Entrepreneurship

We believe that considered and mentored entrepreneurship has the potential to enable students to create lifelong careers that can fundamentally transform the circumstances of themselves and their families. For many Oxbridge undergraduates and graduates, the secure progression of a City career can bring fulfilment and stability. This stability is often seen as the only logical option for students without the benefit of family financial support.

We believe that by encouraging the country’s brightest minds to “think outside the box” and embrace the inherent risks but potential great rewards of entrepreneurship they can create companies, technologies and solutions that can fundamentally improve the way we all live. Taking such steps requires not just inspiration and bravery, but also the financial and moral support of mentors and companies.

The Rutland Foundation’s first project was to devise and sponsor the annual “Byrne Award for Entrepreneurship” at the OX1 Incubator in Oxford. Christ Church College generously chose to match our funding and the Award is now co-sponsored. The Award was one of the catalysts that led to the creation of TEC (The Entrepreneurs’ Circle), a student-run group to support undergraduate entrepreneurship at Oxford University.

Now entering its fifth year, the Award has previously been won by:
2021 – Morlo
2022 – BrainAPI
2023 – PantOx
2024 – OmegAlph