Barclays Eagle Labs and Sustainable Ventures launch National Climate Tech Accelerator
Today, Sustainable Ventures and Barclays Eagle Labs announced the launch of The National Climate Tech Accelerator (NCTA), a new programme designed to rapidly scale high-potential climate tech startups across the UK.
The initiative unites the UK’s leading growth partner for climate tech startups, Sustainable Ventures, with one of the UK’s largest entrepreneurial networks, Barclays Eagle Labs, to deliver an ecosystem unmatched in the UK. This programme is built to support UK-registered businesses with climate or sustainability at their core and a clear aspiration to grow and scale their impact.
Founders participating in the accelerator programme will benefit from a blended package of commercial and technical support, including access to the Sustainable Ventures Digital Learning Platform, the Eagle Labs Entrepreneur Academy, and up to $250,000 in Google Cloud credits. Barclays customers will additionally unlock premium, high-impact acceleration tools including funded 1:1 mentoring, pitch events with climate tech investors, dedicated workspace access across the Eagle Labs network or at Sustainable Ventures and enhanced national visibility through the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards and the NCTA Pitch Competition.
Sustainable Ventures is the leading growth partner for climate tech startups, helping them scale by providing access to funding, workspaces, expert services, and a thriving community of peers and partners. Established in 2011, Sustainable Ventures has built one of Europe’s leading climate tech startup communities. Located in key regions across the UK, its programmes have supported 1000+ startups, achieving a leading success rate of 80% (compared to the industry average of <60%), generated 7000 plus green jobs and provided £1.2bn in funding.
Barclays is committed to scaling climate tech with a mandate through Barclays Climate Ventures to invest up to £500m by 2027 into these start-ups. This is in addition to the support provided by the Barclays Climate Tech Escalator, a connected pathway dedicated to growing climate tech companies from idea to IPO. Barclays Eagle Labs provides early-stage support, including mentorship and infrastructure to climate tech founders across the UK.
Andrew Wordsworth, CEO and founder of Sustainable Ventures said: “This programme will provide hundreds of climate tech companies with advice and support, giving them an unfair business advantage that will help them scale faster from idea to exit. This partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs will scale up our award winning model of expert advice, networks, and hubs to reach more companies across the nation. These climate tech companies will play a vital role in helping the UK meet its net zero targets.”
Abdul Qureshi, head of business banking at Barclays said: “At Barclays, we recognise the critical role that scaling climate tech is going to play in accelerating the UK’s transition, and in achieving our ambition to become a net zero bank by 2050. Supporting UK founders as they work to grow their businesses from idea through to IPO is central to the mission of Barclays Innovation Banking, and scaling climate tech in particular requires integrated support that brings capital and expertise together in one place.
By partnering with Sustainable Ventures to deliver The National Climate Tech Accelerator, we are strengthening that support. Together, we are creating a platform that helps ambitious UK climate start-ups to overcome the barriers to growth and become the market-leading businesses that the transition demands.”
Mat Ilic, founder and CEO, Greenworkx – the edtech startup building the workforce for a resilient future – said: “We help employers to hire, train and upskill the talent essential to power the energy transition. We’re thrilled to be a part of the NCTA programme; the digital support, network and tech credits will all help us on our growth journey to achieve our crucial mission of powering 10 million people in green jobs in 10 years.”
Mark Tapscott, co-founder, Longbow – manufacturing the first featherweight electric sports cars – said: “Longbow is quickly making all vehicles lighter and better for people and our planet. We are developing vehicles and technologies to lightweight all electric mobility, launching our first British built sports cars next year. Through NCTA we look forward to collaborating with other forward-thinking innovators and working with the Sustainable Ventures team to discover exciting ways to accelerate our program”.”
Lawrence Millar, marketing director, Showpower – provides fully integrated zero-emission battery solutions for high-profile music, sports and mega-events – said: “We wanted to join the NCTA programme because it is clearly designed for clean-tech start-ups like Showpower, offering support, tools, and expertly designed pathways that are essential for our growth and success. As we continue our journey from successful prototype development and proof of concept with global artists such as Coldplay, access to the NCTA network and community will help us sharpen our problem/solution fit, be prepared to receive substantial investment and create the foundations we need to build a sustainable and successful business.”
Sophie-Claire Turner, co-founder, Prima Materia – circular design studio diverting high quality construction waste materials into beautiful furniture – said: “As a start-up, we wanted to get involved in the NCTA programme to broaden our network and gain valuable support as we look to validate our business model. We hope the programme will help us to build strong foundations on which to grow and help us scale the business to deliver maximum impact.”
Zac Barlett, co-founder and COO, Vida Vodka – circular climate-tech company transforming surplus baked goods into premium vodka – said: “We joined the NCTA programme to access expert guidance and a climate-focused community that aligns with our ambition to scale circular products. The programme will help us connect with the London ecosystem and benefit from structured online learning that supports our technical and commercial growth.”