Empowering Oxford & Cambridge AI founders globally
Together we're building solutions to the world's most pressing problems. You've got this and we've got your back.
A community built on trust, support, and collaboration, where AI founders turn innovations into impactful ventures.
Community members
1,500+
Teams/startups supported
300+
Hours of mentorship
225+
Success Stories
LatestOxbridge AI Challenge
Where innovation meets excellence
The Oxbridge AI Challenge is our annual pitch competition and incubation program designed specifically for early-stage (up to and including Seed stage) AI startups from Oxford and Cambridge. We provide comprehensive support, mentorship, and resources to help founders turn innovative ideas into successful ventures.
Eligibility: Teams and Startups only need one member from the founding or leadership team to be either Student, Staff and Alumni from the global University of Oxford and University of Cambridge ecosystem.
Our Challenge timeline is strategically designed to align with the academic calendar while maximizing support for founders. Early applications open in July to allow summer preparation, followed by launch events during Fresher's Week to engage new students. Our hybrid regional rounds combine the networking benefits of in-person events with the accessibility of online sessions, spread across two weekends to reduce intensity and improve focus. This carefully structured progression provides participants with sufficient time between stages to refine their ideas and presentations.
$18.3M+
Funding raised by challenge finalists
£60K
Equity-free prize money awarded in 2024
120+
Mentors and judges providing guidance
Application Process
Applications Open
Submit your initial application with your team, concept, and vision for your AI startup. Early applications are encouraged for pre-term mentorship opportunities.
Fresher's Week Launch Events
Oxford (Oct 7-8) and Cambridge (Oct 8-9) launch events to introduce the challenge and connect with potential participants.
Team Building Events
Cambridge (Oct 15) and Oxford (Oct 17) team building events to help form and strengthen startup teams.
Application Deadline
Final date to submit your application for the 2025 Oxbridge AI Challenge.
Regional Rounds - Weekend 1 (Oxford Focus)
In-person at Oxford (Nov 1) and online day (Nov 2) for the first weekend of regional rounds.
Regional Rounds - Weekend 2 (Cambridge Focus)
In-person at Cambridge (Nov 8) and online day (Nov 9) for the second weekend of regional rounds.
Semi-finals
Selected teams advance to the semi-finals stage.
Final
Teams present to investors, and winners receive funding and ongoing support.
Join our community to be notified when applications open
Testimonials
Hear from our past challenge participants
Andy Du
Co-Founder, Trust AI
"I genuinely feel lucky to have the community's support."
Jorge Garduño
Co-Founder, JRE
"The organisation by Udai, and the rest of the team was impeccable. They have created a platform that jumpstarted our company while giving us a sense of belonging to the broader entrepreneurship community working with AI."
Carl-Magnus v Behr
Co-Founder, Innex
"I heavily recommend Oxbridge AI X to lots of other founders, because it's such a great opportunity to get out there, talk about your idea, pitch your idea, get your message across, and get very, very experienced people to act as a sounding board."
Jyotveer Gill
Founder, Open EQ
"Engaging with the OxBridge AI Challenge Team was truly inspiring. Their support was not only motivational but also deeply insightful. It was refreshing to have someone delve into discussions beyond technology and innovation, focusing keenly on the positive changes and values we want to achieve. The team's commitment to improving our world was evident and they demonstrated genuine care and understanding. In just a few minutes of our discussions, it felt like OxBridge AI Challenge became an extension of my team, invested in our challenges as their own."
Community Events
Building connections and fostering innovation through our community gatherings
Programmes - Beyond the Challenge
Join a lifelong community of the brightest AI founders from Oxford and Cambridge
Weekly Masterclasses
Most Mondays, our community gathers for masterclasses led by experienced operators and industry experts. These sessions provide actionable insights on AI development, fundraising strategies, go-to-market planning, and more.
Co-founder Matching
Finding the right co-founder can make or break your startup. Our matching program help technical founders find business partners and vice versa, based on complementary skills, shared values, and aligned visions.
MVP Weekends
Transform your idea into a working prototype in just 48 hours. Our intensive development weekends bring together teams of designers, developers, and domain experts to rapidly build and iterate on your AI product concept.
Intern Matching Program
Access top talent from Oxford and Cambridge to help grow your startup. Our intern matching program connects you with students specialized in AI development, business strategy, marketing, and more.
Personalized Mentorship
Led by Udai Dhamija, receive guidance from experienced entrepreneurs, operators, investors, and technical experts (who we call Heroes and Legends) who have been in your shoes. Our mentorship program provides regular 1:1 sessions tailored to your specific challenges and goals.
Additional Benefits
HQ Co-working Space
Access to our London headquarters, including co-working and temporary accommodation.
Microsoft Cloud Credits
Access up to £150K in Microsoft Azure credits to build and scale your AI applications.
