Oxford: EY supports Foundry project for entrepreneurs

EY is one of the founding donors of the Oxford Foundry, an entrepreneurial hub set up by the University of Oxford that brings together students, start-ups and businesses.

The purpose of the Oxford Foundry is to create an environment that enables the University’s 23,000 students to build the innovation skills necessary to succeed in today’s hyper-paced market.

EY’s Global chief innovation officer Jeff Wong has also been named a member of the advisory board of Oxford Foundry, University of Oxford for a tenure of five years.

Richard Baker, managing partner at EY in the Thames Valley, believes that such initiatives are critical to the prosperity of the wider Thames Valley region, by creating the next generation of entrepreneurs and IP rich, value-adding businesses which form the backbone of the regional economy.

Baker commented: “EY’s commitment to the Oxford Foundry is a clear example of the firm’s focus on economic prosperity and wellbeing for citizens and businesses across the region, and in particular, a sustained focus on nurturing entrepreneurship.

“For more than 30 years, EY has believed in and supported the power of entrepreneurs. Our EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme recognises and celebrates the success of dynamic, fast growth companies – and the people behind them – in driving the region’s economy. One of the 2017 UK winners being a prominent Oxford entrepreneur, Dr Gordon Sanghera of Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

“We’re delighted to be involved with the Oxford Foundry in supporting students to develop an entrepreneurial mind-set and believe it will ensure that collaboration between the university, start-ups and the business community will become further ingrained in the region’s DNA and expand the burgeoning start and scale-up community in Oxford.”

The Oxford Foundry is located at 3-5 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford.