bournemouth digital hub Barclays’ Eagle Labs take off
Tapping in to Bournemouth’s burgeoning reputation as a centre of technology excellence, Barclays is giving local entrepreneurs a career boost with support at its new Eagle Lab at County Gates House, 300 Poole Road, Bournemouth
Caroline Burley, head of Barclays Business and Corporate Banking, Bournemouth, says the town’s reputation played a big role in it being chosen as one of the very first Eagle Labs Barclays launched in the country.
“When the bank was identifying destinations for the Eagle Labs we talked to local government and councillors, to Bournemouth University and the wider business community,” she said.
“They really wanted the town to be known for technology and innovation and for it to be seen as a digital hub. We knew that our concept could support some of those wider objectives and, combined with the fact that we had space in our offices and strong stakeholders to drive the project forward, meant we could go ahead.”
The Eagle Lab concept has been born out of Barclays’ recognition of the way digital technology is changing the economic landscape, and brings communities, entrepreneurs and advisers together under one roof.
“Barclays has always had a history of innovation and one of the key things we wanted to do was to support growth on a local basis, to harness the skills we have available and support entrepreneurs by providing them with technology, mentoring and a fast growth space,” continued Burley.
“We know there are plenty of entrepreneurs who have great ideas, Eagle Labs are about helping them boost their chances of success, enabling them to develop their propositions, to grow faster than perhaps they thought they
would and channelling them in the right direction.”
Barclays Eagle Labs provide access to state-of-the-art work and creative spaces, enabling users to design and make anything they wish utilising the latest technology. Equipment such as 3D printers and laser cutters enable the rapid production and testing of prototypes, potentially significantly reducing the time and cost taken to bring a concept to market.
Advisers include recently- appointed Eagle Lab manager Matthew Sedgley, a former teacher with a degree in design and technology, while a network of mentors share information on topics such as intellectual property and business planning.
With an emphasis on wider community access, the space can be booked for events and workshops – the local Institute of Directors and the Chamber of Commerce both meet there – and it’s also an opportunity for people to work together.
With a firm eye on future generations, Eagle Labs also host workshops for schools, such as Code Playground, where Digital Eagles guide youngsters through the basics of coding.
“It’s important to us to support more community aspects of the project. We know that overall, businesses generally feel they are not getting the skills they need coming into the commercial world, which is why we are also going in at grass roots level with schools and colleges,” said Burley.
The Eagle Labs Incubator concept is in part built on
Barclays ‘High Growth’ offering support to entrepreneurs throughout a project’s lifecycle and Burley makes the point that people don’t have to bank with Barclays in order to be able to access the full range of opportunities available.
“Our focus is very much on helping people and making sure we keep growth local by supporting businesses in the Bournemouth area to realise their potential,” she added. “Different areas of Barclays focus on different things, and this is about offering joined-up finance and collaboration across the various parts of our group.”
Businesses pay a fee to use the space and Burley says it’s important users feel the Labs are adding value in helping them move their business forward.
One entrepreneur in favour of the scheme is Olly Whittle, who uses the Bournemouth Eagle Lab to continue developing his app BudiPay, a smartphone payment app which allows people to transfer money on their mobiles.
He is focusing on growth opportunities in countries where rural communities find it hard to access traditional banking, and says: “Having a facility such like this available to local entrepreneurs has been fantastic.
“It’s a great place to make new contacts with
Barclays is a trading name of Barclays Bank PLC and its subsidiaries. Barclays Bank PLC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register No 122702). Registered in England. Registered number is 1026167 with registered office at 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP. September 2016.
like-minded start-ups as well as having on hand mentors from Barclays and other organisations involved with the Lab.”
In the eight months since the Bournemouth Eagle Lab opened its doors, Burley says it has built up a “good momentum”, with entrepreneurs keen to take advantage of working together and several early success stories as start-ups begin to attract seed funding.
In addition, the facility is also proving increasingly popular with larger, more established businesses who simply want somewhere creative to hold their meetings.
With plans to roll out further Eagle Labs nationwide, it’s clear that the concept is cleared for take-off.
Caroline Burley
caroline.burley@barclays.com 07766 363423
Matt Sedgley
matthew.sedgley@
barclays.com 07881318483
barclays.com
The views expressed in this article are the views of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Barclays Bank PLC Group nor should they be taken as statements of policy or intent of the Barclays Bank PLC Group. The Barclays Bank PLC Group takes no responsibility for the veracity of information contained in the third party guides or articles and no warranties or undertakings of any kind, whether express or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information given. The Barclays Bank PLC Group takes no liability for the impact of any decisions made based on information contained and views expressed.
14
businessmag.co.uk
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH COAST – SEPTEMBER 2016
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56