Ambitious entrepreneurs and SMEs will be able to get advice and support to scale up and innovate thanks to a new partnership between De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) and Barclays Eagle Labs.
A new Eagle Lab will open in DMU’s Innovation Centre on campus later this year, offering co-working spaces, mentors, business advice and events. It will be the first Barclays Eagle Lab in the East Midlands.
The Barclays Eagle Lab network is one of the largest co-working and incubator networks for start-ups and scale-ups in the UK. They aim to help entrepreneurs and businesses collaborate, innovate and grow.
Last year, Leicester was named one of the most popular cities in the UK to be an entrepreneur after figures showed there were some 5,345 new businesses registered in the city – a rise of 72% on the previous year.
Vice-Chancellor Katie Normington said: “We are proud to have the region’s first Eagle Lab here at De Montfort University. We know there is so much entrepreneurial talent in Leicester who will benefit from the expertise of the Barclays team as they scale up their businesses.
“At DMU we are committed to driving forward a culture of collaborative innovation and we are excited to see this addition to Leicester’s thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
John Corbett, Head of SME for Central England at Barclays, said: “We are excited to be partnering with De Montfort University to extend the support offered by Barclays Eagle Labs to entrepreneurs in Leicester and the surrounding East Midlands area. Barclays Eagle Labs is committed to supporting entrepreneurs and has a mission to inspire and educate ambitious founders and start-ups across the UK to help them succeed. “
Businesses will be able to use banking experts, a network of co-working spaces, mentors and learning tools, as well as events and growth programmes for ambitious entrepreneurs and businesses.
Barclays is advertising for an Eagle Lab ecosystem manager who will support those using the space and work alongside Leicester’s existing network of entrepreneurial organisations.
It will operate alongside DMU’s existing Innovation Centre, which is home to tenants, a co-working space and The Crucible, the university’s business incubation programme for final-year students, alumni and SMEs which offers masterclasses and training.
Details of the opening date and events will be announced nearer the time.
About Barclays Eagle Labs
A platform to connect the UK’s entrepreneurial community
Eagle Labs are a growing national network of incubator spaces that provide business incubation, mentoring and co-working space for ambitious high-growth businesses as well as digital skills development and rapid prototyping through onsite digital fabrication equipment and Industry 4.0 expertise.
By cultivating a community of likeminded entrepreneurs through a providing a collaborative work environment, access to their peers and opportunities to maximise growth through digital connections, curated events and funding opportunities, Eagle Labs are able to help start-ups to grow at pace.
Eagle Labs also specialises in positively disrupting key industries by bringing together key corporate players, industry bodies, leading universities and start-ups to enable rapid innovation and investment by asking them to collaborate and currently have dedicated LawTech, HealthTech and AgriTech industry-aligned programmes.
With a network of Eagle Labs supporting 30 business ecosystems across the country and more in the pipeline, their focus is to help to connect, educate and accelerate ambitious UK businesses and entrepreneurs.
