The Oxford Foundry gives all students and alumni at the University of Oxford, and wider communities, the entrepreneurial and technology skills they need to succeed in their chosen career, and to build and lead purposeful, sustainable ventures that benefit people and the planet.
The Oxford Foundry and FMDQ Private Markets Limited, Africa’s first vertically integrated financial market infrastructure group, have launched a global partnership to accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s start-up ecosystem and nurture a future generation of young Nigerian leaders in entrepreneurship, through knowledge exchange and collaboration.
29 University of Oxford students from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds have been awarded a Fellowship from our OXFO Entrepreneurial Fellowship Initiative, the first of its kind for the University of Oxford, which was announced in The Times in April.
We’re delighted to announce that Dan Carter, New Zealand All Blacks rugby legend has been appointed as Oxford Foundry Leader in Practice.
In this new role, the first since his retirement, Dan will be providing strategic counsel to OXFO leadership curriculums, launching a flagship new ‘In Conversation series’ with global leaders from different sectors and providing mentorship, skills and training for students, alumni and wider audiences on leading under pressure, developing a growth mindset and building strong, compassionate, resilient teams.
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.
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.
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.