RealWorth
RealWorth is a UK-based social value consultancy founded circa 2012 that helps developers, public bodies, cultural organisations, and VCSEs measure and optimise the social impact of built-environment projects using SROI methodology and OECD Better Life Index frameworks across the UK, mainland Europe, and North America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersCity Of London, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What RealWorth does
RealWorth is a UK-based social value consultancy founded circa 2012 and headquartered across Liverpool and London. The firm helps organisations understand, measure, and optimise the social impact of places, projects, and programmes, with a stated specialisation in the built environment. Its service portfolio is organised around five interconnected practice areas: Understanding Need and Opportunity (Theory of Change workshops, neighbourhood audits, community engagement), Optimising Value (social value strategies, statements, charters, community partnership strategies), Capturing Change (monitoring and evaluation frameworks, indicators and data collection strategies), Evaluating Impact (Social Return on Investment analysis combined with qualitative methods such as Most Significant Change and Social Impact Narrative), and Strategic Advice and Advocacy (knowledge transfer, pro-social procurement, tender support, toolkits).
The underlying methodology blends SROI monetary valuation with the OECD Better Life Index's 11 factors of wellbeing, supported by stakeholder engagement, theory of change workshops, and mixed-method evaluation frameworks. RealWorth is B Corp certified since 2022 and recertified in 2025 with an improved score. The team comprises two co-founders (Phil Higham and Erik Bichard), a principal consultant, and two consultants, for a total of approximately five core members.
The business model is professional services consulting delivered through enterprise field sales. Engagement is initiated via email inquiry and converted into project-based mandates, with long-term retained advisory relationships for ongoing social value work across planning, design, construction, and occupation phases. Customer segments are vertical-based and include developers, local authorities and public bodies, VCSEs, asset owners and operators, designers and planners, and cultural organisations. The firm operates in the UK, mainland Europe, and North America. Pricing is not publicly disclosed.
RealWorth firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RealWorth
- Legal name
- RealWorth
- Website
- https://realworth.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- RealWorth is a UK-based social value consultancy founded circa 2012 that helps developers, public bodies, cultural organisations, and VCSEs measure and optimise the social impact of built-environment projects using SROI methodology and OECD Better Life Index frameworks across the UK, mainland Europe, and North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RealWorth industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Value Consulting
- NAICS
- Other Activities Related to Real Estate (531390)
- SIC
- Real Estate (6500)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)
Keywords
Where RealWorth is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- City Of London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
RealWorth business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for social value measurement, evaluation, strategy development, and advisory. Project-based engagements with retained long-term client relationships for ongoing social value advisory.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
RealWorth product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RealWorth is a UK-based social value consultancy that helps organisations in the built environment sector understand, measure, and optimise the social impacts of places, projects, and programmes. Services apply established methodologies including SROI (Social Return on Investment), Theory of Change, and the OECD Better Life Index, and are delivered to developers, local authorities, cultural organisations, asset owners/operators, designers, planners, and VCSEs.
Product overview
RealWorth is a social value consultancy offering a unified suite of professional consulting services rather than a software product. Their offerings span five interconnected service areas: Understanding Need and Opportunity (stakeholder engagement and context analysis), Optimising Value (strategic planning and implementation), Capturing Change (monitoring and data collection), Evaluating Impact (SROI analysis and reporting), and Strategic Advice and Advocacy (capacity building and policy support). The company works across the built environment including mixed-use and residential development, cultural assets, and energy and infrastructure projects in the UK, mainland Europe, and North America.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Social Value Consulting Advisory engagements that help organisations in the built environment understand, measure, and optimise the social impact of places, projects, and programmes.
- SROI Analysis Application of the Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework to quantify and value social outcomes for built environment projects and programmes.
- Theory of Change Advisory Development and application of Theory of Change frameworks to map inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes for places, projects, and programmes.
- Stakeholder Engagement Structured stakeholder engagement to capture lived experience, priorities, and outcomes from communities and partners affected by places, projects, and programmes.
- Impact Measurement and Reporting Measurement, monitoring, and reporting of social impact using SROI, Theory of Change, and the OECD Better Life Index for built environment clients.
Quantifiable outcome
- For every £1 invested in St Michael's Hospice, returns £1.50 in value to local community
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use RealWorth
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
RealWorth technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
RealWorth partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
RealWorth competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Arup: Global built-environment engineering and advisory firm with a social value and sustainability practice serving developers, asset owners and public sector clients — a much larger, broader competitor for social value mandates.
- SustainAbility: Strategy consultancy focused on sustainability and social impact advisory for corporates and investors; overlapping offering in impact measurement and ESG strategy for built-environment-adjacent clients.
- Anthesis Group: Global sustainability and ESG advisory firm with broad built-environment and social impact capabilities; larger and more diversified than RealWorth but competes for the same developer and corporate ESG mandates.
- SLR Consulting: Global environmental and advisory consultancy with built-environment and ESG practices serving developers and public sector clients analogous to RealWorth's customer base.
- Carbon Trust: Established sustainability advisory organisation providing impact measurement and ESG advisory to corporates and developers; competes for similar advisory budgets though with a stronger climate/carbon orientation.
- BSR (Business for Social Responsibility): Global sustainable business consultancy advising large corporates and developers on social impact strategy and reporting; comparable in service type but operates at much greater scale and geographic breadth.
- WSP: Major built-environment consultancy that already engages RealWorth as a partner on projects like Nene Valley Villages; offers overlapping social value and ESG advisory services to the same developer/public-sector clients.
- ERM (Environmental Resources Management): Large global sustainability and impact advisory firm offering social value, ESG and built-environment services to developers and public sector clients overlapping with RealWorth's target segments.
Direct peers
- Social Value International: Global social value methodology network behind the SROI framework; sets the standards RealWorth applies and provides adjacent advisory and assurance services to similar client types.
- Social Value UK: The UK network for social value and SROI methodology, providing training, certification and advisory services that overlap directly with RealWorth's core SROI and Theory of Change offerings for the built environment.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
RealWorth social profiles
Digital presenceRealWorth compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
RealWorth financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RealWorth leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
RealWorth funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RealWorth 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 RealWorth
What does RealWorth do?
RealWorth is a UK-based social value consultancy that helps organisations in the built environment sector understand, measure, and optimise the social impacts of places, projects, and programmes. Services apply established methodologies including SROI (Social Return on Investment), Theory of Change, and the OECD Better Life Index, and are delivered to developers, local authorities, cultural organisations, asset owners/operators, designers, planners, and VCSEs.
Is RealWorth a public or private company?
RealWorth is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was RealWorth founded?
RealWorth was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is RealWorth based?
RealWorth is headquartered in City Of London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does RealWorth make money?
One revenue line is on record: consulting Services.
Who are RealWorth's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Arup, SustainAbility, Anthesis Group, SLR Consulting, Carbon Trust, BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), WSP and ERM (Environmental Resources Management). Direct peers are Social Value International and Social Value UK.
Does RealWorth have an API?
No public API is recorded for RealWorth.
What industry is RealWorth in?
RealWorth's product category is Social Value Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAC, Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts). Its NAICS code is 531390 and its SIC code is 6500.