Our story
An idea that got out of hand
Everything at Rebellious started somewhat accidentally. Ash Phillips, founder of Rebellious Co had dropped out of university to start a marketing agency. During this, he found the experience networking with other business owners – primarily the forced formats and outdated approaches – were vastly disappointing. Something had to change.
Being just 21 at the time, Ash decided to create an event, for younger entrepreneurs, which around 5 people turned up to attend. That was the start of our Rebel Meetups, and everything that came after. At one point Ash was driving up and down the country, between 6 different cities, to run free events single handedly. Unable to stay in the cities overnight (due to an early commitment to make the events free and thus having no budget) Ash would drive home from every event that night, sometimes arriving at 1am with work the next day. All he knew is the work needed to be done.
Over time, things had grown, and they continued to grow. One small event turned into larger attendances, more locations, and people visiting from all over the UK, then the world. Meetups launched internationally, the community demanded more experiences, and we developed our membership. Companies asked if they could sponsor and the rest, as they say is history.
It hasn’t been an easy ride though. Sponsorship is a highly competitive budget to pitch for and the pandemic set everything back to virtually zero. We’ve had to adapt to survive but survived, we have. We still do a lot, with minimal resources.
Rebellious Co officially has zero employees. We’re a movement, run by volunteers who commit extra curricular time to ensure that we can enable opportunities for others. We don’t let this stop us though, right now we’re running events for a community of 5,000+ people per year and have countless testimonials from people who say that our ecosystem has been what they’ve been looking for, to help them get started, grow, and connect with others.
Our beginnings have been incredibly humble. But now? Now we’re ready to grow.
Are you with us?
Key figures
Some numbers we’re proud of
How do we do what we do? Sometimes we wonder, but the real answer is: Good people.
5000
People connected at our events every year
12
Years enabling rebellious individuals
6
Continents impacted by our ecosystem to date
0
Committed to always keeping our Meetups free
13000
Overall in our global community
100+
The value of startups in our community (£m)
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Rebellious Co team?
Officially, Rebellious Co has zero employees. We are a group of humans committed to delivering impact for as many people as possible. A select group of individuals help run our events, spread the word, and deliver on projects. And when we need them – we have an army of incredibly talented rebels to call on at any time.
Is Rebellious Co a non-profit?
Technically, no. We’re officially a Limited company based in the UK. This means we’re for-profit by formation. However, we only maintain this setup as it offers us the most flexibility to develop products & services and grow globally. Rest assured, everything we make from partnerships, projects, and memberships go back into the community to improve our impact.
What is a "rebel"
To us, rebels are entrepreneurially minded people who challenge the status quo. However, this doesn’t mean you need to be running your own thing, just that you’re using your ambition and initiative to make life better for others, usually through doing business. Our rebels have built, grown, and worked for all kinds of companies. They ask why things are the way they are, and they challenge them to be better. That’s a rebel to us.
Who is Ash Phillips?
Ash is Rebellious Co’s founder and chair. He is an award-winning mentor & advisor for startups, event host & speaker, and consultant to companies on community & brand.
An entrepreneur for 15+ years, Ash has seen most of the challenges founders have to deal with and puts this experience to use helping others. From those less fortunate to UHNW clients looking to turn influence into products, he supports as many folks as he can.
The driving force behind Rebellious Co, Ash holds the organisation to the highest standard, ensuring that impact, consistency, and experience are all delivered with commitment.
Head here for more info on Ash or to book him to speak/consult.