51Âþ»­

Ambitious entrepreneurs and SMEs will be able to access advice and support to scale up and innovate thanks to a new partnership between 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) and Barclays Eagle Labs.

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A new Eagle Lab will open in 51Âþ»­’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.

Today (Wednesday July 6) 51Âþ»­ and Barclays are set to host a VIP networking event to welcome key players from Leicester’s entrepreneurial networks to find out more about the Eagle Lab and how it will link up with the city’s current offers for businesses.   

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 51Âþ»­. 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 51Âþ»­ 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 51Âþ»­ 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 access 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 51Âþ»­’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.