Barclays’ Rise London office. Image: Barclays
Barclays Bank Ireland invites fintech start-ups to apply to its exciting accelerator programme.
The Barclays Accelerator programme in partnership with Techstars is inviting Irish fintech start-ups to apply.
The programme supports young businesses and helps to foster innovation through expertise, market exposure and other opportunities.
10 start-ups
The three-month programme will support 10 early-stage start-up companies. Last year’s programme attracted a record number of companies from Ireland. One Dublin company, Oathello, made it to the top 10.
Oathello’s innovative platform allows businesses and individuals to speed up the process of notarising or certifying legal and corporate documentation.
The 10 winning companies chosen to participate in the upcoming 2019 programme will receive up to $120,000 each. Start-ups can access additional perks such as cloud computing and legal fees valued at approximately $2m.
Participants will also benefit from exclusive access to technology, mentorship from industry experts, and introductions to Barclays and Techstars’ professional networks.
The 10 successful companies will be based at the Barclays’ Rise London open innovation space.
The accelerator programme has supported 120 companies worldwide since its launch in 2014. The companies involved now have a combined value of $642m.
Dublin as a fintech hub
This year, Barclays Bank Ireland wants to attract even higher levels of Irish applications to position Dublin as a global fintech hub.
Director at Barclays Private Bank Ireland, Martin Cass, said: “Ireland is quickly becoming a hotbed for fintech innovation and continues to punch well above its weight on the global stage.
“However, the challenge for many local start-ups in Ireland, aside from access to funding and office facilities, is the ability to tap into the appropriate international network of contacts required to significantly scale a potentially global business.”
He added that the accelerator programme is designed to solve some of these issues, and encouraged ambitious start-ups to apply.
The accelerator hopes to attract start-ups that specialise in areas such as lending, payments, wealth management, loyalty, cybersecurity, insurance and big data.
Applications for this year close on 13 October.
