With tailored business growth support from Innovate UK, the company has repositioned its brand, recently completed a contract with the Department for Education and is now exploring technology licensing opportunities in South Korea. It is also transforming its sales pipeline and attracting high-quality inbound interest from clients specifically seeking AI expertise.

Founded by a team of AI specialists in the North East, OpenKit designs and builds custom AI solutions – from advanced chatbots to automated decision-making tools – using technologies such as Large Language Models (LLMs) and autonomous AI Agents. Its goal is to help businesses work smarter, faster and more efficiently through cutting-edge artificial intelligence. But despite years of technical delivery, the company’s previous positioning as a generalist web and app developer was obscuring its true strengths.

“Our positioning didn’t reflect what we were actually doing,” explains Reuben McQueen, Co-Founder and CTO at OpenKit. “We were passionate about AI and already doing significant work with LLMs, but it wasn’t visible. We needed to shift the entire perception of the business and educate clients about emerging technologies.”

From generalist to specialist through innovation support

OpenKit began working with Innovate UK Business Growth in March 2024. Innovation and Growth Specialist, Steven Shaw, led with a tailored needs assessment and worked closely with the team to develop a growth action plan to help strengthen the company’s business model and realign its commercial identity, supporting it across innovation management, internationalisation and strategic messaging.

Steven facilitated two focused strategy sessions to help the team refine its value proposition, target audience and service offering. He also provided feedback on the company’s website rebrand from a commercial perspective, bridging the gap between technical delivery and customer-facing messaging.

Reuben says: “Steven helped us see our business through a different lens. He didn’t sugar-coat anything. He gave us commercial insight we couldn’t see ourselves and kept us accountable for the actions we needed to take. His honest feedback pushed us to communicate our AI expertise in accessible terms, which made a huge difference.”

The result was a complete rebrand, including a redesigned website and logo, a clearer value proposition and targeted educational content to help clients understand the applications of advanced AI. OpenKit is now positioned as a specialist AI development partner, rather than a generalist digital agency.

Global partnerships and visibility via Innovate UK network

To support OpenKit’s international ambitions, Steven recommended the company take part in Innovate UK’s Global Business Innovation Programme (GBIP) to South Korea – focused on digital and AI technologies. Delivered by Innovate UK Business Growth, a GBIP connects UK companies with overseas innovation partners and new market opportunities.

The visit helped OpenKit establish a promising relationship with Korean tech company, SR Post, with discussions underway around potential technology licensing. Steven also facilitated the company’s listing on the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) Partner opportunities database – a step that has boosted OpenKit’s international visibility and opened conversations with potential collaborators in Germany, South Korea and the USA, across sectors such as legal, insurance, healthcare and real estate.

Reuben adds: “The GBIP helped us take our work beyond the UK and build the foundations for long-term partnerships. We’ve been able to open doors we never would have on our own.”

Stronger pipeline transforms growth potential

OpenKit’s commercial trajectory has shifted significantly. Prior to working with Innovate UK, the company relied on an unpredictable pipeline from its local network. With a more distinct brand and service offering, it now attracts quality inbound enquiries from organisations seeking AI consultancy and delivery.

The team has adopted a multi-channel approach and refined its offer to include pilot projects and AI consulting. As a result, OpenKit has four quotes out with clients and has recently completed a major AI contract with the Department for Education.

Awarded in November 2024, the contract focused on developing AI tools to reduce the time teachers spend on formative assessment marking – a task that often takes more than seven hours a week and significantly affects teacher wellbeing and retention. OpenKit’s solution, Rubrical.ai, integrates with existing platforms such as Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, with early testing in KS4 Geography showing 52% faster marking and 86% alignment between teacher and AI responses.

Reuben concludes: “We’re no longer competing as a generalist agency. We’re now recognised as specialists in a high-growth sector and that’s opening up a lot of new opportunities.”

UK innovation with international reach

OpenKit’s innovations are directly contributing to UK productivity by helping organisations adopt advanced AI technologies more effectively. Its work with the Department for Education is supporting smarter, more efficient services, while its global engagement is reinforcing the UK’s leadership in digital innovation.

By focusing on its strengths and acting on tailored support from Innovate UK Business Growth, OpenKit is now well positioned for future growth, both at home and abroad.

[Innovation and Growth Specialist] Steven helped us see our business through a different lens… His honest feedback pushed us to communicate our AI expertise in accessible terms, which made a huge difference.

Reuben McQueen, Co-Founder and CTO at OpenKit