Thanks to YTKO’s Growth Coaching Support, the driving force behind the Growth Works programme, the UK’s powerhouse economy is growing by a further 4500 new jobs in 900 high growth businesses. This success now means that YTKO has enabled our clients to raise over £100m of growth finance, and create over 17,000 jobs for the UK economy in the last twenty years.
YTKO was a key delivery partner within the Growth Works Programme, which was the largest economic development programme of its kind running from May 2021 to December 2023. YTKO delivered the scale-up support service, called Growth Coaching, which included managing a £15m co-investment grant and equity fund, and the revitalisation of the Growth Hub service.
We combined data-driven analytics and our own bespoke diagnostic criteria, based on three decades of experience, to identify both existing high growth and scale up companies, and to determine true high growth potential for companies with the ambition to achieve that status. A highly effective marketing and business development strategy then engaged these businesses into the Growth Coaching support programme.
Bev Hurley, YTKO CEO and Strategic lead for Growth Coaching says:
“ We are very proud of the achievement of our Growth Coaching service across Cambridge and Peterborough in identifying, engaging and supporting the companies who are and who will be fuelling the local economy, and exceeding our job creation target.”
Access to markets (all aspects of sales, marketing and business development) and access to talent (attracting, retaining and developing great people) were consistently the two areas where these high flying companies needed our help.
We worked closely with the Skills service line to provide wraparound, client-centric tailored solutions to their needs, encompassing masterclasses, growth accelerators and workshops, peer learning, webinars, 1:1 consultancy and coaching, and access to our high growth community of experts and peers.
We supported clients to develop robust growth road maps, business models and value propositions, improve their competitive differentiation, leadership and management, create and execute effective marketing, sales and people strategies, and become properly investment ready and able to access a range of finance, from grant, debt and equity.
Bev concludes:
‘It’s been our privilege to work with many world-class businesses of all sizes, from £multi-million turnover firms to ambitious smaller businesses with outstanding potential, helping them get innovation to market, raise growth funding, co-investing alongside them with our grant funding, accelerating their growth, productivity and profitability and the creation of high-value jobs. YTKO has a long, evidenced track record of helping local economies prosper and we know that these Cambridge and Peterborough clients will continue to do so for many years to come.
