PLATFORM Premium - PLATFORM

Are you an ambitious business owner or leader? Want to level up but don’t know how? Need help raising your profile, finding more clients / customers & maybe raising investment?

Since January 2024, our monthly, half-day PLATFORM events have been inspiring, educating & connecting ambitious business owners & leaders, funders, investors & advisers from across the North East of England, Teesside & Scotland.

Our Founders, Paul Lancaster & Neil Stephenson, are two of the most active entrepreneurs, business growth advisers & early stage investors in the North of England.

PLATFORM Premium is a monthly membership programme that offers:

An initial 1hr business growth consultation / onboarding session
Monthly 1-2-1 business mentoring video calls with Paul (& sometimes Neil)
Weekly group mentoring sessions with other PLATFORM Premium members (between 8am-9am or 5.30pm-6.30pm on a Monday)
Guest speakers who can provide expert insights into key topics that have been identified as challenges by you & other members
A private PLATFORM Premium Facebook Group where you can ask questions & request advice any time
A private PLATFORM Premium WhatsApp Group where you can communicate with other members
A close-knit community of business owners & leaders who can motivate & help you achieve your goals
Ongoing advice, support & encouragement, whenever you need it
Optional in-person networking & social events
Additional perks & benefits TBC

Membership is just £200 per month & is collected automatically via Stripe but can be cancelled any time:

If you’d like to discuss things first, book a FREE video call here.

What experience do Paul & Neil have?

Paul Lancaster is an award-winning ‘SuperConnector’ & business growth consultant who also created & runs our popular monthly PLATFORM events & 5-day, multi-venue UK Startup & Scaleup Week festivals.

Over the past 28yrs, Paul has worked in a wide range of high impact advisory, marketing & business development roles for local enterprise agencies (North East BIC & PNE Group), youth enterprise schemes (Shell LiveWIRE), Government organisations (Tech North / Tech Nation plus consultancy for Newcastle City Council & the North of Tyne Combined Authority), international corporates (Sage & British Airways), social enterprises (Generator North East, North East BIC & PNE Group), academic institutions (‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ for Newcastle College & guest lecturer for Newcastle University & Sunderland University), recruitment agencies (Nigel Wright Recruitment) & his own events, coaching & consultancy business (PLATFORM | UK Startup & Scaleup Week | Stellar Business Events | Plan Digital).

He won ‘Collaborator of the Year’ at Dynamo North East’s Dynamites awards in 2016 & 2017, was runner up in 2018 & won the ‘PROFILE’ category in the North East Times ‘Impact Awards’ for the work he did to promote the business community in the North East of England on a regional, national & international level in 2019.

More recently, he won a ‘High Sheriff’s Award for Meritorious Community Service’ in April 2026 (from the High Sheriff of Tyne & Wear) for the work he has done to support the business community in the North East of England over the years. He was also a finalist in the ‘Ecosystem Growth & Opportunity’ category at the ClimbAwards (part of the ClimbUK festival in Leeds) in June 2026.

In addition, he is co-author of the ‘Small Business Marketing For Dummies‘ book published by Wiley & a former semi-professional electronic music DJ, producer, label owner & club promoter (listen on SoundCloud here).

Neil Stephenson is one of the most active entrepreneurs, business growth advisers, Non-Executive Directors & early stage investors in the North of England.

A seasoned leader with a proven track record in scaling businesses & delivering transformational growth, Neil’s current & previous portfolio includes some of the leading tech, digital, marketing & sales-focused businesses in the North of England.

As former CEO of PE-backed Onyx Group, he grew the company from £1M to £30M before a successful exit in 2016. With over two decades of experience, he has been directly involved in 40+ acquisitions totalling hundreds of millions of pounds, backed by Angels, VCs, PE Houses & debt funds.

Today, he actively invests in & supports high-potential tech or tech-enabled companies, helping them navigate growth & scale effectively. Passionate about strategic leadership, he serves as a Chair & Non-Executive Director, offering trusted advisory expertise to ambitious businesses & leaders looking to accelerate their success.