Registration is open for Wolfson's Mentoring Programme.
Within the Hub, entrepreneurship is understood in the broadest sense, encompassing traditional business entrepreneurship (eg taking a patent to market, creating a new service or app); social entrepreneurship (addressing a social or environmental issue); cultural entrepreneurship (creating an initiative around art and culture) alongside business skills.
Activities such as workshops, speaker events, mentoring, networking opportunities and the annual Wolfson Enterprise Competition aim to demystify entrepreneurship and make it a natural career choice.
If you are interested in being involved with the Hub's activities, please contact its administrator at networks1@wolfson.cam.ac.uk.
Wolfson Entrepreneurship Programme 2023/24
- Regular speaker events and termly dinners
A series of inspiring and engaging workshops, speaker events and termly dinners, open to everyone, will run during 2023/4. The themes and topics guided by the priorities of our students and draw on the College’s extensive global network.
- The Art of the Pitch Workshop: Sat 24 Feb, 11am-1pm.
- Exploring Climate Entrepreneurship (In conjunction with the Sustainability and Conservation Hub): Mon 4 March, 5:30pm-7:00pm
- 2024 Entrepreneurship Competition Finale Sun 17 March
- Testing your idea Workshop: Sat 6 April, 1:00pm-3:00pm
- How to Get Investment Ready: Sat 13 April, 1:00pm-3:00pm
- Student Entrepreneurship Programme
This year-long programme for students and PhD researchers, begins with a week's residential in September followed by a regular series of workshops and events. Those who wish to can bring their entrepreneurial aspirations to “pitch stage” through Wolfson’s annual Enterprise Competition. A mentoring programme matches experienced alumni and Fellows with students and there are opportunities for networking at events.
- E-Lab Residential Week
Wolfson has teamed up with the King’s College Entrepreneurship Lab (E-Lab) to offer eight free places to Wolfson students on a week-long residential course, taking place in September. The costs of the residential course are being covered by Wolfson College for our participating students.
The residential week consists of intensive courses and seminars during which students will go through the ideation process for a new entrepreneurial idea. Students who wish to will be encouraged to develop their ideas further during the rest of the academic year.The deadline for applications was in early July. Details about future E-Lab places will be advertised in due course.
- 2024 Wolfson Entrepreneurship Competition
The Wolfson Entrepreneurship Competition is held annually in the latter half of the academic year. It provides applicants an opportunity to design, pitch and execute start-up ideas in a supportive environment. Whether they are a postgraduate researcher thinking about commercialising and technology transfer, a first-year undergraduate interested in trying their hand at conceiving a business plan, or an alumnus/alumna currently involved in a more developed start-up venture, we encourage participants to get in touch and will help applicants take their project to the next level through structured support and mentoring.
The 2024 competition finale was held on 17 March. The themes were Climate Tech, Global Health and Women Founders. Each theme had a winner/award, and there was an overall winner. Further information about the Wolfson Entrepreneurship Competition 2024 is available here and about this year's winners here.- Mentoring, networking, skill building
A mentoring programme is running in support of the Wolfson Entrepreneurship Hub, matching experienced Wolfson alumni entrepreneurs and leaders with students keen to gain insight on how they can develop towards an entrepreneurial aspiration, and, for those who have their own projects in mind, advice and signposting to resources for progressing them. This is a core part of the Entrepreneurship programme and the global nature of Wolfson’s community makes this an unique strength of the College. Please register for our mentoring programme using this form.
There will be extensive opportunities for networking at our range of events and the chance for skill building through workshops, pitch coaching and during the Entrepreneurship Lab residential course.
- Funded scholarships and awards
The “Wolfson Scholarship for Emerging Entrepreneurship and Diversity” was established in 2022 with the aim to encourage diversity and to support applicants from emerging economies with a preference given to women in business-related courses and who might not otherwise have the financial means to study.
Another Scholarship, also established in 2022, is associated with the Gender Hub, particularly around diversity, women, and leadership.
Steering Group
You can browse the biographies of our Steering Group members via the accordion sections below.
- Robert Cashmore (Wolfson '07)
Robert Cashmore MBE is Octopus Investments’ Director for the Middle East, leading Octopus’ relationships across all asset classes with Middle Eastern investors.
Prior to Octopus, Robert was a senior British diplomat specialising in Gulf investment into the UK. He spent four years as the UK Government’s Head of Investment for Saudi Arabia, based in Riyadh, and two years as the Director for Investment Middle East, based in the UAE, during which time he played a leading role in securing the £10bn UAE-UK Sovereign Investment Partnership. He received an MBE in the 2020 Queen’s Honours for services to UK Trade and Investment.Prior to Government, Robert spent five years in the City of London working for a number of investment banks, including UBS and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Robert holds degrees from the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics.
- Chris Coleridge (Chair)
Dr Chris Coleridge is a Fellow and Tutor at Wolfson, an Associate Professor in Management Practice at Cambridge Judge Business School, and Founder/CEO of Carbon13, the venture builder for the climate emergency. He is American, but has lived in the UK for 33 years. As a young man he was an entrepreneur (in marketing services), in midlife a business school academic (at the LSE, LBS, UCL and, since 2016, in Cambridge), and since founding Carbon13 in 2019, is an entrepreneur again.
