Launched by James Lomax in 2016, Clever Cogs Learning delivers bespoke immersive educational experiences to schools across the country. Based in Bolton with four employees, it brings school trips directly to the school, providing teachers and children alike with all the tools to learn, create and explore. 

Clever Cogs was launched after founder James Lomax identified a gap in the market for tailor-made, custom designed learning experiences for schools. 

James wanted to ensure that Clever Cogs could scale effectively and that it had a clear plan for growth. He sought support on accessing finance, managing intellectual property and the logistics of franchising his business. 

When James attended Venturefest North West in 2018, the region’s biggest innovation expo and conference, he first met the Hub’s Access to Finance team, who went on to work with the business on franchising and investment opportunities. 

After discussing his ambitions for Clever Cogs, James was referred to Steph Stafford, the Hub’s senior innovation advisor, for specialist expertise in securing Intellectual Property. This led to the business exploring a new business model. 

James said: “I was impressed by the personalised support from my advisor, which enabled me to map out a comprehensive new business model and strategy which was designed to achieve scalable growth.”  

This work included a plan to roll Clever Cogs out across the UK, clearly defining their target customers through tailored value propositions to help James effectively market Clever Cogs to schools.  

Thanks to the Hub’s support, Clever Cogs has grown from working with 20 schools to approximately 200 in the three years since it was founded. James is continuing to expand the business’s UK presence, and has even taken on three more members of staff including a co-director, office administrator and a part-time employee to support the business’s ongoing growth and innovation.