The two organisations will work closely together to deliver the Barclays Eagle Labs Female Founder Accelerator Programme, supporting 40 innovative female-led businesses from across the UK.

Participants selected for the Female Founder Accelerator Programme will benefit from a series of weekly sessions, delivered digitally over eight weeks, which include expert-led business masterclasses on topics such as proposition building, finance and pitching, as well as other activities aimed at enhancing business growth.

All participants will be allocated a mentor throughout the programme and benefit from access to the Barclays Eagle Labs and AccelerateHER ecosystems, which includes invitations to business events and other programmes led by the organisations.

Women behind early-stage technology businesses will also be invited to attend an additional tech build clinic, led by an experienced industry founder or specialist. At the end of the programme, participants will have an opportunity to showcase their business to potential clients and investors at a showcase event.

Barclays Eagle Labs is one of the largest networks of business incubator spaces for start-ups and scale-ups in the UK, with 38 physical locations throughout the country. Eagle Labs helps entrepreneurs and ambitious businesses collaborate, innovate and grow through business virtual growth programmes, access to mentoring, events and networking and corporate and investor connectivity.

The Barclays Eagle Labs Female Founder Accelerator Programme begins on 3 February 2023 and ends on 24 March. Those interested in taking part in the programme have now been invited to apply with online applications now open here. The deadline for applications is Friday, 6th January.

Amanda Allan, director of Barclays Eagle Labs, said: “We are so excited to be partnering with AccelerateHER to deliver our first-ever Female Founder Accelerator Programme, which kicks off early next year. The programme is designed to help emerging businesswomen scale up their companies and level up the playing field for female-led businesses. I would encourage aspirational female founders behind innovative businesses to apply for the programme.

“AccelerateHER shares our passion in helping female founders excel and reach their full potential, so we can’t wait to see the kinds of innovative businesses that together we can support and help grow through the programme.”

AccelerateHER CEO, Elizabeth Pirrie added: “We are delighted to be supporting Barclays Eagle Labs to deliver its accelerator programme for female founders.

“We have established a close, long-term relationship with Barclays Eagle Labs through our AccelerateHER programme and we look forward to building on that rapport to help more UK women scale their businesses to the highest possible level.”