Latest News
News about Red Kite Enterprise and Environment and important stories about business and the environment. If you would like to discuss how any of these items might affect your business, or create an opportunity, please contact us.
Red Kite now approved for Growth through Innovation
25 June 2015
Robin Tucker of Red Kite is now able to offer Growth through Innovation services as part of
GrowthAccelerator business coaching service.
“This enables us to provide even more cost-effective support for SMEs developing new products
and services, including working with legal experts in Intellectual Property to get the best value out of an enterprise’s innovations.” said Robin.
GrowthAccelerator is the UK Government’s subsidised advice scheme for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that wish to grow, and is part of the Business Growth Service. Red Kite has offered GrowthAccelerator coaching services since 2014.
Reinventing space business – from the customer outwards
1 October 2014
The 12th Reinventing Space Conference comes to the Royal Society on 18-21 November 2014. This global
conference examines the challenges and opportunities in space and considers the implications of dramatically
lower cost, more responsive space systems and launchers.
Robin Tucker of Red Kite has been invited to provide a paper on ‘Reinventing space business – from the
customer outward’ based on his experience in business and marketing strategy for technology companies.
The paper will be included in conference materials and the poster session. Please let us know if you are
coming to the conference – it will be a good meeting opportunity – or if you would like to discuss the contents
of the paper or other aspects of space business.
Red Kite joins UKspace trade association
2 July 2014
As part of our commitment to help the UK space industry in its ambitions for growth, we have joined the
trade association UKspace as part of the SME Forum. We look forward to continuing and expanding our
work in the sector.
As an example, we recently helped a space data processing SME to open up a new opportunity in environmental markets. The Managing Director said: "Robin was able to use his technical knowledge and business skills to connect us with a potential customer in the environmental management sector. He quickly understood how our low cost satellite data processing capability could be used and he knew the right person to talk to."
Red Kite now a Registered and Approved GrowthAccelerator Coach
10 March 2014
Robin Tucker, Founder of Red Kite Enterprise and Environment has been registered and
approved as a Growth Coach for the popular GrowthAccelerator programme.
Businesses that seek external advice and information are 14% more ambitious and 50% more successful than those that do not, and over 10,000 businesses are already benefitting from GrowthAccelerator.
GrowthAccelerator helps SME leaders to find new connections, new routes to investment and the new ideas and strategy needed for their business to achieve its full potential. It provides a bespoke package including expert coaching at a fixed, government-subsidised price. Find out more at
The Businessperson’s Guide to Climate Change returns on 18 March
7 February 2014
“10 out of 10 – Enlightening and incentivising in equal measure.”
What are the threats and opportunities for your business? And what should you do about them?
Our highly acclaimed seminar and interactive working session on the implications of climate change for business returns to Harwell Oxford on 18 March 2014. This session will provide a broad understanding of climate change science and politics, specific understanding of the threats and opportunities for your business, and an outline action plan for what to do about them. Relevant for large and small businesses, of all types.
“Great. Made me realize there are big opportunities in creative solutions.” as one business director at a previous session told us.
If you missed it last time, get more details and register on our Climate Week page.
Launch of UK Space Innovation and Growth Strategy (IGS)
14 November 2013
The UK space industry launched its new Innovation and Growth Strategy for 2014-30 today. The IGS is
subtitled a "Space Growth Action Plan", and comprises a list of actions to help the UK space industry
achieve its aim of growing from £9bn today to £40bn, 10% of the world market, by 2030.
Reports on the IGS launch can be found on websites of the UK Space Agency and the Satellite Applications Catapult. The IGS and additional documents can be found on the TSB’s Space Special Interest Group.
Red Kite contributed to the strategy, particularly in understanding commercial markets and how to approach them.
Red Kite Analysis: Before, the launch, we Tweeted the 5 things we were looking for in the IGS. Here is our assessment.
1. Are the actions sufficient to achieve a £40bn industry?
Yes, if they are well delivered. The plan contains actions to expand commercial markets, public markets and export markets, plus a set
of ‘enabling actions’, and we can't think of much to add.
2. Are the actions sufficiently well defined - are they SMART enough?
Not yet, but it does say where more work is required. The IGS does well in setting out Owners and Completion date for each of the 37
actions, but some are for further planning work. For example “Develop a delivery roadmap plan for each of the priority markets”.
3. Is there understanding of the resources it will need, and are these committed?
Varies. In some areas, the resources are already assigned within UKSA or the Catapult. But in others, particularly commercial markets,
we are not aware that the resources have been quantified or assigned.
4. Are the implementation team & governance strong enough to deliver?
Not yet. The IGS notes that these actions will become the agenda for the Space Leadership Council (SLC) and there will be a multi-party
implementation team, which is good. But, to succeed the IGS must be well defined as a programme and have a suitable programme management
and delivery team, which is still to be completed. The space industry is used to managing large programmes, so this should be achievable.
5. Is there a good plan to open up new markets?
Two out of three. Public markets are covered by an existing National Space Applications Programme (NSAP) with an aim to double
funding. For export markets, a National Space Growth Programme and investment funding are proposed. But, for commercial markets,
the IGS only sets out plans to develop plans. This relates to just 3 of the 37 IGS actions, but it must be multiplied by 22 markets with
a significant commercial component.
Overall, the IGS is a well-thought out plan, but some actions need further development, particularly the ones addressing commercial markets, and the plan needs to be fully defined, adequately resourced and well governed.
Two causes underlie this. First is the tightness of resource to work on the IGS: much of the work has been done by people with other jobs to do, or by volunteers. Second is the space industry's lack of commercial marketing expertise – its customers today are others in the space industry and public bodies, so it has not needed to develop the marketing skills of more commercial sectors.
To succeed in its 16 year mission, to boldly grow to four times its current turnover, the UK Space industry must:
• Complete definition of the IGS as a Programme
• Set up programme governance and management, with sufficient resources for the task
• Research the 22 commercial markets to understand the players and their motivations, and develop a marketing plan for each
