Barclays has launched Demo Directory, a free online solution for founders to showcase their business potential investors, raise capital, and accelerate growth in the UK. Following this announcement, the Demo Directory will be open to UK businesses regardless of who they bank with, in order to benefit from easy, secure, and fast access to capital by connecting them to a network of attested investors.

The solution aims to improve the manner in which companies seek investment opportunities, providing a secure way to develop their businesses through a difficult trading environment. According to a research published by Barclays, two-fifths (42%) of founders that were surveyed would use investment opportunities in order to expand their product ranges, as 33% aimed to hire more staff, and nearly the same amount would expand or upgrade their offerings and premises (32%). More information on the Demo Directory product Demo Directory is set to provide a free online platform in order to connect founders with investors from anywhere across the country, as the research revealed that nearly half of the founders (49%) feel that their business location restricts their access to investors, while 58% feel that the costs associated with raising investment prevented them from seeking capital success.

After two years of running via newsletter format, analyses of data have found that the solution could be used to offer benefits and development opportunities for minority and previously underserved groups that want to access investment. This will take place as 54% of applicants were identified as being from ethnic minority backgrounds, 39% female founders, and 48% based outside of Cambridge, Oxford, and London. Demo Directory will allow investors to sign up and review a directory of video pitches, as well as answer elevator pitch-style questions with multiple founders that showcase their businesses.

In this way, investors will be given the possibility to search for opportunities by filtering businesses according to their needs. The research also found that economic uncertainty is impacting multiple funding plans, as 24% of funders reported that they have postponed a funding round due to the current economic environment. At the same time, 24% mentioned that additional funding would optimise the manner in which their business managed bill increases, as 27% said they would help with cashflow challenges and risks that come due to the cost-of-living crisis.  Barclays’ recent strategy of development Barclays had multiple partnerships and product launches in the last couple of months, covering several geographic areas around the world.

In September 2023, US-based Xbox announced the Xbox Mastercard co-branded credit card, which will be issued by Barclays US Customer Bank. The credit card was devoid of an annual fee, marking Xbox’s debut into co-branded credit cards within the United States, aiming to offer clients and users a balanced mix of benefits for both gaming activities and their everyday expenditures. Earlier in May 2023, Barclays announced its collaboration with TranferMate in order to provide an international receivable payment solution for businesses and merchants based in the UK.

Throughout this partnership, UK companies were given the possibility to reduce transaction and payment costs, while saving time and resources at the same time. It also offered customers the capability to keep an eye on the amount of money that was billed and the amount of money that was received, in order to make sure that the procedure of payment is secure and efficient. .