Find out more about the ventures in our portfolio responding to COVID-19 and how you can get involved.
Holly and Sam Branson, together with Pinterest and Beyond Meat investors – Future Positive Capital (NYC/SF), have backed OXFO portfolio venture, Oxwash, the UK’s first sustainable on-demand laundry service aiming to achieve net zero carbon emissions for the whole process, from collection, through washing, back to delivery.
The Oxford Foundry has launched an Entrepreneurial Fellowship Initiative to proactively ensure that we see more people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds in senior leadership positions within business, start-ups, and venture capital.
World-leading entrepreneurs and business leaders have been brought together across geographical boundaries, disciplines, and sectors to provide active support as Ambassadors to the Fellows. They, along with a Mentor Network of more than 50 exceptional people at different stages in their careers, including Oxford University alumni, will support the Fellows with their key learning and career objectives and provide a lifelong community.
The Oxford Foundry is excited to announce the ten high-potential, high-impact ventures joining Cohort 4 of the OXFO Elevate accelerator. The pre-Seed and Seed stage Oxford University-affiliated ventures were selected from hundreds who applied following a five-stage selection process that included judging from leading experts in entrepreneurship and venture capital. The cohort is truly international with entrepreneurs currently working from countries including the UK, France, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Chile, and Canada. The ventures receive a bespoke six-month programme from April – October 2021, with support to leverage the Oxford Foundry and Oxford University’s powerful networks, partnerships, and talent.
Launched in 2017 by Apple CEO Tim Cook, and established with support from leading entrepreneurs including Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn) and Biz Stone (co-founder of Twitter), the Foundry is an entrepreneurship centre that is able to leverage the strong networks of world-leading academic expertise, established alumni entrepreneurs and industry leaders, and the talent and enthusiasm of Oxford’s exceptional students.
We support all 24,000 students at the University of Oxford, from undergraduates and postgraduates to DPhils and all alumni, to better society through entrepreneurship.
To date, the Foundry has also supported 32 ventures across its Accelerator cohorts, generating 170+ jobs and raising over £43 million across 28 companies which are valued in excess of £150 million. It has launched a number of experiential, solution-focused programmes and initiatives which address global issues like climate change, the future of healthcare and fake news, and delivers practical learning opportunities to build skills and understanding in areas such as coding, blockchain and AI, with a particular emphasis on peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange across academia and industry - both globally and locally.
Later in 2021, the Foundry is also launching its Online Entrepreneurship School, the first of its kind across any Higher Education institution, which provides resources and delivers courses and masterclasses focused on critical training and knowledge exchange on idea development, technology and start-up growth, delivered by world-leading practitioners.
Our community includes 3000 students, staff and alumni from all Oxford's Divisions and Colleges, University of Oxford alumni, and a global network of leading entrepreneurs, advisors and investors.