Scaleup North East: Partners in unlocking growth

Built on the former Newcastle Brown Ale brewery site, the Helix development stands as one of the region’s most visible statements of reinvention – a place where industrial heritage has given way to research, enterprise and new possibility.

At its heart stands a building that immediately commands attention.

With its distinctive diagrid façade and angular glass frontage, The Catalyst has emerged as the district’s showcase for innovation.

It is a building conceived to spark collaboration, accelerate ambition and turn potential into progress.

Rather fittingly, it is also home to one of RTC North’s two regional offices.

Much like the building that houses it, the organisation exists to catalyse change, providing a platform to help high-growth businesses reach their next stage.

Through its delivery of the Scaleup North East programme, RTC North connects founders with partners who have lived the journey themselves – entrepreneurs who built companies from scratch, scaled them through difficult inflection points and, in many cases, exited successfully.

The result is tailored, one-to-one support that diagnoses barriers to growth, challenges assumptions and helps companies leap to the next level.

Scaleup North East was established more than seven years ago to increase the density of firms across the region capable of expanding their own turnover and workforce, while strengthening the wider economy around them.

Graham Stafford, programme manager, says: “Scale-ups are a small percentage of the SME community, but they drive a huge amount of job creation and economic momentum.

“The more of them you have, the stronger the region becomes.

“The North East is the fastest growing region in the country in terms of scale-up density.

“You’d like to think that’s at least in part down to the seven years we’ve been delivering this programme.”

For Graham, Scaleup North East’s impact reaches far beyond individual balance sheets.

He says: “Businesses support communities – it’s not just about pounds and pence.

“Businesses employ people, train people and give people purpose.”

By helping firms reach and sustain high-growth status, the programme creates a wider ripple effect across the regional economy.

Graham adds: “Scaleup North East isn’t just about gradually making a business – or even the economy – bigger.

“It’s about equipping them to operate successfully at a higher level.”

The programme’s longevity and success are rooted in the strength and expertise of its partners Craig Huntingdon, Tony Brooks, Steve Bell and Mark Harrison.

Graham says: “The people who deliver Scaleup have been there and done it.

“They’ve built businesses, grown them, got the T-shirt and the scars to prove it.

“It is a very practical programme that is grounded in real-world experience.”

And that practicality matters, says Graham, because growth is rarely smooth.

He adds: “Scaling isn’t linear; it happens in steps.

“Moving from self-employment to employing a team demands one mindset; transitioning from a £7 million business to a £15 million operation demands another entirely.

“You can be brilliant at running a business at one level, but the leap to the next stage requires different skills and structures, and a new way of thinking too.”

And this is where the acumen and experience of partners such as Craig and Tony comes to the fore.

Craig, who globally scaled a wall covering manufacturer following a management buyout in his early 20s before going on to become a trading director at Aldi, says much of the work begins with unpicking assumptions.

He says: “Very often, when we start working with a business, they’ve bumped up against a barrier.

“Part of our job is to work out what it is.

“Quite often, it’s not what the business thinks it is – they’re looking at the symptom, rather than the cause.”

That diagnostic phase is often the most important – and the most revealing – in the programme’s support provision.

And rather than forcing companies through a prescribed model, the programme adapts to the business in front of it.

Craig adds: “It could be consulting, coaching or mentoring.

“Sometimes, it’s helping shape a commercial strategy or being that external sounding board before a senior meeting.

“I’m not aware of another programme with that level of flexibility.”

Crucially, the support offered is sector agnostic.

Between them, the partners have worked with scores of firms, from handbag makers and artisan food producers to swimming lesson providers, advanced manufacturers, packaging specialists and engineering businesses.

Tony, pictured below, who grew a two-person engineering firm into a multi-million-pound operation, says building trust is fundamental.

He says: “Our relationship is one-to-one with the owner or senior leader – it’s confidential.

“They need to be able to say, ‘I’m struggling with this’ or ‘I’ve never done this before’.”

Often, Tony adds, the role is less about providing answers and more about providing accountability.

He says: “Sometimes, they just need someone to challenge them, to sense-check what they’re doing and to make sure they follow through on what they said they were going to do.”

For both partners, a recurring theme in the North East is changing mindsets and boosting confidence.

Craig says: “There are brilliant businesses here, but there is often a preference to keep it local and keep it safe.

“Businesses need to believe they can operate on a national or international stage.

“Once you build that confidence, scaling becomes much easier.”

Looking ahead, the programme’s success will continue to be measured in tangible outcomes – jobs created, roles safeguarded and growth delivered – but, as Graham makes clear, the impact will keep on running deeper.

He says: “We report on numbers, but the real measure is the difference the programme makes to the businesses we support.

“That’s what public investment is meant to achieve.”

For Tony, the motivation has only intensified over time.

He adds: “I love being part of the programme.

“It’s about giving back and helping the region grow.

“I wish I’d had something like this when I was growing my own business.

“If we can help people make better decisions, think bigger and build something stronger in the North East, then that is success.”

 

Scaleup North East

To be eligible for Scaleup North East support, companies should be:

•  Businesses, including start-ups, which are scaling or can demonstrate significant growth potential

•  Based in the areas of Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle- upon-Tyne or the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough

Ideally in the following sectors, although others will be considered:

• Digital and technology

• Health and life sciences

• Low carbon and green growth

• Creative industries

• Advanced manufacturing

The following sectors are not eligible for support:

• Agriculture

• Fishery and aquaculture

• Banking

• Insurance

•  Firms should ideally demonstrate a growth rate of 20 per cent over two previous years, or high growth potential, demonstrating growth of above ten per cent and forecasting future growth of at least ten per cent, with increase in employment

For more information, visit www.scaleupnortheast.co.uk

Scaleup North East is delivered by RTC North and funded by the Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The programme is led by the North East Combined Authority, covering the seven local authority areas of County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland and Northumberland.

 

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund proactively supports mission-delivery: pushing power out to communities everywhere, with a specific focus to helping kickstart economic growth and promoting opportunities in all parts of the UK.

The Government’s Autumn Budget announced a further £900 million of funding for local investment by March 2026, with a transition year administered throughout the former North of Tyne region by the North East Combined Authority.

For more information, visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

RTC North

RTC North is a leading provider of business support and innovation services, working with organisations to unlock their potential and achieve sustainable growth. With a wealth of expertise and a commitment to excellence, RTC North empowers businesses to overcome challenges, embrace opportunities and drive success in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

rtcnorth.co.uk

LinkedIn: RTC North