EIR Opportunities
Selected founders can join Marcho Partners as Entrepreneurs in Residence.
Testimonials
Hear from our programme participants
Bochuan Chen
Co-Founder, AI4SWIM
"I recently participated in the MVP Weekend by Oxbridge AI X and Tison, and it was an amazing, beginner-friendly experience. Even as a first-time participant, I found it perfect for bringing an MVP idea to life."
Lorna Maclean
Founder, Demetria
"You meet hundreds and hundreds of similarly minded, innovation focussed, smart people that you can brainstorm with, that you can network with, that can give you warm intros. And once you build that ecosystem and, you know a lot of the people in it, suddenly you've got hundreds of essentially, additional team members to help you. Without giving any equity away, you suddenly got a hell of a lot of extra pairs of hands, which when you're early doors. Oh my god, it can make a huge difference."
Ashkan Daddhgh
Co-Founder, Zero One Creative
"I would 100% recommend Oxbridge AI X, to other founders. If you're thinking to start a company, especially in Oxford and Cambridge. This is the place to go to. I hope that next year is going to be even bigger. Participating in the Oxbridge AI Challenge was incredibly enriching, thanks to the fantastic support from the team. They helped us refine our strategy and pitch, enhancing our presentation skills and clarity of vision. We are deeply grateful for the support and the impact it has had on our journey."
Our Ecosystem
Meet the pioneering startups in our community driving innovation in artificial intelligence
Are you building an AI startup? Apply to join our community and unlock resources to accelerate your growth.
Apply to Join Our EcosystemOur Partners
Building a global ecosystem of support for AI entrepreneurs
Corporate Partners
Leading technology companies supporting our mission through resources, expertise, and opportunities.
Service Partners
Specialized service providers offering exclusive benefits to our portfolio companies.
Community Partners
Local partners and organizations that support our mission and help us connect with the community.
Community Partners
At Oxbridge AI X we're all about collaboration and support. Here is a list of community organisations, student societies and other ecosystem players we collaborate with.
Become a Partner
If you're in the Oxford or Cambridge ecosystem, we want to work with you! We're building the community together. Reach out to us if you're keen to see how we can collaborate together and if we can support you!
Our Team
Meet the diverse group of experts dedicated to supporting AI entrepreneurs
Core Team
Udai Dhamija
Founder and President
Leading the community and vision for Oxbridge AI X.
University of Oxford, Stanford GSB, University of Washington, Trinity College Dublin, Techstars London Mentor, Secretary Oxford Artificial Intelligence Society, Committee Member, Oxford Artificial Intelligence Network
Jorge Martins
Chief Technology Officer
Oversees the technical architecture and development of Oxbridge AI X platforms.
Architect Level Developer
Tessa Hutchman
Chief Cheer Officer
Builds and maintains ecosystem partnerships across universities and industry.
University of Cambridge, Lead in Ecosystem Partnership
Joshua Uwaifo
Chief AI Officer
Expert in AI Strategy Research & AI Product Development
Narankar Sehmi
Chief of Staff to the President
Coordinates operations and supports the leadership team.
University of Oxford
Daniel Eldridge
Lead VC & Special Partnerships
University of Oxford
Lizzie Mushangwe
Lead Oxford, Oxbridge AI Challenge
University of Oxford
Yizen Chen
Lead Cambridge, Oxbridge AI Challenge
University of Cambridge
Ritika Dhamija
Lead Fund Development
University of Oxford
Ivan Vasenov
(Honourary) Lead Oxford, as Oxford Artificial Intelligence Society President
University of Oxford
CUE President
(Honourary) Lead Cambridge, as Cambridge University Entrepreneurs President
University of Cambridge
Noted Alumni
Recognizing the founding members and past leaders who have made substantial contributions
Jenni Morris
Co-Founder of Oxbridge AI Challenge alongside Udai Dhamija, Chair and ex-President, Cambridge University Entrepreneurs
Jessie Jiang
ex-President, Oxford Artificial Intelligence Society
Mentors and Advisors
Our community has over 120 heroes that bring specialised expertise to our founders, including
Ash Barbour
Yes.inc
Anne-Claire
Microsoft
Chris Noring
Microsoft
Maximilian Ge
University of Cambridge
Darren Chan
Senior Solutions Architect at Digital Realty
Sewook Oh
Oxford Artificial Intelligence Society
Michael Hutson
Principal, Oxford Seed Fund
James Homan
Partner, Taylor Wessing
Mark Richardson
Partner, Keltie
Rick Turoczy
Microsoft and Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE)
Ambassadors
Representatives who champion our mission globally
Ersoy Erkazanci
Get in Touch
Whether you're a founder looking for support, an investor interested in our portfolio, or a potential mentor, we'd love to hear from you.
Connect With Us
We operate virtually across Oxford and Cambridge, connecting founders, mentors, and investors in the AI ecosystem.