Aquis Stock Exchange and Barclays Eagle Labs Launch New IPO Academy

WHY THIS MATTERS
The launch of the Aquis IPO Academy reflects growing concern around the slowdown in UK public listings and the widening gap between successful private scale-ups and companies choosing to go public. While the UK continues to produce high-growth businesses, many founders lack the guidance, networks and capital market knowledge needed to confidently pursue an IPO. By creating a structured programme led by an exchange and supported by Barclays Eagle Labs, the initiative aims to help founders better understand the listing process and evaluate public markets as a long-term growth pathway.

The programme also addresses broader structural challenges facing UK capital markets, including declining IPO activity since 2021 and the need to retain scaling businesses domestically rather than losing them to overseas markets. By focusing on early engagement, investor access and education around governance and regulation, the Academy seeks to strengthen the pipeline of IPO-ready companies and support a healthier ecosystem for small-cap listings in the UK.

Aquis Stock Exchange (“AQSE”), the UK’s challenger market, today launches the Aquis IPO Academy in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs, one of the UK’s largest incubator networks for start- and scale-up business. As the UK’s only public markets readiness programme run by an exchange, the Academy will provide ambitious companies with the advice, tools and access they need to understand their options, and confidently explore an IPO as a route to accelerating long-term growth.

The launch comes at a pivotal moment for public markets. Research from Aquis, Barclays and Beauhurst shows that UK IPO momentum has slowed since a peak in 2021. While the country continues to produce world-class entrepreneurial talent, too many companies are being lost at the point of scale, with fewer opting to list as the next stage of growth. The Academy directly addresses this gap between private scale-up success and public market participation, equipping companies with the knowledge and practical support to better understand their options and engage with public markets with confidence. Designed to act as an engine for UK capital markets, the programme draws on the expertise of Barclays Eagle Labs and SIX, which acquired Aquis in 2025, combining domestic scale-up expertise with proven Swiss and European IPO Academy models.

Open to UK companies across all sectors, the programme will place a particular focus on tech-enabled and women-founded businesses. Only around 7% of UK high-growth IPOs since 2011 have been by female-founded businesses. AQSE and Barclays Eagle Labs are committed to improving diversity at the point of market entry, with an ambition of 50% female-founded participation in the IPO Academy.

The six-month programme will provide participating companies with direct access to investors, funding advice, pitch development support, expert mentoring across finance, governance and regulation, and a structured pathway aligned to AQSE’s market segments, including discounted admission fees and pre-eligibility support.

David Stevens, CEO of Aquis Exchange, said:

“Aquis Stock Exchange has become the home of growth companies seeking scale up capital. The UK has no shortage of ambition or entrepreneurial talent, and by providing earlier engagement, targeted education and practical support, we can help more of these high potential businesses successfully navigate their next stage of growth and remain here in the UK. The Aquis IPO Academy in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs sets out to do just that. It is an investment in the future of UK capital markets, creating tomorrow’s success stories and acting as a long-term engine for small-cap markets.”

Abdul Qureshi, Head of Barclays Business Bank, added:

“Barclays Eagle Labs works with thousands of high-growth businesses across the UK, many of which are beginning to think seriously about long-term funding and growth options. The journey from private to public markets is one of the most powerful engines of innovation and growth, but what we’re seeing is that too many promising UK businesses are struggling to access the knowledge, networks and capital needed to take that step confidently here in the UK.

The Academy will give founders the insight, support and network to navigate the public markets journey, while helping to strengthen the UK’s growth ecosystem for the long term. We’re delighted to be partnering with Aquis Stock Exchange to deliver this programme designed around genuine scale up need, which aligns with our commitment to fostering innovation and supporting ambitious founders to scale from idea to IPO.” 

FF NEWS TAKE
The UK IPO market has struggled in recent years, with fewer companies choosing to list despite strong entrepreneurial activity across the country.

Programmes like the Aquis IPO Academy could help rebuild the connection between the scale-up ecosystem and public markets by giving founders earlier exposure to investors and listing pathways. If successful, initiatives like this may play an important role in revitalising the UK’s growth company pipeline and encouraging more businesses to see public markets as a viable next step.