Nesta
Registered name: NESTA
Nesta made £55.3m revenue and a £4.3m loss in the year to 31 Mar 2025.
Nesta’s revenue grew 6% to £55.3m in the year to 31 Mar 2025, with a loss of £4.3m and 512 employees. The company is classified under “research and experimental development on social sciences and humanities” and is based in London; we hold 3 years of its filed accounts.
- Status
- Active
- Location
- London
- Age
- 15 yrs · since 2011
- Type
- PRI/LBG/NSC (Private, Limited by guarantee, no share capital, use of 'Limited' exemption)
Key figures
Financial history
| Year to | 31 Mar 2023 | 31 Mar 2024 | 31 Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L |
| Profit & loss | |||
| Revenue (turnover) | £46.1m | £52.4m | £55.3m |
| Cost of sales | — | — | £73.6m |
| Operating profit | −£14.8m | −£13.3m | −£4.3m |
| Profit before tax | −£14.8m | −£13.3m | −£4.2m |
| Profit after tax | −£38.7m | £6.7m | −£4.3m |
| Profit (best available) | −£38.7m | £6.7m | −£4.3m |
| Employees (average) | 510 | 494 | 512 |
| Ratios | |||
| Profit margin | −83.9% | 12.9% | −7.8% |
| Revenue per employee | £90.4k | £106k | £108k |
| Profit per employee | −£75.9k | £13.7k | −£8.4k |
| Growth (year on year) | |||
| Revenue growth | — | ▲13.7% | ▲5.5% |
| Profit growth | — | — | ▼163.7% |
| Headcount growth | — | ▼3.1% | ▲3.6% |
| Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue | |||
| Net assets | — | — | — |
| Source | Accounts · bulk data Feb 2025 | Accounts · bulk data Feb 2025 | Accounts · bulk data Jan 2026 |
How the business works
- Profit margin
- −7.8%
- Profit ÷ revenue.
- Gross margin
- —
- Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
- Revenue per employee
- £108k
- Revenue ÷ average employees.
- Profit per employee
- −£8.4k
- Profit ÷ average employees.
- Cash conversion
- —
- Cash generated from operations ÷ operating profit. Needs a cash-flow statement.
- Fixed assets ÷ revenue
- —
- Capital intensity. Low = capital-light, cheaper to start.
- Deferred income ÷ revenue
- —
- Customers paying upfront (subscriptions, deposits). Approximate when combined with accruals.
- Debtors ÷ revenue
- —
- Money owed by customers. Low = customers pay quickly.
Balance-sheet signals
Year-on-year changes in filed balance-sheet items. They can hint at momentum (or investment) but are not revenue or profit and must not be read as such.
- Net assets
- —
- Now —
- Cash at bank
- —
- Now —
- Headcount
- ▲4%
- Now 512
- Deferred income
- —
- Now —
- Fixed assets
- —
- Now —
Group structure
Subsidiaries (7)
- Behavioural Insights LtdFigures not disclosed
- Nesta ChallengesFigures not disclosed
- Nesta Enterprises LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Nesta GP LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Nesta Mission Studio LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Nesta Partners LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Nesta Pri LimitedFigures not disclosed
From the Persons with Significant Control register (corporate controllers only).
Sources
Latest figures from accounts for the year to 31 Mar 2025 (profit −£4.3m), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Jan 2026. Spotted an error? Request a correction.
Contains public sector information from Companies House licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data from Companies House, © Crown copyright. View the licence.