Submissions are now open for the Female Founder Accelerator powered by Barclays Eagle Labs and funded by UK Government to support 100 innovative, female-led technology businesses.
The deadline for applications is Friday 24th November 2023.
The programme, delivered by the Female Founders Network, AccelerateHER, will run for 9 weeks and see founders work with experts from across the entrepreneurial landscape in a series of masterclasses, with the focus on developing their business propositions further. The programme will also include opportunities for one-to-one mentoring, exclusive accountability groups, a Barclays champion, in-person community networking, and a showcase event.
Founders must be:
o A female c-suite executive or founder.
o Based in the UK, and
o Able to commit to attending all the masterclasses over the 9-week period and dedicate an estimated two and a half hours to the programme each week.
The programme consists of nine online sessions. This includes:
o An introductory session, a midpoint Q&A session.
o 7 masterclasses led by experts, and
o Subjects such as sales and negotiation, getting on top of your finances, procurement, marketing, pitching for success, growing a team, and scaling your business.
Support includes:
o One-to-one mentoring from a business angel.
o Peer-to-peer support groups.
o Access to the Barclays Eagle Labs and AccelerateHER ecosystem.
o A dedicated Barclays champion to support you through the programme.
o Community networking events, and
o The opportunity to be selected to showcase your business to an audience made up of potential investors, clients and industry professionals at the end of the programme.
The 9-week accelerator has been specifically designed for female-led ventures that have gone beyond the ‘idea’ stage. This means:
o You have – or are close to creating – your Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
o You’re ready to bring it to market, or have already done so.
o You have ambitions to scale and raise investment in the next 12 to 18 months, and
o You operate within key technology and innovation sectors.
Your business must be:
o Registered in the UK.
o Using digital technology or innovation to operate or deliver its value proposition.
o Ready to scale beyond the idea stage, have launched or be close to launching your MVP.
o Ready to bring your product to market, or already have done so, and
o Starting to think about future investment.
For further information, please visit the Barclays Eagle Labs website.
