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UK founders looking to start and scale a company may soon have a more efficient route to both capital and customers, following an expansion of Barclays’ Demo Directory platform. The update allows early-stage startups not only to raise investment but also to market their innovations directly to corporates seeking strategic investment opportunities and commercial partnerships.
In just two years, Demo Directory has facilitated more than £1.67bn in capital requests, with 9.1% of all UK companies that raised capital in 2024 using the platform. Barclays’ latest update builds on that momentum by addressing a growing founder demand: access to markets, not just money.
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“For founders, raising capital is a really inefficient process,” Benjamin Story, founder of Barclays Demo Directory told Yahoo Finance Future Focus.
“It’s time-consuming, and they get really low success rates. What they practically do is send 20, 30, or 50 different emails or pitches to different investors, and it’s a really tough market for them to raise in.”
Demo Directory aims to streamline that process by giving founders a single place to showcase their businesses. Startups create listings outlining their products and growth plans, while investors and corporate buyers can search and filter opportunities based on sector, stage, and funding needs.
“Our investors have search and filter functionality, 15 filters, so they can find the investments they want to see,” Story explained. “If they want to find a health-tech investment raising a million pounds, that’s all they’ll see.”
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The platform’s expansion goes beyond fundraising, enabling founders to connect directly with corporates looking to pilot new technologies, form partnerships, or make strategic investments.
“The new functionality we brought into the platform is all about how we help early-stage founders access potential sales routes,” Story said. “At the same time, we help corporate businesses access groundbreaking innovation that could transform their business.”
Previously, Demo Directory focused primarily on capital access. Story said the broader approach reflects the realities facing early-stage companies. “Accessing markets and accessing sales affects far more businesses,” he said. “The launch we’ve just done is simply allowing them to connect.”
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The efficiency gains also work in favour of investors and corporates, who are often overwhelmed by inbound pitches. “Investors have said they’re bombarded,” Story noted. “They need a more efficient way to identify what they actually want to see. Too often they waste time on things they won’t pursue.”