What does success really look like for Oxford's innovation ecosystem, and how do you build something that lasts?

In this Oxford+ in Brief bonus episode, host Susannah de Jager puts the same four questions to Dr Christiaan de Koning and Michael Collyer, co-founders of Founders and Funders and the team behind the inaugural OX Tech Week. With UK startups raising $7.8 billion in Q1 2026 alone, the stakes for getting Oxford's commercialisation engine right have never been higher. Looking ahead to 2050, Christiaan and Michael imagine a less fragmented, more collaborative Oxford that is not just a research hub but a global commercial centre for science and innovation.

Dr Christiaan de Koning: Christiaan de Koning is an Associate Fellow at Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, and Chair of the Founders and Funders Foundation. He teaches at Said Business School and is a strategic adviser to CIMMYT, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre. He holds a DPhil from Oxford in management research, where his work focused on the commercialisation of CRISPR biotechnology through new ventures. Through Founders and Funders, he has helped build a community of over 4,000 members connecting researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors across the Oxford ecosystem.

Connect with Christiaan on LinkedIn

Michael Collyer: Michael Collyer is a researcher at the University of Oxford's Internet Institute and co-founder of the Founders and Funders Foundation. He co-established the university's AI network, running events in Oxford and London to connect researchers and entrepreneurs in the AI and machine learning space. His academic work spans information controls, natural language processing, machine learning, and the intersection of artificial intelligence with intellectual property law.

Connect with Michael Collyer on LinkedIn

Susannah de Jager: Susannah is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in UK asset management. She has worked closely with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and government officials to shape the conversation around domestic scale-up capital.

Connect with Susannah on LinkedIn and Subscribe to the Oxford+ Newsletter for Exclusive Content

Oxford+ is hosted by Susannah de Jager and supported by Mishcon de Reya, HSBC Innovation Banking, and James Cowper Kreston.

Produced and Edited by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford.

What would it take for Oxford to rival Silicon Valley or Boston as a global destination for deep tech?

In this episode of Oxford Plus, host Susannah de Jager sits down with Dr Christiaan de Koning and Michael Collyer, co-founders of the Founders and Funders community, to explore how Oxford is organising itself for a new chapter in innovation. What started as a small gathering during COVID has grown into a 4,000-strong network and a registered foundation connecting researchers, founders, investors, and institutions across the city.

Now, with UK startup funding reaching $7.8 billion in Q1 2026 alone – a 60% increase year on year, Oxford is well placed to capture a growing share of that momentum. Christiaan and Michael discuss why the city's problem is not a lack of capital or talent but a lack of connection, and how their upcoming OX Tech Week aims to change that by creating a visible, city-wide platform for the ecosystem.

From the Oxford Innovation Map to the vision of making Oxford the global home of deep tech, this is a conversation about what happens when a city that has always excelled at discovery starts to organise itself around building, scaling, and global relevance.

Founders and Funders – Oxford's community foundation for researchers, founders, and investors
Oxford Tech Week – Oxford's inaugural city-wide tech festival, 26–29 May 2026
Oxford Innovation Map (oxmap.tech) – Interactive map of Oxford-affiliated startups, investors, and innovation hubs

• (00:00) - Welcome to Oxford Plus
• (01:09) - Introducing Oxford Tech Week and Founders and Funders
• (02:17) - How Founders and Funders Began
• (04:40) - From Online Events to Packed Pubs
• (06:24) - Why 97% of STEM PhDs Leave Academia
• (08:09) - Oxford at an Inflection Point
• (10:08) - The Missing Front Door to Oxford
• (11:06) - Mapping Oxford's Innovation Ecosystem
• (13:14) - More than Just a University Town
• (15:53) - The Capital Is Already Here
• (19:57) - Inside the Inaugural Oxford Tech Week
• (25:14) - A North Star for Deep Tech

Connect with Christiaan on LinkedIn

Michael Collyer: Michael Collyer is a researcher at the University of Oxford's Internet Institute and co-founder of the Founders and Funders Foundation. He co-established the university's AI network, running events in Oxford and London to connect researchers and entrepreneurs in the AI and machine learning space. His academic work spans information controls, natural language processing, machine learning, and the intersection of artificial intelligence with intellectual property law.

Connect with Michael Collyer on LinkedIn

Susannah de Jager: Susannah is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in UK asset management. She has worked closely with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and government officials to shape the conversation around domestic scale-up capital.

Connect with Susannah on LinkedIn and Subscribe to the Oxford+ Newsletter for Exclusive Content

Oxford+ is hosted by Susannah de Jager and supported by Mishcon de Reya, HSBC Innovation Banking, and James Cowper Kreston.

Produced and Edited by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford.

What would it take for Oxford to become the place where the companies that define global healthcare are actually built?

In this Oxford+ in Brief, host Susannah de Jager puts four quick-fire questions to Benny Axt, Entrepreneur in Residence at Oxford Science Enterprises. Benny shares his vision of success for the ecosystem, his advice for newcomers, and a candid assessment of where Oxford excels and where it falls short. He argues that world-class science alone is not enough, speed of translation, commercial talent, growth capital and a cultural shift towards risk-taking are all essential if Oxford is to fulfil its potential.

With Deloitte's 2026 Global Health Care Outlook reporting that over 70 per cent of non-US health system executives expect margins to improve this year, and IQVIA highlighting structural shifts across the NHS that are reshaping the landscape for health tech companies, Benny's call for Oxford to optimise for execution over perfection feels especially timely. From express licensing of bundled IP to unlocking pension fund capital, this is a concise and direct take on what needs to change, and why the UK's first trillion-dollar company could emerge from deep science in Oxford.

Benny Axt: Benny Axt is Entrepreneur in Residence in the Health Tech team at Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), the largest university-affiliated investment company in the world and OSE's first EIR to join from the US. A seasoned healthcare strategist, operator and corporate development leader, Benny has spent over 15 years building healthcare businesses across six continents. Previously Vice President of Strategy at Dialogue Health Technologies Inc., he supported the company's US market entrance and helped grow it from a venture-backed startup through to IPO and acquisition. Before that, Benny held leadership roles at DaVita, a Fortune 500 healthcare provider, where his work included leading the privatisation of healthcare services in Saudi Arabia and building cultural infrastructure across more than a dozen countries. Benny holds an MBA and a Master of Health Care Delivery Science from Dartmouth College. In addition to his role in venture capital, he serves as a board advisor and healthcare consultant to leaders seeking guidance on strategy, operations and international expansion.

Connect with Benny on LinkedIn

Susannah de Jager: Susannah is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in UK asset management. She has worked closely with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and government officials to shape the conversation around domestic scale-up capital.

Connect with Susannah on LinkedIn and Subscribe to the Oxford+ Newsletter for Exclusive Content

Oxford+ is hosted by Susannah de Jager and supported by Mishcon de Reya, HSBC Innovation Banking, and James Cowper Kreston.

Produced and Edited by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford.