Founders Assembly: Practical Insights for Scaling in a Shifting Market
Scaling a tech company is as exciting as it is complex. For every milestone hit, new challenges appear, from global expansion to fundraising readiness to adopting breakthrough technologies responsibly. Traditional support programmes often fall short for scaling founders, who need precise, real-time insight rather than broad overviews. That’s why CodeBase, in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs, launched Founders Assembly as part of the Barclays Growth Horizon programme: a monthly series of hands-on, online webinars tailored to the needs of high-growth founders, CEOs, and senior leaders.
The aim is simple: to give founders access to world-class expertise, peer networks, and practical knowledge that can help them tackle immediate challenges. If you can’t make it live, a recording is sent to everyone who registers, so you can catch up in your own time.
Why Founders Assembly?
Supporting scaling tech businesses through rigid programmes is often ineffective. These companies move fast and face specific challenges that can’t always be solved by high-level theory.
Founders Assembly was created to meet that need. By combining:
- Specialist high-growth mentoring
- Exclusive access to one-off events
- A network of peers at a similar level
We give scaling founders the chance to choose the support that works best for them, and focus on the subject areas that matter most.
First Assembly: Agentic AI with Google’s Lucrezia Noli
Our inaugural session featured Lucrezia Noli, AI Architect and Strategist at Google, focusing on AI applications for Life Sciences. With a decade of experience in Big Data, Lucrezia began her career as an early AI practitioner in Milan, Italy, where she also helped launch a Big Data Analytics program at Bocconi University. Over the years, she has guided numerous large organisations through AI transformations, covering strategy, pilot projects, and product launches. She is also deeply engaged in the wider AI community, supporting Google’s Startup Accelerator Programmes and contributing as a consultant and mentor. Her initial work in AI involved applying Machine Learning models to ALS research.
In this session, Lucrezia explored:
- Building a solid AI foundation: integrating agentic AI into company culture, talent models, and data strategies for long-term scalability.
- Agentic AI in action: real-world case studies and applications that founders could adapt immediately.
- Identifying high-impact wins: where agentic AI delivers the most business value, with a focus on high-impact, low-risk opportunities.
Second Assembly: Scaling Globally with Yan Zhang, Former COO of PolyAI
The second session welcomed Yan Zhang, former COO of PolyAI and now advisor at Point72 Ventures. Yan helped scale PolyAI from inception to Series C, launching over 100 enterprise AI deployments, and now works to identify the most promising AI startups and scaleups across Europe.
He shared insights into:
- Strategies for international growth that can supercharge SaaS businesses.
- Revenue milestones VCs expect to see ahead of raising a Series A.
- Market-disrupting innovations in AI and SaaS, with predictions on what’s coming next.
Third Assembly: Navigating the US Medtech Market with Marissa Fayer
The third Founders Assembly takes place on 29 September 2025 and features Marissa Fayer, medtech executive, innovator, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist. With 25 years of experience getting life-altering technologies to the people who need them most, Marissa will share her unique insights into one of the world’s most complex and high-potential markets.
She will cover:
- Go-to-market strategies for medtech and life sciences in the US.
- How to navigate FDA and regulatory pathways.
- Optimising manufacturing and distribution.
- Practical fundraising advice.
Founders Assembly is an integral strand of Barclays Growth Horizons, a programme for founders of high-growth tech startups across the UK. Together, we’re creating opportunities for ambitious businesses to learn, connect, and scale in today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape.
Join the Conversation
Each Founders Assembly is designed to give founders the knowledge and confidence to navigate the complexities of scaling. Whether it’s adopting agentic AI, preparing for international expansion, or tackling the US medtech market, these sessions provide the targeted support high-growth leaders need.
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