From Insight to Impact – How GrowthCanvas has transformed business support delivery across Cambridge and Peterborough
The Challenge
Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) recently restructured its business support model in response to reduced budgets, funding pressures and the need to focus resources more strategically.
Rather than attempting to support all businesses broadly, the organisation transitioned toward a high-growth ‘Key Account Management’ model, with dedicated advisers supporting the top 100 businesses within priority sectors, alongside providing wider support for emerging growth companies.
This shift created a need for:
- faster access to business intelligence,
- more consistent engagement approaches across their teams,
- stronger data capture and reporting,
- and a way to maximise adviser capacity while still delivering high-value support.
The team also needed a more structured way to prepare for meetings, guide strategic conversations and evidence the value of support being delivered.
The Solution
GrowthCanvas was introduced as part of the Key Account Management process to help advisers quickly build a deeper understanding of the businesses they are supporting and create a more informed, strategic conversation from the outset.
Advisers are able to use the platform in different ways depending on the business and their stage of engagement, including:
- generating reports ahead of meetings to improve preparation,
- completing reports collaboratively during discovery conversations,
- and sharing branded reports directly with businesses as part of ongoing engagement.
The platform has been able to provide:
- a structured review of market and competitor insight,
- a clear strategic analysis,
- professional, branded reports,
- guided discussion prompts,
- and a more consistent framework for engagement and data collection.
For the team, this has reduced the amount of time spent on manual desk-based research while creating a clearer and more standardised process across adviser interactions.
The reports are also helping the businesses themselves better understand:
- their current market position,
- current and future growth opportunities,
- strategic risks,
- and potential areas for development.
The Impact
Advisers reported that GrowthCanvas has:
- significantly reduced preparation and research time,
- improved the quality and structure of meetings,
- created greater consistency across engagements,
- and enabled more professional and strategic conversations with businesses.
The platform is now being used as a standard part of engagement with many high-growth companies across the regions priority sectors, including life sciences, advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, defence, energy & clean-tech and AgriTech.
Business Growth Adviser, Ben Lander, described the platform as: “Brilliant. It’s an immense time saver and ensures that I’m fully prepared going into meetings and fully prepared to have meaningful and collaborative conversations with the businesses.”
The team also highlighted the value of being able to instantly generate professional branded reports that businesses genuinely engage with and find valuable.
Advisor Feedback
“It enables me to quickly produce a highly professional report that can either be shared instantly with the business or used to develop and expand discussions further.Businesses are genuinely impressed with both the quality of the content and the professionalism of the reports.”
Organisational Value
Beyond adviser efficiency, CPCA have identified wider organisational benefits including:
- more consistent engagement processes across delivery teams,
- improved quality of data capture, allowing better understanding of what is happening across businesses within their region
- stronger evidence of support activity to map representation and for greater governance,
- and a more structured approach to supporting high-growth businesses, adding clear brand value.
CPCA Regional Growth Director Chris George says:
“The platform is helping us to create a scalable and measurable support model aligned to CPCA’s evolving strategic priorities. …. “
