KAFFEINE / Placemaking

Scaling From The Edge to help innovative businesses avoid a fall

8 June 2020

With lockdown causing many companies problems we realised that scaling businesses would need specific help – both now and into the likely downturn expected to follow.   

We helped our client Scale Space to pivot from pre-opening preparations for its first site on Imperial College’s White City campus to provide a dedicated programme of support for scale-ups right now. 

To deliver immediate impact we interviewed Mark Sanders, Scale Space’s Executive Chairman on how scaling businesses can successfully adjust and innovate in times of adversity. This was shared across the media and wider scale up network with traffic to Scale Space’s website increased by almost 300% as a result. 

Second, we worked with Scale Space to create Scaling from the Edge, a brand new online series providing curated advice and expertise for growing businesses. The first episode ‘What Not to Cut: Protecting Your Critical Competitive Advantages’ focuses on how businesses should challenge themselves to think the unthinkable, embrace experimentation and reinvention, while protecting what makes them unique and the delivery of the promises to existing customers.   Hosted by Mark Sanders, with the following experts:   

• David Kirby - Partner, Livingbridge
• Julia Tierney - CEO, Hive Learning 
• Nelson Phillips - Professor of Innovation and Strategy, Imperial College Business School. 

The Scaling from the Edge initiative reflects Scale Space’s mission to form an exciting new scale up community that exists on and offline to help technology, digital and life-science businesses to grow by connecting them with the right people, services, space and resources. 

Such support is vital.  While scale-ups have been growing at about 35% and account for 20% of all turnover according to the Scale Up Institute’s 2019 report, they are also highly vulnerable. Only one in ten businesses make it past their first decade. Those that fail, do so because they can’t overcome the common but major challenges such as access to talent, skills, markets, advice, growth finance and infrastructure. 

Scale Space was conceived by Blenheim Chalcot, the UK’s leading venture builder and Imperial College London. Scale Space will work with leading universities to create Scale Space sites across the UK that will be connected into the wider Scale Space community online. Scaling businesses can join Scale Space as Members, accessing the community online or Residents, taking space in one of the Scale Space sites. Imperial College London is Blenheim Chalcot’s first university partner and the new Scale Space White City will open on Imperial’s White City campus next month.  

Hannah Marsland, Senior Marketing Manager, Scale Space, said:  “Kallaway has been instrumental in helping turn Scale Space from a concept into a living reality. Scaling from the Edge is a highlight of what is to come as we build Scale Space into an community for ambitious growth businesses - a virtual and physical destination where they access the people, services and space they need to become great. We look forward to working with Kallaway as we launch Scale Space White City and continue to grow online."