A pricing reset that paid for the programme
One participant re-priced an enterprise contract after two sessions with a former CRO. The uplift on a single renewal exceeded the entire programme cost for the year.
Impact
Mentoring works.
The evidence is clear.
Real businesses, real decisions, real outcomes, from a network built over a decade by The Experience Bank.
- 21
- Businesses supported
- 14
- Mentors engaged
- 136
- Hours delivered
- 92%
- Clearer next decision
The opportunity
The right advice at the right time changes the decision.
The case for mentoring is well-rehearsed. The case for getting it into the hands of UK businesses at the moments that matter is the work we are doing.
- 01
Growing demand
Ambitious SMEs increasingly recognise the value of mentoring and coaching to support growth, resilience and leadership capability.
- 02
Limited effective supply
Existing provision of mentoring through public and private channels can be hard to access, poorly matched, and inflexible to the rhythm of a real business.
- 03
Imperfect alignment
Business owners struggle to find the right support at the right time. Publicly-funded programmes often do not fit their specific needs.
The result is support that is hard to find and hard to navigate, at the moments businesses need it most. Unlocked puts a verified mentor one booking away.
Pilot programme
21 businesses, 14 mentors, 136 hours of expert support. One cohort, one quarter.
Our first full pilot ran an ambitious cohort of UK businesses through Unlocked end-to-end. The outcomes that followed make the case for what relevant experience does when it lands at the right moment.
Themes covered
- Pricing
- Growth strategy
- Hiring
- Fundraising
- Operations
- Sales
- Leadership
- Board prep
A first hire de-risked
A founder hiring their first head of operations spoke to two mentors who had hired that role at the same stage. Six-month retention is now the team norm.
A funding decision walked away from, cleanly
After three sessions across debt, equity and grant routes, a founder chose patient capital with eyes open. The clarity, not the answer, was the value.
Stories from the network
Real decisions, moved forward by relevant experience.
Stories from the platform: the problem, the mentor, and what happened next.
Six hours that helped a SaaS go to market with confidence.
Marka — a Newcastle-based sustainability ratings platform — needed senior cybersecurity, data protection and policy expertise that is impossible to hire for at their stage. Six hours with Dave Sharp delivered exactly that.
Rob BoweyCo-founder · We Are Marka
Read story
In their words
Businesses come for an answer. They stay for the relationship.
A small selection of what founders and business leaders have said after their first sessions on the platform.
Finding the right fit is genuinely game-changing, particularly for a start-up where you're often navigating so much without a roadmap.
It led to me repositioning my offer which has given me more confidence to take things forward.
Angelina gave me actionable guidance and specific tasks to take away, and these were extremely useful. She was able to provide advice I would not have been able to access otherwise.
From our most recent programme evaluation: 100% of participants said they would recommend mentoring to other business owners. Many participants extended their mentoring relationships beyond the funded programme — paying out of their own pocket to continue.
When you are ready
Bring the problem. We'll find someone who has solved it.
Book a session with someone who has already faced it, or talk to us about mentoring across your team, programme or organisation.