Social Value and Impact

Unlocked Expertise exists to improve access to experienced business support. We believe that every business — regardless of size, sector, location or the founder's personal network — should be able to access relevant, experienced mentoring when they need it most.

Through our platform and services, we contribute to social value by:

• Improving access to experienced business support — connecting businesses with mentors who have directly relevant operational experience, removing the reliance on personal networks or expensive advisory firms
• Supporting SMEs and founders — providing practical, human-led mentoring to small and growing businesses who may not otherwise access this level of support
• Enabling public-sector programme delivery — working with local authorities, combined authorities, enterprise agencies and universities to deliver funded business mentoring that reaches the businesses they serve
• Mobilising experienced mentors — creating opportunities for experienced business operators to contribute their knowledge and give back to the business community
• Supporting local and regional economies — particularly in Newcastle and the wider North East of England, where Unlocked is headquartered and where many of our early programmes have been delivered
• Removing barriers to expert help — through digital-first delivery that makes mentoring accessible without requiring travel or physical attendance

We are committed to transparent reporting of delivery outcomes. Through the platform, we can report on:

• Number of businesses supported
• Total mentoring hours delivered
• Booking and session completion rates
• Participant satisfaction and feedback scores
• Repeat engagement rates
• Geographic reach and distribution
• Mentor participation and availability
• Funded support utilisation against allocated hours

These are delivery metrics that evidence programme activity and participant experience. We distinguish these from longer-term economic outcomes (such as revenue growth or job creation) which depend on many factors beyond the mentoring intervention and require validated evaluation methodologies to claim.

For commissioning organisations, we provide structured programme reporting including activity summaries, spend tracking, mentor coverage, participant feedback and delivery against agreed outcomes. Reporting is tailored to the requirements of each programme and can be provided at intervals agreed during contracting.

We use participant feedback, mentor insights and delivery data to continuously improve the quality and accessibility of our service. We are committed to honest assessment of what is working well and where we can do better.

If you are a commissioner, programme partner or public-sector organisation interested in how Unlocked can support your business mentoring ambitions, please contact partnerships@unlockedexpertise.com.