Barclays launches Eagle Lab Belfast at Ormeau Baths

The Barclays Eagle Lab will see it become a major partner in the redevelopment of the city landmark.

“The Barclays Eagle Lab business incubator has been successfully launched in nine other major cities across the UK, some by regenerating unused Barclays premises; and others by partnering in the regeneration of old city buildings,” said Adrian Doran, Barclays’ head of corporate Banking in Belfast.

“As a business, Barclays has been looking for a partner and premises for an Eagle Lab here in Northern Ireland for some time, as it is part of our wider strategy to grow our SME business, and in particular focus on supporting high growth businesses and entrepreneurs.

“When we heard about the plans for the Ormeau Baths, we thought it would be the perfect fit. The team behind the redevelopment share similar goals and objectives with ours: supporting entrepreneurs and start-ups and accelerating high growth companies.”

The new project will open in June and will be an integral part of a 150 seat co-working site in the city centre providing access to resources including expert mentoring, event space, and workshops - giving Northern Ireland’s start-up and scale-up communities a crucial boost.

The Labs are supported by Barclays’ Digital Eagles and the bank will take 20 seats in the space to offer support to local businesses. Barclays will also have a Business Manager on site to provide support to local companies and entrepreneurs as well becoming the Belfast base for Barclays’ Digital Eagles community activity.

Mark Dowds, one of the founders of Ormeau Baths, said: “We have created Ormeau Baths as a way to breathe more life into the start-up community in Belfast. There are a lot of creative people and companies in Northern Ireland looking for a place to start and grow.”