news
20 January 2025

New 'Founder in Residence' for Oxford Smith School

Estimated reading time: 2 Minutes
Dr Alex Money speaking at the Oxford Sustainable Finance Summit 2023. Credit: John Cairns

Dr Alex Money has been appointed as the Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment's first Founder in Residence. 

The role has been established to nurture sustainability entrepreneurship within the Smith School and across the Department of Geography and the Environment.  

With a mandate to support students and staff in navigating the opportunities - and challenges - of developing an idea into a venture, the Founder in Residence serves as a sounding board and source of advice. 

A structured programme of lectures, panel discussions, and office hours will also be available to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as researchers and other staff with an interest in exploring entrepreneurship. Topics will range from 'Founder 101' and opportunities in climate-related ventures, to exploring entrepreneurship alongside an academic career. A calendar of events for 2025 will be published early in Hilary Term.

The first holder of this post is Dr Alex Money, a fund manager and entrepreneur turned Oxford academic with over 25 years of experience in academia and industry. Alex is a Principal Investigator at the Smith School, and concurrently the Founder and CEO of Watermarq, a venture focused on valuing water.  

Commenting on the appointment, Prof Mette Morsing, Director, said:
 

Our mandate at the Oxford Smith School is to engage with enterprise, economics, law and finance to ensure that our research delivers maximum impact. We’ve established this role to advance our mission, and we’re excited to support the next generation of sustainability entrepreneurs.

The Founder in Residence post adds to a growing range of opportunities and support for entrepreneurship at the University of Oxford, including EnSpire - the University's entrepreneurship hub - and the ZERO Founders Network