API is recorded for Little Inventors.
What industry is Little Inventors in?
Little Inventors's product category is Children's Creative Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAIAE, Children’s Activity & Practice Books (Workbooks, Puzzles, Handwriting), with a secondary code of EDAGAIAA, Early Learning & Preschool Trade (Ages 0–5). Its NAICS code is 33993 and its SIC code is 3944.