Category: News

Oxford Entrepreneurs Network – UK Chapter Launch

Our sister alumni society Oxford Entrepreneurs Network is launching its UK Chapter on Monday 22nd June 2020 at 5pm BST.

Agenda includes:

  • Introduction to OEN and OEUK from Paula Skokowski
  • VC Insights: “What to look for in an Investor” Phoebe Arkell will be discussing fundraising and pitching during COVID-19 as well as what startups should look for when bringing in a new investor.
  • Startup Pitch by Aran Bates EO and Co-Founder of Hydrologiq

The Speakers
Paula Skokowski is the Chief Marketing Officer of Incognia and a Manager at the Oxford Angel Fund. She is on the Executive Board of the Oxford Entrepreneurs Network.
James Khan is a Director & Global Architecture Lead of UBS Investment Bank Research. He is the President of Oxford10 and part of the Committee of the OEUK Chapter.
Phoebe Arkell is a Principal at Rooks Nest Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in London. She has previously worked in innovation, consultancy, and operations.
Aran Bates is CEO and Co-Founder of Hydrologiq, a company helping to provide off-grid electricity powered by hydrogen. He previously founded his own digital start-up, launched new ventures inside of existing multinational businesses, and advised some of the world’s largest corporates on Innovation Excellence.

Get your free tickets

A message to the Oxford alumni community

We’re sharing a message to the broader Oxford alumni community, penned by Christine Fairchild, Director of Alumni Relations, addressing recent social events in the US and worldwide.

17 June 2020

Dear Oxford alumni,

We have all been deeply moved by the shocking truth of George Floyd’s recent killing. The protests associated with the events in Minneapolis have echoed across the world and filled our TV screens, whilst the streets of London, Bristol, Manchester, Oxford and beyond have been occupied with the voices of people demanding change.

The University’s leaders have been acknowledging the impact of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests and has reaffirmed its commitments to anti-racism, but more importantly they have been engaging with, and listening to, students and staff. I write to you today to share the University’s statement on anti-racism published on Monday, which contains links to various open and detailed letters back to students about their concerns, demonstrating our commitment as an institution to shine a bright light for a more just and tolerant society, and laying out a number of actions, including:

  • Launching a University fundraising initiative for scholarships for black students.
  • Using a University-wide consultation on our Racial Equality Charter to review our progress and targets, whilst also undertaking a review of all our Equality and Diversity training.
  • Setting up an access track to meet the specific needs of BAME students wishing to apply to Oxford.
  • Supporting targeted initiatives led by individual colleges and departments.
Over the coming months, we will do our best to keep you informed of the progress made on these; we know that there is a great deal of work to do.

This comes with our best wishes and more importantly, our commitment to supporting a culture of acceptance and respect.

Sincerely,

Christine Fairchild
Director of Alumni Relations

Oxford10’s first virtual meet-up

What’s better than a face-to-face meeting? Many faces, of course!

Last week, we held our first Oxford10 Virtual Get-together on Zoom to see how the community was coping with lockdown and COVID-19. We talked about life in the new normal, from fresh ways of socialising online to how we’re getting our food fixes with a torrent of food delivery orders. 

We did a survey to see how much COVID19 has affected our lives and unsurprisingly, no one felt like everything had continued unchanged. However, there was plenty of positivity – just under 70% of us had picked up a new hobby, and nearly half will emerge with improved culinary skills!

No one reported being unaffected at all, which means we all previously had thriving social lives outside the house.

To play our part, we’re hoping to engage the Oxford10 community with more online events until we can meet up in person once more. We’re starting with a movie night, but if you’ve got any ideas for group activities we’d definitely love to hear them.

Keep an eye out for our next event announcement – hoping to see as many of you there as possible!

Social distancing study wants volunteers

7 May 2020

Researchers at the University of Oxford are looking for volunteers from across the globe to take part in a new study looking into how social distancing has affected their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. Volunteers can complete the online survey, which will track people’s feelings and experiences over a 3-month period.

To take part in the study, visit https://distancing-covid19-survey.herokuapp.com/ 

Read more…