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Retrofitted and redesigned – Barclays Eagle Labs Cambridge is back in action




Eagle Labs Cambridge has reintroduced its full range of services at its Chesterton Road location following a retrofit and ahead of the official reopening in February.

The Barclays-operated dedicated space to support and scale high-growth climate tech businesses has been retrofitted with a range of carbon reduction technologies, which aim to reduce carbon emissions from the building by 90 per cent compared to 2018.

Barclays Eagle Labs reopens, . Picture: Keith Heppell
Barclays Eagle Labs reopens, . Picture: Keith Heppell

Advocating net zero solutions means finding low-carbon ways of doing necessary activities including electricity generation, transport, and heating. Upgrades to the building include:

- Solar panels by Naked Energy, a Crawley-based hybrid solar technology that generates both heat and power, resulting in a higher energy density than alternative solar technologies

- Energy-efficient double-glazed windows with solar control to prevent overheating, as well as roof and cavity wall insulation, and water reduction technologies

- A smart heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, powered by the site’s renewable energy sources, to help improve regulation of the building’s temperature

Barclays Eagle Labs reopens. Picture: Keith Heppell
Barclays Eagle Labs reopens. Picture: Keith Heppell

Automatic lighting and window-blind controls have been fitted, to optimise the level and quality of light, while also improving energy consumption.

Barclays has relaunched the site – open since 2016 – with a renewed focus on helping high-growth climate tech start-ups to connect, grow and scale.

The newly-designed space features increased desk capacity for up to 130 people, and a 75 per cent increase in collaboration space allowing a more flexible layout for meetings, events, and networking.

Barclays Eagle Labs Cambridge ecosystem manager Paul Hodson with team Pictures: Keith Heppell
Barclays Eagle Labs Cambridge ecosystem manager Paul Hodson with team Pictures: Keith Heppell

It also features a dedicated area to showcase the climate tech technologies and businesses that Barclays is supporting through its partnerships, Bridge programmes (in collaboration with Codebase), Sustainable Bridge programme (funded by government as part of the Digital Growth Grant and focused on sustainable transport), and its Unreasonable Impact agenda.

Unreasonable Impact is a global movement dedicated to scaling up growth-stage entrepreneurs operating at the nexus of advanced technology, global impact, and profit.

The relaunch follows Barclays’ recent partnership announcement with Carbon 13, the Cambridge-based venture builder, “to provide over 100 start-ups with support and mentoring to help tackle the challenges the globe faces on the road to net zero”.

Facilities include private meeting rooms and pods, 24/7 access, showers, power-assisted toilets, bike storage, a multi-faith sanctuary/prayer room and a media and podcast studio.

Barclays Eagle Labs reopens, the Sanctuary space also created in the strong room . Picture: Keith Heppell
Barclays Eagle Labs reopens, the Sanctuary space also created in the strong room . Picture: Keith Heppell

Participatory options include joining the Rise Start-Up Academy, 10-week digital-first programme to equip early-stage founders with skills and tools to help them get fit for market. (A dedicated climate fintech edition will launch later this year to support companies developing exciting solutions to help the transition to net zero.)

For those considering possible Cambridge locations among the dizzying array of options for start-ups across the region, you have three choices.

- Hotdesking: Club membership provides hot-desk membership with incubator access for six days per month at £99 plus VAT per month

- Resident membership offers full-time access to co-working space, 24/7, 365 days per year for £299 plus VAT per month.

- Private office membership, which gets you your own secure office, one of several alongside the main studio area on the first floor, is £349 plus VAT per month per desk.

Barclays Eagle Labs Cambridge is on Chesterton Road
Barclays Eagle Labs Cambridge is on Chesterton Road

There’s currently 182 desks at the Chesterton Road site, and several were in use during a visit last Friday (probably the most popular work-from-home day of the week).

Indeed, Carbon13 was holding a team meeting: CEO and co-founder Nicky Dee took time out afterwards to discuss how the venture builder for decarbonisation is kicking on from its full-time Eagle Labs home.

Nicky, who became CEO last August following the departure of original guiding light, Chris Coleridge, is positive about the new officescape.

The Carbon13 team are, from left, Michael Langguth, co-founder & chief strategy officer; Nicky Dee, co-founder and CEO; Johannes Kuehn, interim COO/CFO; and David Gill, board member
The Carbon13 team are, from left, Michael Langguth, co-founder & chief strategy officer; Nicky Dee, co-founder and CEO; Johannes Kuehn, interim COO/CFO; and David Gill, board member

“We have our office on the ground floor,” she says. “We’re very pleased with this retrofit, it’s a good fit for us and sits well with our ethos. Barclays is one of our sponsors, we’re midway through our second Launchpad with them.”

Launchpad is a climate tech accelerator that helps support early-stage founding teams to work intensively on their carbon impact, investment readiness and go-to-market strategy.

“There’s 27 start-ups on the current programme,” continues Nicky, “and one of the key things we’re looking for is how they articulate about carbon-saving technology, and how they understand what future customers will be looking for.

“It’s been a fast journey since our first investment in 2021, and we’re very proud that people are coming through from all sorts of different spaces – people know that it’s a quality venture with the vision to scale.”

Carbon13 has a total team of 16, four of whom are based in Berlin. Some of the team co-work in London as well as Cambridge.

Some of the meeting and private office facilities on the site
Some of the meeting and private office facilities on the site

“We’ve got six full-time desks here but we have room to spill out as necessary. I particularly like the auditorium, it’s a very nice space.”

Nick Stace, head of sustainability, Barclays UK, said: “We’re excited to be reopening the doors to our Eagle Lab in Cambridge with a renewed focus as a centre of excellence for climate tech start-ups.

“We want to play a leading role in supporting climate tech and sustainability-focused businesses, by giving them the tools to help them connect, grow and scale. It was crucial that the retrofit and internal redesign of the building accurately reflected the ethos of the businesses that will use it and we expect it to provide significant energy efficiency improvements, allowing us to take an important step forward in reducing our own operational emissions.

“We know that start-ups need more than just a space, which is why we’re also supporting businesses through our climate tech accelerator programmes from the Cambridge Eagle Lab.

“We hope this package of support enables businesses to scale at pace and tackle some of today’s most pressing climate tech challenges.”



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