Barclays expands Rise New York and launches Rise Growth Investment funds

Barclays today announces a significant expansion of Rise New York, one of its global locations providing a co-working, mentoring and events space in its Rise FinTech ecosystem. Situated in the heart of Silicon Alley, Rise New York is currently home to more than 60 start-ups. Participating companies in the Barclays Accelerator, powered by Techstars program, will now also be eligible for Rise Growth Investments, new investment capital of £10m per program, one of the largest initiatives of its type in FinTech.

The Rise New York expansion will transform the location to the network’s largest site with five full floors spanning over 66,000 sq ft, capable of hosting up to over 200 businesses. It will also feature a state-of-the-art events space, an auditorium and a recording studio. Together with Barclays’ new Innovation Technology R&D center, it will be used to host numerous innovation events and learning sessions that will be open to the public.

Rise is the FinTech ecosystem created by Barclays to enable financial technology start-ups to connect, create and scale, as well as offer its clients’ unparalleled access to start-ups around the world.Rise has a global physical presence with approximately 200 companies in residence.

Interested FinTechs can learn more about Rise at www.thinkrise.com.

John Stecher, Chief Innovation Officer at Barclays said: “The FinTech community is growing faster than ever with a number of game-changing start-ups. With the expansion to create our largest-ever Rise site, not only can we give those in our Accelerator program the room to grow – we can also help to house more of the best and brightest innovators. We’re excited to further build relationships that foster growth for start-ups, and opportunities for Barclays to work directly with businesses transforming the financial services industry.”

Barclays also announces Rise Growth Investments, new investment capital that will solely be focused on the companies accepted into the Barclays Accelerator, powered by Techstars program. This capital will reinforce Barclays’ commitment to FinTech innovation as well as deepening the ecosystem of entrepreneurs, companies and innovation they have built. The fact the capital is dedicated solely to Accelerator companies is a marker for the further growth and value that Barclays sees in these early-stage companies.

The funds will allow Barclays to invest up to £10m per Accelerator class. Start-ups in this year’s New York program, which recently held its Demo Day on December 5 at New World Stages in New York City, will be eligible for the funds. £10m will be available for each class going forward.

The funds will enable Barclays to invest in strategically-relevant companies participating in the program, bringing growth to both the start-ups and the bank. Barclays already has significant commercial agreements with several Accelerator alumni including Sigma Ratings, Crowdz and Simudyne, helping transform the way Barclays does business. The ability to lean in with additional equity investment further strengthens these types of partnerships.

The Accelerator program launched in 2014 and is currently active across New York, London and Tel Aviv with more than 140 companies in its portfolio.

Andy Challis, Managing Director, Principal Investments at Barclays commented, “Rise Growth Investments will be a win-win for both Barclays and the Accelerator companies. We can support start-ups as they continue to develop their proposition and reduce the burden for access to funding, which can be very time-consuming for founders. At the same time, the funds allow Barclays to capitalize on early-stage opportunities ahead of potential strategic investment further down the line, ultimately positively impacting the bank.”

About Rise, created by Barclays:

Rise, created by Barclays, is a global community of the world’s top innovators working together to create the future of financial services. With a diverse network of FinTech talent, a world-leading accelerator program and workspaces based in the main FinTech hubs of the world, Rise is an exclusive place for FinTech companies to connect, create and scale together with Barclays.

For more information on Rise, visit thinkrise.com.

About the Barclays Accelerator, powered by Techstars:

The Barclays Accelerator, powered by Techstars, is a 13-week intensive start-up program designed to shape and scale the next generation of FinTech businesses. Since 2014, it’s connected start-ups to mentors from across Techstars’ and Barclays’ global network of clients, partners and experts, with a focus on creating breakthrough solutions to solve some of our industry’s biggest challenges.

For more information on the Barclays Accelerator, visit barclaysaccelerator.com.