The Barclays Black Founder Accelerator (BFA) is a 12-week programme designed to empower Black-led startups with the tools, coaching, and investor access needed to scale. Unlike traditional accelerators, BFA focuses on long-term growth strategies through workshops, 1:1 coaching, and metrics-driven experimentation.
The Challenge
Barclays and Foundervine needed to attract high-quality applicants, build awareness, and deliver a seamless, engaging experience for founders throughout the accelerator. With high competition for attention and participation, the campaign had to stand out, inspire trust, and deliver measurable engagement.
My Role
I supported the BFA campaign across three critical phases:
Launch Phase
- Designed high-quality assets (graphics, social content, launch emails) to introduce the campaign.
- Produced captions and promotional materials that showcased the value of the accelerator and drove applications.
Recruitment & Onboarding Phase
- Created compelling email sequences, reminders, and testimonials to build trust and credibility.
- Designed content spotlighting speakers, investors, and milestones to encourage applications and strong participation.
Program Delivery Phase
- Produced visuals for cohort announcements, session digests, and milestone celebrations.
- Developed email updates to maintain engagement, foster community, and highlight programme progress.
The Creative Approach
I ran a conversion-focused content and channel optimisation strategy, combining design and analytics tools to maximise reach and engagement:
- Designed high-quality creative assets in Canva and Figma, tailored for each platform (LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.).
- Built multi-step email sequences and scheduled them in HubSpot.
- Managed scheduling and campaign delivery through HubSpot, optimising post timing for audience behaviour.
- Tracked performance using Google Analytics and Meta Business Suite, iterating visuals and copy in real time based on engagement data.
Impact
Social Media Results: Current Campaign vs Previous Campaign
- Interactions: Grew from 167 to 313 → +87% increase
- Clicks: Jumped from 42 to 184 → +338% growth
- Shares: Rose from 5 to 37 → +640% growth
- Impressions: Expanded from 4,442 to 13,268 → +199% increase
Email Marketing Results (2025 YTD)
- Open Rate: 31.5% (vs industry avg. ~21%)
- Click Rate: 3.4% (vs industry avg. ~2.5%)
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): 10.8% (well above average)
