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.

The Parker Review (March 2021) found that nearly a fifth of FTSE 100 companies lack board-level ethnic diversity, and only five ethnic minority directors occupy a CEO position, compared to six ethnic minority directors that held CEO/Chair positions in 2020. Reports have also shown that in the last ten years, less than 1% of venture capital investment in the UK went to Black entrepreneurs, and Black female entrepreneurs received just 0.02% of investment.

Starting in July 2021, 20 Oxford University students from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds will undertake funded eight-week online Summer placements with high-growth start-ups from the Oxford Foundry’s portfolio of accelerated businesses. The start-ups are tackling world-scale problems including climate change, healthcare equity, and cybersecurity. Read more about why working for a start-up can boost your career.