The partnership will help to boost the startup and entrepreneurial ecosystems in London and across the West Midlands, driving growth in the local economy. Businesses can apply now to become residents at the new locations as well as the other 31 physical Eagle Labs across the UK.

The Chiswick Eagle Lab will be based at Chiswick Works, a stylish space that celebrates West London’s heritage as a valuable base for creative and innovative entrepreneurs. The Birmingham Eagle Lab is housed at Foundry in the heart of Brindley Place, a space designed to support young impact-led companies on their journey to growth.

x+why have a proven track record of providing high quality flexible workspaces for purpose-driven businesses. Placing social and environmental responsibility first, x+why is B Corp certified, creating innovative workplaces that shift mind-sets and change office behaviours to the benefit of future generations.

The Eagle Labs will provide startups and entrepreneurs with a co-working office and meeting space. Barclays will also support entrepreneurs with access to banking services, business expertise, mentoring and coaching from scaleup specialists. The team will also host a full year-round events programme for members dedicated to promoting collaboration and innovation in the community.

Beyond providing a hub to work from, Eagle Labs offers members the opportunity to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs, local organisations, universities, industry bodies and potential clients and investors across the country, to help them build their networks and grow.

Barclays Eagle Labs is one of the largest co-working and incubator networks for startups and scaleups in the UK, with a mission to connect the UK’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through a network of business incubators, expertise and support. Eagle Labs has supported over more than 12,000  businesses to date through physical locations and an extensive virtual offering accessible to businesses anywhere in the UK.

Rupert Dean, CEO of x+why said: “We are delighted to partner with Barclays Eagle Labs at two of our sites in Chiswick and Birmingham. We have always been committed to uniting like-minded businesses, inspiring community, collaboration and culture, and this ethos chimes closely with the work that Barclays Eagle Labs are doing to enable entrepreneurs to connect, network and grow, and to support the UK’s startup ecosystem more widely.

I look forward to our innovative workspaces playing their part in accelerating the development of this new generation of businesses and supporting them in amplifying their work and growing successfully and sustainably."

Matt Corbidge, Head of Barclays Eagle Labs, said: “We’re so pleased to be opening our doors in Chiswick and excited to be back in Birmingham. With the right partner on board we feel that these sites are going to enable businesses to  make huge strides forward in growth and innovation across a wide range of industries.

“Each site also has a dedicated Barclays Ecosystem Lab manager to ensure that there are  opportunities to provide feedback and discussion on the types of services and support delivered – which was important in the decision-making process when opening new Eagle Labs in these areas.  Combined with x+why’s expertise and skillset we feel we can make a larger impact for those businesses looking for support at a crucial stage of development.”