A NEW Barclays Eagle Lab has landed at Vulcan Works in Northampton.
The launch event saw businesses, council representatives, education providers and key figures from the Barclays national team come together to celebrate the start of an exciting new partnership between the High Street bank and flexible workspace provider Vulcan Works.
Guests heard from speakers involved in the Barclays Eagle Lab project, which aims to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem that gives start-ups and young businesses across Northamptonshire access to a network of industry experts and mentors, growth programmes, events and workshops, investors and funding streams.
The Barclays Eagle Labs’ ecosystem manager for Northampton, Owen Moran, is based at Vulcan Works three days a week as part of a contract between Barclays and Oxford Innovation Space, which was appointed to manage Vulcan Works by West Northamptonshire Council.
Mr Moran said: “In Northampton 7,800 businesses started up last year. Statistically six out of ten won’t make it past year three. This is where the partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs and Oxford Innovation Space can hopefully help improve those statistics.”
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Main picture: Owen Moran (right) with Vulcan Works centre manager Garrick Hurter at the launch event. Below: Vulcan Works.
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Barclays Eagle Lab co-founder Matt Corbidge explained some of the history behind the Barclays Eagle Lab concept. “The thought process behind Eagle Labs was to help support entrepreneurs. We started in 2015 and have since helped 13,500 businesses across the UK to raise £3.7 billion in external funding.
“We only partner with the best in class so our labs can act as local ecosystems, connecting businesses to mentors, investors and corporates and giving them access to markets that enable them to scale through our accelerators. Vulcan Works is an amazing hub in the town centre. It is a great building and facility and I believe we can build something special here.”
Vulcan Works welcomed its first businesses earlier this year after the building work to transform the former ironworks was completed, overseen by West Northamptonshire Council. Its head of major projects and regeneration Kevin Langley said: “It is great to see it all coming to life and wonderful to see the support being offered by Oxford Innovation Space and Barclays Eagle Labs. The Council looks forward to seeing the great work of this project and how it enhances the work being carried out across the area to support businesses over the years to come.”
Northampton South MP Andrew Lewer pictured right was among the guests and spoke of his hope that the link-up between Barclays Eagle Labs and Vulcan Works would create a lasting legacy.
“I am really pleased that Barclays are bringing an Eagle Lab to Vulcan Works because it is what the Vulcan Works project was intended for. It fits like a glove with the facilities and local knowledge of West Northamptonshire Council and the eagle-eyed commercial focus – excuse the pun – and world-class expertise that Barclays bring.
“The partnership of West Northamptonshire Council and Barclays Eagle Labs makes much reference to signposting. Paperwork can get in the way for many SMEs so helping them to navigate these processes and signposting them will allow them to thrive.
“I very much hope that this is going to be the lasting legacy of the Vulcan Works and Eagle Labs here in Northampton.”
Guests also took advantage of the opportunity to network and enjoy the catering put on by Roade-based the Copper Kitchen.
Vulcan Works centre manager Garrick Hurter said: “I am grateful to look after Vulcan Works. It is so much more than just a fantastic building. This building offers so much for businesses in Northampton, from hot desking, meeting room hire and office and workshop space through to events and business support. This building is a space that encourages support and this partnership with Barclays gives us something unique we can pass on to our customers.”