ALUMNI START-UP WINS $100K BACKING

Oxford MBA alumni Victoria Powell and Jonathan Moustakis won a massive $100k in funding from The Yope Foundation – following a hotly contested pitch.

Following a series of pitches, including to Michael Baum, tech entrepreneur, investor extraordinaire and the founder of Yope, the Lume Health team was selected to receive the $100,000 investment.

High-potential University of Oxford start-ups had been given the opportunity to pitch to Mr Baum, former CEO of Splunk, which was acquired by Cisco for $28.8 billion, during his recent visit to Saïd Business School. Pitches from teams had been independently shortlisted from 50+ start-ups spanning healthcare and climate.

The final seven featured four that were from the Oxford Seed Fund, a student-and-alumni-led fund that provides venture capital funding to the most promising founders from the University of Oxford. The seven were:

• Kestrix – AI-powered retrofit intelligence for sustainable housing
• LatusPet – Advanced veterinary diagnostics and data platform
• Samudra Oceans – Tech-driven marine biodiversity restoration
• Lume Health – Real-time, at-home hormone monitoring
• Gyre Energy – Software infrastructure for flexible energy systems
• Allia Health – Preventative healthcare for older adults
• Little Place Labs – Real-time space analytics using satellite data

Lume had been cultivated in the classroom at Oxford Saïd, through the Entrepreneurship Project, which introduces start-ups and founders to entrepreneurial skillsets.

Maria Zubeldia, Director of Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre, expressed her pride in the team’s journey: ‘Victoria and Jonathan exemplify the kind of entrepreneurial leadership we aim to nurture at Oxford Saïd. We are proud to be part of their story, and excited to watch Lume Health grow into a company that has the potential to reshape personal healthcare.’

Organised by the entrepreneurship centre, Mr Baum’s visit to the school saw him give a keynote address on ‘founder performance’. He introduced the concept of ‘venture athletes’: founders who can optimise their biological, cognitive, emotional and leadership systems to develop the mindset, stamina and resilience needed to build transformative business.