Oxford Edge

A NEW CENTRE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION

In early 2025, its 500th anniversary year, Christ Church opened Oxford Edge: a new Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the heart of Oxford at 37 St Giles. This state of the art facility exists to educate, inspire and empower the next generation of student entrepreneurs from across the entire University of Oxford, offering them the chance to develop their own ideas.

Introducing Oxford Edge

A resource for all at Oxford

Made possible through the generous support of venture builder Blenheim Chalcot, and designed in collaboration with the University of Oxford and its entrepreneurship hub, EnSpire Oxford, Oxford Edge opened in early 2025. Students of all colleges and disciplines can benefit from education in the core principles of entrepreneurship from College and University tutors as well as Blenheim Chalcot’s experts.

This goes hand-in-hand with practical support from established entrepreneurs drawn from Oxford’s extraordinary community of alumni and its wider ecosystem. Oxford Edge supports a broad range of ventures, ranging from social and civic entrepreneurship to innovation in science and technology.

Oxford Edge plays host to a lively programme of events throughout the year, designed to inspire entrepreneurial thinking and build valuable networks.

Events at Edge

Discover all upcoming events, talks, and activities happening at the Oxford Edge centre. From expert panels to hands-on workshops, there's something for everyone.

Check out the full events calendar here

Explaining some of the Opportunities at Oxford Edge

Come and work at Oxford Edge

Oxford Edge also offers a collaborative workspace during term time, with hot-desking available Monday to Friday, 10am–6pm.

Regular users may be eligible for a fob—please speak to us at Edge reception for more information.

Participants in the Oxford Edge Hackathon

OX1 Incubator

OX1 is a student-run incubator that works closely with Oxford Edge. Their mission is to support student entrepreneurs with mentorship from subject experts, industry leaders, and established founders, while offering the opportunity to gain exposure to top-tier investors and build strong international networks. The programme runs over Michaelmas and Hilary term, culminating in a Demo Day in Trinity term where you get the chance to compete for £23,000 in equity-free grants.

Find out more at www.ox1incubator.com

Vacation programmes

A summer of entrepreneurship at Oxford Edge

StEP Ignite is the University of Oxford’s flagship student entrepreneurship programme – and this year, we're proud that the initiative has been hosted and co-run with Oxford Edge, combining cutting-edge academic insight with real-world venture-building expertise.

On 25 July, this year's StEP Ignite participants competed in a Demo Day, making pitches in a bid to win a £10,000 prize for their groundbreaking business ideas. Find out what happened and discover who won.

Through the annual StEP programme, University of Oxford students with a passion for innovation are offered the chance to step into the startup world. Whether you have your own idea in mind or want to build a business around Oxford IP, StEP Ignite gives you the tools, mentorship, and team to make it happen.

Throughout the programme, participants are given the opportunity to:

build a business from research;
collaborate with 30 like-minded peers;
learn from leading experts;
learn how to launch a career you never imagined.

Spaces are limited and significant bursaries are available.

Find out more about the programme at https://unistep.org/.

The StEP Ignite Demo Day 2025 participants

Host your own event at Oxford Edge

This is your centre—so bring your ideas to life! Whether it’s a talk, workshop, or meet-up, we encourage you to use the space and make it your own.

Book a room or submit your event idea here

Get involved as a volunteer

Are you passionate about fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators? We invite individuals with experience and enthusiasm to contribute their time and expertise as volunteers.

Whether you are keen to offer mentorship and coaching, host office hours, deliver engaging workshops or talks, join panel discussions, or assist with events such as hackathons and venture competitions, your involvement can make a real impact. Please express your interest via this short form.

Newsletter

Subscribe to the Oxford Edge Bulletin

Stay up to date with the latest developments and news from Oxford Edge, and find out about upcoming events and opportunities.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

Board Members

Oxford Edge is extremely fortunate to enjoy the practical support of leading names in entrepreneurship, who are giving generously of their time to serve on its management and advisory boards. These include:

Charles Mindenhall, Founding Partner of Blenheim Chalcot and Christ Church alumnus

Matt Clifford, CEO of Entrepreneur First and leader of the UK Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan

Professor Kamiar Mohaddes, Co-founder and Director of King’s Entrepreneurship Lab, University of Cambridge

Lilly Bussmann, Head of Strategic Capital at Oxford Science Enterprises

Dr Pegram Harrison, Director of Undergraduate Studies at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Dr Catherine Hasted, Deputy Director of Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, University of Oxford

Professor Chas Bountra, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Innovation at the University of Oxford

Dr Becca Xiong, Managing Director at Harvard Innovation Labs

Centre and College staff

Dr Irwin Zaid, Director of Oxford Edge

Moneli Samarakkodi, Programme Manager at Oxford Edge

Professor Dirk Aarts, Christ Church Trustee for Oxford Edge

Sarah Budzier, Head of Communications at Christ Church

Student representation

OX1 Incubator

President
Siddhartha Sensharma (MSci in Experimental Psychology, Harris Manchester) focuses on technology-driven entrepreneurship. He founded a machine learning and internet of things startup at 14. He is also investment director at Kundun Capital. At the University, Sidd does research on entropy-mediated transformation of memories during sleep. He was elected an academic scholar and is a 4-time winner of the Ashtiany Collection Prize.

Vice-President
Anastasiia Rudkovska (MSc in Energy Systems, Harris Manchester) leads tech initiatives on climate, global development, culture, and women-led innovation. She is Coordinator of the Oxford ZERO Institute ECR Network, and serves on the Energy UK YEPF Steering Committee. She engages in research on corporate transitions with the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group and the World Business Council on Sustainable Development.

Representatives

Undergraduate
Megan-Fei Atkins (BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, New) is exploring a climate tech startup within Oxford Climate Ventures. Her team also won the AI for Social Impact hackathon at Oxford Edge. She spent her summer designing and selling a course, has led various charity initiatives and student societies and has a coding and competitive debate background.

Postgraduate
Yushi Li (DPhil in Molecular Cell Biology, New) holds a Double First in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford. He is a Senior Scholar at New and his DPhil focuses on developing novel anti-inflammatory approaches. Alongside his research, he has served as a Venture Fellow at Ahren Innovation Capital, a leading UK-based venture capital fund. Yushi previously led the Oxford University Biotech Society, the Oxford Finance Society, and the Oxford University Scientific Society. Yushi had also sat on the organising committee for iGEM Oxford 2022–2023 and was the youngest founder in the IMAGINE IF! Global Life Sciences Accelerator cohort in 2021.

MBA
Isabelle Thomas (MBA, Reuben) is an auditor turned social entrepreneur from Kerala, India. She was named 30for2030 by UN Women APAC for her work in gender equity and is currently pursuing her MBA as a Laidlaw Woman in Business Scholar at Saïd Business School. At Oxford, she serves as Co-Chair of the Impact OBN and Co-Head of Scholars at Oxford Women in Leadership Alliane, championing inclusive, purpose-driven innovation.

Composite image, portraits of the Oxford Edge student representatives