Raised in Morley.
Built on stubbornness.
Still not done.
I grew up in a single-parent family in a post-industrial town outside Leeds, won a place at Oxford University from a state school, and turned the last £200 of my student loan into a digital platform that's powered 23,000+ students from low-opportunity backgrounds into top universities and careers. This page is how that happened.
Hard work isn't optional
I grew up in a single-parent family in Morley, a post-industrial town outside Leeds. My mum and grandmother taught me that hard work isn't optional — it's everything. That stuck. State school, no network, no playbook, no safety net.
The odds were the point
I won a place to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford. Everyone was pleased. I was angry — because once I got there, I could see exactly how many people like me should have been there and weren't. The odds I beat became the problem I couldn't put down.
The last £200 of my student loan
I graduated with a First, turned down the corporate offers, went back to my childhood bedroom, and spent the last £200 of my student loan building Access Oxbridge — a digital platform connecting students from low-opportunity backgrounds with mentors who'd got in themselves. Over two years, 100+ students won places at Oxford and Cambridge.
Relaunched as Zero Gravity
Access Oxbridge had outgrown its name. I relaunched it as Zero Gravity — beyond Oxbridge, to every top UK university — and raised a £425k pre-seed from angel investors. The bedroom project became a company.
Beyond university, into careers
Thousands of members were reaching top universities. The system said they couldn't — the data said otherwise. I raised a £3.5m seed round to expand the platform beyond university, into elite careers.
Partners who back the mission
Commercial partnerships with 30+ leading companies — HSBC, McKinsey, KPMG, Rolls-Royce, Snapchat — and £2.3m of scholarships deployed to Zero Gravity members.
Building AI to unlock potential
23,000+ students into top universities 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.
Awards & honours 40+ awards
What I believe
Talent is everywhere.
Opportunity is not.
The system calls that normal.
I call it Britain's biggest waste.
So we're fixing it.
Beyond Zero Gravity
Where else I put the mission to work — charity governance, national policy, and youth voice.
Trustee
CurrentRoyal Voluntary Service
May 2026 — Present
One of Britain's largest volunteering charities, mobilising thousands of volunteers behind the NHS and people in need. I help oversee governance and strategy — opening up volunteering for all.
Advisory Board
Department for Culture, Media & Sport
Feb 2025 — Mar 2026
Appointed to advise on the Government's National Youth Strategy — a ten-year, £500m programme, co-produced with 14,000 young people, to rebuild youth services across England.
Governor
Lister Community School
Nov 2020 — Nov 2024
A state secondary in Newham, East London, where 44% of students are eligible for free school meals. Served on the governing body, shaping strategy and outcomes.
Trustee
British Youth Council
Oct 2020 — Nov 2023
The UK's national youth council — UK Youth Parliament, NHS Youth Forum, Bank of England Youth Forum. Helped make sure young people had a real seat at the policy table.
Now you know
the story.
Speaking ✦ Press ✦ Partnerships