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 will 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 will support a broad range of ventures, ranging from social and civic entrepreneurship to innovation in science and technology.

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

The Vice-Chancellor, the Dean of Christ Church and students touring the site with the Centre Director

Vacation programmes

Funded educational programmes in the Spring and Summer vacations will give students the time, space and support to build on their entrepreneurial ideas and develop the skills needed to succeed in the earliest stages of creating a business or venture. Oxford Edge’s academic programme will encompass a curriculum of lectures and interactive workshops with experts, covering problem discovery, venture models, value proposition, and intellectual property.

We expect these courses to be exceptionally popular, so keep an eye on social media and this page to find out more about the application process.

students in discussion with the Centre Director at the rear of 37 St Giles

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

Clare Leinweber, Executive Director at Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale University

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

Centre and College Staff

Dr Irwin Zaid, Director of Oxford Edge

Professor Dirk Aarts, College Trustee for Oxford Edge

Sarah Budzier, Head of Communications at Christ Church