- Robin Daniels (Wolfson '99)
Dr Robin Daniels is Founder and Managing Director of premium Ventures & Impact Studio, Redpill Group. Redpill is focused on sustainable urban, rural, economic and commercial development, through the environmentally sensitive application of technologies, new business models and innovative investment processes.A seasoned business leader, strategist and entrepreneur with a track record of driving rapid business growth and innovation across technologies, sectors and countries. Robin holds a number of CxO and non-executive Board positions in the UK, Singapore, the US and Brazil.
Robin was previously the CEO and Co-Founder of Magma Innovations, the global Integrated Mobility consultancy, Senior Vice President of Smart City software specialist and 2012 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, Living PlanIT and founding CEO of the Norwich Research Park, Europe’s largest single-site life science park. As COO of the Centre for Scientific Enterprise Ltd, a joint venture between London Business School and University College London, he was also Director of the Chevening Technology Enterprise Scholarship.
Robin has also held senior positions at Cambridge University and is a Senior Member of Wolfson College. He holds Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in engineering and organisational psychology from Loughborough University.
- Thomas Desombre ('19)
Thomas graduated from Wolfson College, Cambridge in 2022 with Double First Class Honours and multiple academic prizes. He now serves as the Alpha Grand Group's Representative for the United Kingdom. He also holds leadership positions in two early-stage ventures based in France and the United Kingdom.- Honorary Member Ronjon Nag (Wolfson '84)
Dr Ronjon Nag has invented and deployed artificial intelligence systems for over three decades. He received a PhD in engineering from Cambridge (Wolfson '84), an MS from MIT, and the IET Mountbatten Medal at the Royal Institution. Companies he has co-founded have been sold to Motorola and Blackberry. He advised VocalIQ, started by a Wolfson College founder, sold to Apple. He is currently an Interdisciplinary Distinguished Careers Institute Fellow at Stanford University and President of R42 Institute, a think tank and deep science venture firm.
- Michael O'Sullivan (Wolfson '84)
Michael O'Sullivan has extensive executive and international experience, having held the Chief Executive positions of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, the Cambridge Commonwealth, European, and Overseas Trust, as well as Cambridge Assessment International Education. He received his MPhil from Cambridge ('85) and BA from Oxford ('82), and was made Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George ('08). He is now an international education consultant and Wolfson College Fellow.
- Evelyn Tichy (Wolfson '09)
Evelyn Tichy is an alumna of Wolfson and Head of Business at 21Dx GmbH, a German Organisation working to close gaps in care and improve services in the health and social sectors. She is an entrepreneur and supports and mentors early career individuals.
- Jerry Wu
Dr Jerry Wu is the Head of Investment at TusPark Holdings UK, which is a science and technology service corporation with an investment arm as a venture capital and private equity group fund. TusPark has invested £220m+ in Cambridge since 2018. Being an innovator and investor, he is always enthusiastic to push the boundaries, drive the innovation, and foster the collaborative network among stakeholders; being a scientist, he brings 24+ years of experience in research and development covering life sciences and deep technologies; being a leader, he is a passionate believer in the importance of personal development and in helping others to achieve their full potential; being a boy, his first ever computer was an Apple II Plus.
- Carol Yuen (Wolfson '22)
Carol Yuen is a 3rd generation banker with over 20 years of international financial experience. Carol founded the Alpha Grand Group in Hong Kong in 2017. Prior to founding Alpha Grand Group, Carol held senior positions with a number of international financial institutions including Goldman Sachs, Standard Chartered, Citigroup and HSBC Group.
Carol has diversified experience in the international financial sector. She has worked in areas including commercial banking; treasury products and structuring in forex, interest rates, commodities, equities; private banking and investment banking. After having accumulated years of banking experience, Carol further expanded into real estate investments and structuring bespoke life insurance policies for ultra-high net worth clients. She has completed over USD 35 billion worth of transactions in aggregate during her career.
Carol obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University; a Master of Laws degree in Corporate and Financial Law from The University of Hong Kong and a Master of Studies degree in Global History from University of Cambridge. She was the award recipient of the Corporate Governance and Shareholders Remedies subject from the Faculty of Law at The University of Hong Kong.
Carol is currently a Board Member of McGill University’s Asia Advisory Group. She was an ex-student representative and committee member of the Master of Studies program at the University of Cambridge and an ex-Board Member of the Faculty of Law at The University of Hong Kong.
The Hub comes under the purview of the Director of College Networks, Ms Sian Cook, who is also a member of the Steering Group along with the President of Wolfson College, Professor Jane Clarke and the Director of Development, Mr Simon Crookall.
Join us
Wolfson’s global community can get involved in the Entrepreneurship Hub involved in a variety of ways:
- on the Leadership Team (Advisory Board and Steering Group)
- as an Entrepreneur in Residence
- as a mentor
- as a speaker, to deliver workshops or for advice and skills sharing
- as host of events, gatherings or of international groups
- by helping to fund the development of the programme (for example to sponsor events, dinners, annual competition prizes, student awards, internships, other running costs)
If you're interested in any of the above, please contact the Hub at entrepreneurship@wolfson.cam.ac.uk
Support us
Donations of every size, together, make a huge difference. All Entrepreneurship Hub activities, costs and awards are funded through generous philanthropy.
Donations in support of the Entrepreneurship Hub can be made through a variety of methods, including our online donation form - choose "Other" in Designation and type "Entrepreneurship Hub". Support the Entrepreneurship Hub with a gift.
Alternatively, you can discuss your support with Simon, our Development Director: director-development@wolfson.cam.ac.uk
