Barclays Eagle Labs launches London and Birmingham incubators

Barclays Eagle Labs, the startup support scheme run by the multinational bank, is launching two new offices in London and Birmingham.

Eagle Labs’ office in the capital will be in Chiswick Works, located in the west London district of Chiswick. It is Barclays Eagle Labs’ first physical location in London.

The startup support group will also establish a business incubator space in Birmingham, located at the Foundry in Brindley Place, to support West Midlands impact-led startups.

The new sites will act as a working hub for Eagle Labs’ startup participants. Eagle Labs said it will provide entrepreneurs with banking services – courtesy of Barclays – along with mentoring and coaching.

They bring the total number of physical Eagle Labs spaces across the UK to 31. UKTN understands that it will announce another location soon.

“These sites are going to enable businesses to make huge strides forward in growth and innovation across a wide range of industries,” said Matt Corbidge, head of Barclays Eagle Labs.

“Each site also has a dedicated Barclays Ecosystem Lab manager to ensure that there are opportunities to provide feedback and discussion on the types of services and support delivered – which was important in the decision-making process when opening new Eagle Labs in these areas.”

The two new locations will be launched in partnership with flexible working space company x+why.

“I look forward to our innovative workspaces playing their part in accelerating the development of this new generation of businesses and supporting them in amplifying their work and growing successfully and sustainably,” said Rupert Dean, CEO of x+why.

Barclays Eagle Labs in January was awarded the £6m per year Digital Growth Grant from the government. The funding was previously allocated to Tech Nation, which ceased operations after the decision but will relaunch next week under the ownership of Founders Forum.

At the time, the government’s decision to award the grant to Eagles Labs drew criticism from some quarters of the UK tech sector.

Speaking to UKTN in February, Barclays Eagle Labs said it wanted to win over critics who might see it as the “bogeyman” in light of Tech Nation closing down.

In April, Barclays Eagle Lab launched its first startup growth programmes. They include the Scaleup Programme, HealthTech and AgriTech Industry Bridge Programmes, along with the Funding Readiness Programme.