Oxbridge AI Growth Track

Growth Track 2026: applications close Monday 2 November, 12:00

Hustle. Build and Grow

Jump! Start your AI Entrepreneurial Journey today!

Five weeks, three sprints: customer discovery, an MVP and a go-to-market plan. From idea to pre-seed ready, free to join, with £5,000 of equity-free prize money. Complete the programme to get straight into the Oxbridge AI Challenge.

Apply to the Growth Track How it works

2 Novapplications close at 12:00

5 weeksthree sprints

£5,000prize money

Brought to you by:

Marcho Partners

In partnership with

Inspired by Maximillian Ge and in memory of Cambridge legend Jamie Urquhart, Oxbridge AI Growth Track is an opportunity for those at the earlier stage of their founder and startup journey. It’s designed to set the pace for the rest of your entrepreneurial career.

Drilling down “Speed is King”, “Doing things that don’t scale” and “Customer Obsession”. Even if you’ve started building, if you haven’t started speaking to people or don’t know how to get started, this is the programme for you!

Built on MVP programmes over the past year and from 3 years of experience supporting founders in the Oxbridge AI Challenge, Oxbridge AI Growth Track aims to get you ready for your first cheque! But do you have what it takes?!

Who it is for

Those who want to build! and can’t wait to get moving or further!

The Oxbridge AI Challenge is for startups up to and including Seed. The Growth Track is where you get there. We’re looking to find the most obsessed builders across Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial.

YOU ARE

A founder or a team

From Oxford, Cambridge or Imperial, or the co-founder of someone who is. Solo founders welcome! Even if you’re looking for a co-founder don’t wait, get started!

YOU HAVE

An idea or an early product

Any AI startup from ideation to pre-seed.

YOU WANT

Customers, an MVP and a plan

Understand your customer and the problems they have, build an MVP and your Go To Market Strategy.

What you get

Pre-incubator competition with support!

Support on your side

Professionals with real world operator experience to help you.

The community

Founders, researchers and builders from Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial.

A route into the Challenge

Complete the programme to go straight into the Oxbridge AI Challenge.

£5,000 prize money

Equity-free, awarded at the Finals. To the very best!

How it works

Three sprints, one finish line

Each sprint has a deliverable and a deadline. Miss a deadline and you are out.

Sprint 1 · 2 weeks

Customer Discovery

Talk to 200 potential customers in two weeks. Only those who speak to up to 100 people move to the level of MVP Blitz.

Sprint 2 · 1 week

MVP Blitz

Build the smallest thing that proves it. 1 week is all you need to show you can start solving the problem!

Sprint 3 · 2 weeks

GTM Hack

Turn it into a way to sell, then pitch at the Finals. Focus on getting early traction as fast as possible! Figure out your GTM strategy!

100customer discovery conversations minimum in sprint one

1 weekto ship an MVP

2 weeksto hyper iterate your GTM

Growth Track 2026 calendar

All times are UK time. Most sessions are online.

Mon 2 Nov, 12:00

Applications close

Mon 2 Nov, 18:30

Kick-off: Customer Discovery, session 1

18:30 to 21:00, online

Weeks 1–2

Customer Discovery

Week 3

MVP Blitz

Weeks 4–5

GTM Hack

Finals

Pitches and judging

£5,000 prize money awarded · date and venue to be confirmed

Questions

Before you apply

Is this the Oxbridge AI Challenge?

No. The Oxbridge AI Challenge is our flagship startup competition, and the next one opens in early 2027. The Growth Track gets earlier-stage teams ready for it.

Does it cost anything?

No. It is free for selected teams, and the £5,000 prize money is equity-free.

Do you take any equity?

No!

Can I apply on my own?

Yes. Solo founders are welcome.

How much time does it take?

A lot, for five weeks. Treat it as your main project.

More questions? Ask Devika in the corner of this page, or write to team@oxbridgeaix.uk.

Ready? Tell us what you are building.

Applications close on Monday 2 November at 12:00. You apply on Ignite, the Oxbridge AIx platform.

Sign in

With Tuki. New here? Create an account and verify your email.

Fill in the application

Your profile, your idea and your team. Devika, the Ignite assistant, can help.

Submit

On your own or with your team. A deck and a video are optional.

Apply to the Growth Track See upcoming events

At least one person on your team must be from Oxford, Cambridge or Imperial. Questions? Write to team@oxbridgeaix.uk.

Paladins

Judge the Growth Track

Paladins are the Growth Track’s heroes: MBA and master’s students from Oxford and Cambridge who volunteer to support the teams and judge their pitches at the Finals.

Want to be a Paladin? Write to team@oxbridgeaix.uk.

Growth Track partners

More partners may join this cohort.

Marcho Partners Start Campus

Want to support it? Write to team@oxbridgeaix.uk.