Barclays Eagle Labs and AccelerateHER are committed to bringing more women into entrepreneurship and levelling the playing field.

The Female Founder Accelerator powered by Barclays Eagle Labs and funded by UK Government has been designed to support 100 innovative, female-led technology businesses. The programme, delivered by AccelerateHER, will run for nine 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.

Who is the programme for?

The nine-week accelerator has been specifically designed for female-led ventures that have gone beyond the 'idea' stage. This means:

• You have – or are close to creating - your Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
• You're ready to bring it to market, or have already done so
• You have ambitions to scale and raise investment in the next 12 to 18 months
• You operate within key technology and innovation sectors

Dates for your diary:

• Applications close: 24th November 2023
• Successful applicant(s) notified: 15th December 2023
• Programme launch: 12th January 2024

Masterclasses:

• Week 1 – introduction and getting started, 12th January 2024
• Week 2 – sales and negotiation, 19th January 2024
• Week 3 – pitching for success/introduction to procurement, 26th January 2024
• Week 4 – pitching for success/introduction to procurement, 2nd February 2024
• Week 5 – finance, 9th February 2024
• Week 6 – showcase information session and mid-term Q&A, 16th February 2024
• Week 7 – marketing, 23rd February 2024
• Week 8 – growing a team, 1st March 2024
• Week 9 – how to scale your business, 8th March 2024
• Female Founder Showcase, 26th March 2024.

All dates subject to change.

Click here for further information and to apply for the programme.