Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not.
I went from a state school in Morley to Oxford University, then turned the last £200 of my student loan into Zero Gravity — a digital platform that’s powered 23,000+ students from low-opportunity backgrounds into top universities and careers.
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✦Britain’s unofficial social mobility tsar
Super smart, super clever, has impeccable credentials
It started in a bedroom in Morley.
Now it’s one of the UK’s fastest-growing startups.
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Raised in Morley, West Yorkshire
A single-parent family in a post-industrial town outside Leeds. My mum and grandmother taught me that hard work isn't optional — it's everything.
Won a place at Oxford
From state school to Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford. The odds were stacked against me — exactly what would later drive me to build Zero Gravity.
A First, then the last £200
Graduated with a First, turned down the corporate offers, and built Access Oxbridge from my childhood bedroom. 100+ students won Oxbridge places in two years.
Relaunched as Zero Gravity
Beyond Oxbridge, to every top UK university — and a £425k pre-seed from angel investors turned a bedroom project into a funded startup.
£3.5m seed round
Thousands of members were getting into top universities. The system said they couldn't — the data said otherwise. Raised £3.5m to expand into elite careers.
30+ enterprise partners
HSBC, McKinsey, KPMG, Rolls-Royce, Snap, and more — plus £2.3m of scholarships deployed to Zero Gravity members.
Building AI to unlock potential
That was the foundation. Now we're building AI to identify potential the system misses — and unlock it at a scale that wasn't possible before.
The numbers and counting
Making headlines 100+ features
PodcastRadical with Amol Rajan: How to Break the Link Between Background and Opportunity
Feb 2026
PrintYoung Power List 2024 revealed
Apr 2024
OnlineForbes 30 Under 30: Joe Seddon
Jan 2022
TVJoe Seddon from Access Oxbridge on BBC Look North
Jan 2020
OnlineMeet Joe Seddon, the Tech Entrepreneur from Morley Who is Levelling the Playing Field for the UK's Brightest Students
Jun 2024
PrintHow I helped 800 pupils get in to Oxbridge
May 2023Straight talk, big stages.
Keynotes, panels, and fireside chats — startups, social mobility, AI, and building things that matter. From boardrooms to lecture halls.
Zero to One: Building a Startup from Nothing
No co-founder, no network, no safety net. I walk through what it actually takes to go from an idea to a funded, scaling company — the fundraising, the failures, the moments you nearly walk away, and why you keep going.
The State of Social Mobility in the UK
Where you're born still determines where you end up. I break down what's really happening with social mobility in Britain — the data, the policy failures, and what needs to change if we're serious about fixing it.
AI, Inequality, and the Future of Work
AI is going to reshape the jobs market. The question is who it leaves behind. I look at what automation and AI mean for inequality — and why this could either be the great equaliser or make the gap even worse.
Building Products Gen Z Actually Loves
Gen Z doesn't think like the generations before them — and most companies are still building like they do. I talk about what this generation actually wants and what it takes to earn their loyalty.
Awards & honours 40+ awards
Where to next
Book me to speak
Keynotes, panels, and fireside chats for conferences, companies, and universities.
Start a booking →02Press & media
Interviews, comment, and broadcast — plus a ready-to-go press kit with bio and headshots.
Visit the media hub →03Partner with Zero Gravity
Hire graduates the traditional pipeline never reaches, fund scholarships, or put your brand behind the mission.
Go to Zero Gravity →Still
building.
Speaking ✦ Press ✦ Partnerships