Entrepreneurs

There is no other bank like Barclays for the people who create and build businesses; our support for the entrepreneurial community goes beyond funding solutions, and includes expert advice and mentoring, leading insights, as well as access to essential networks. This commitment forms part of Barclays’ Citizenship agenda, and permeates across the group, from grass roots skills provision to product and thought leadership perspectives.

Barclays has a rich history, spanning more than three centuries, in supporting and driving innovation. Each year we support over 100,000 start-ups with nearly a third of these going on to export in their first 12 months of business. We have a relentless focus on pioneering innovation, and a commitment to fostering the emergence of new business and technologies today.

Barclays’ holistic approach is helping to establish a long-term pipeline of high growth businesses, ultimately driving job creation and economic growth at a local and national level. Since 2012, Barclays employees have volunteered more than 18,700 (18,710) hours to help deliver enterprise skills training in the communities in which we operate.

Our offering is uniquely based on our ability to help businesses no matter how large they grow, and our understanding of and support for the individuals behind them. Using our expertise to support progress in this way can make a powerful difference, and as such Barclays aims to be the partner of choice for people and organizations seeking to address social and economic challenges.

Find out more.

Videos from this campaign

Content from this campaign

Energy

Unreasonable Impact | Harnessing the Sun to Help End Poverty: Q&A with Off Grid Electric
Off Grid Electric is the world’s first distributed clean energy utility, providing affordable, solar energy to households that struggle with spotty or nonexistent grid access. They sell solar energy systems on a pay-as-you-go, lease-to-own model – costing some homes as little as $7 a month. That way, customers don’t have to worry about making a daunting financial investment upfront.

Green Infrastructure

Unreasonable Impact | The Next Generation of Rural Infrastructure: Q&A with Altaeros Energies
Over half of the world’s population is still not using the internet. Seemingly something out of a science-fiction movie, Altaeros Energies has developed the world’s first autonomous aerostat system to deploy energy and communication to more people at a fraction of the cost. In other words, they have effectively created a really tall cell tower (up to 600 meters off the ground) that can provide as much mobile coverage as at least 20 ground-based cell towers. Not only that, but this tethered airborne platform can lift a lightweight wind turbine up into the sky where winds are strong and consistent, harnessing exponential amounts of clean energy.

Energy

Unreasonable Impact | Turning Carbon Waste Into Usable Fuel
Unreasonable’s CEO Daniel Epstein is joined at the fireside by Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech and an alumnus of the Unreasonable Impact accelerator.

Diversity & Inclusion

Heels and Hosiery: Lucy Choi and Bianca Miller-Cole on “Taking Risks”
Shoe designer Lucy Choi and entrepreneur Bianca Miller–Cole were the guests of honour last week at an evening of inspiration hosted by the Barclays Win Gender network. “It’s important to take risks in life,” says shoe designer Lucy Choi. “If you believe and feel passionate about what you’re doing, then go for it.”

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Unreasonable Impact | From Forgotten WWII Tunnels To Urban Farm: Q&A with Growing Underground

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Unreasonable Impact | Creating the Jobs of Tomorrow

Sustainable Development Goals

Unreasonable Impact | Feeding a Fast-Growing Population: Q&A with GrowUp Urban Farms
In the twenty-first century, people are moving to cities at an alarming rate. By 2050, nearly three-quarters of the world will reside in urban areas, especially in places across Asia and Africa. As they stand, cities remain ill equipped to absorb the increasing pressures on sectors like transportation, health care, and food.

Innovation & Technology

Unreasonable Impact | Reforesting a Future with Drones: Q&A with BioCarbon Engineering
Forests cover over thirty percent of the planet’s land surface, provide sustenance and medicine for 1.6 billion people, cool and infuse our air with oxygen and moisture, and shelter 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity. Yet every year, 15 billion trees are destroyed by subsistence farming practices, commercial logging, development, and a host of natural stressors.

More from Barclays

  1. Access to financial and digital empowerment
    We will improve access to financial services, including developing targeted products and services for individuals and small businesses. We will also...
  2. Access to employment
    We will help people gain access to vital skills they need to get into work and support entrepreneurs to scale businesses and create employment...
  3. Access to financing
    We will continue to create access to funding solutions and small business financing. We will also continue to support our Green Bond Treasury...
  4. Entrepreneurs
    There is no other bank like Barclays for the people who create and build businesses; our support for the entrepreneurial community goes beyond funding...