The Oxford Entrepreneurs Society has become synonymous with the terms energy and dynamism. Our membership reflects a unique blend of entrepreneurial flair and academic skill, and is perhaps the most diverse member base of any University society in terms of age, discipline, and background. This desirable combination reflects a fundamental part of OE’s ethos: We are not exclusively for entrepreneurs but we harvest and develop the entrepreneurial skills necessary for success in any corporate environment. We draw in ambitious undergraduate and post-graduates from fields as far-ranging as Mathematics, History, Engineering, Linguistics and Economics.

With our free, no-strings-attached membership, many may question how OE consistently provides its aspiring entrepreneurs with a great number of high quality events like the Speaker Series, Ideas2Market, and the flagship business competition, Idea Idol. Unusually for a student society, we rely solely on corporate donations and in-kind support from our sponsors.

Next month marks OE’s 8th Anniversary and from the society’s beginning it was decided that we would aspire to offer students priceless guidance, training and support at no cost at all. This ethos persist to today. Whereas most societies are charging members annually or placing entry fees on events, we believe that money should not be the foundation for entrepreneurial growth. At OE we focus on ideas and transforming and communicating those ideas in a marketable way. We want to provide our members with a creative environment full of opportunities so that their energy is not spent on worrying about funding and the cost of professional advice.

We are very grateful to Octopus Ventures, Credit Suisse, Linklaters, Microsoft, Business Link and of course our founders, the Said Business School who have donated a considerable amount to OE, particularly in terms of time and effort. Despite the current economic situation, the forward-thinking attitude of our sponsors means that they are investing in tomorrow’s entrepreneurs through OE.

If you haven’t already done so, I would encourage you to join OE and start receiving on our events. If you are currently a member then be sure to make the most of your membership — there’s something in our term card for everyone.