The ZERO Founders Network
The ZERO Founders Network – University of Oxford – is an entrepreneurial hub for ClimateTech founders in Oxford, embedded within The ZERO Institute. Its mission is to empower the brightest minds in the fight against climate change, connecting entrepreneurs, academics, students and funders to catalyse the development and deployment of zero-carbon energy solutions.
Our Network
The Network was set up by Marcel Seger, a DPhil student from Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute, along with Paul Shearing, Director ZERO Institute, Chris Morton, Royal Society Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Motoaki Sumi, Entrepreneur-in-Residence Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE).
The Network officially launched in March 2024 and in May hosted its first keynote speaker event, presented by Dr Eric Toone, Managing Partner at Breakthrough Energy Ventures on ‘The Challenge of Emissions’.
Our Membership
The Network is initially growing within the University but welcomes everyone with an interest in climate tech. It is particularly keen to engage with founders or those with investment experience. Its long-term vision is to establish a programme for entrepreneurial fellowships, as well as the physical space for climate tech incubation.
“When I was a student studying Sustainability and Enterprise at the Smith School, I was bouncing around several campus accelerator programmes, trying to launch my climate start-up. But I was missing a community that fit my needs as a climate founder – despite the fact that so many brilliant engineers, scientists, academics, and entrepreneurs working on solutions were around, there was no network to bring us all together.
This is why I’m SO excited about the launch of the ZERO Founders Network, a community focussed on breaking down silos to enable the development and deployment of climate solutions in the Oxford ecosystem.”
Lucy Lyons, Kestrix CEO, featured in the 2024 Forbes 30 under 30 list, technology category
Upcoming events
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Materials for the Energy Transition
Event date - February 27, 2025
Event time - 5:00 pm
Materials for the Energy Transition: Assessing the Feasibility of a Zero-Carbon Energy System Through the Lens of Material ... Read more
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Oxford BuildX Hackathon
Event date - March 8, 2025
Event time - 9:30 am
Co-hosted by The ZERO Institute's Founders Network: Backed by top-notch European founders (Fabian, SLAY and Din, Buena) and startup ... Read more
Past events
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Y Combinator @ Oxford
Event date - November 25, 2024
Event time - 5:30 pm
Calling all start-up enthusiasts, aspiring founders and curious minds to join us for an inspiring talk by Tom Blomfield, Group Partner at Y Combinator and Co-Founder of Monzo Bank. Read more
More from ZERO Institute
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About the ZERO Institute
We want to shape the transition to a just and fair global zero-carbon energy system, through research that unifies technology, policy, and people.
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Our People
The ZERO Institute is a multi-disciplinary hub for zero-carbon energy research, bringing together academics from across the University of Oxford.
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Latest News
Catch up on the latest news and events to see how ZERO is driving the transition to a zero-carbon energy system.