Why do the critical conversations about founding and funding a business often happen behind closed doors, making the ecosystem feel impenetrable? 

In this special episode, Oxford+ host Susannah de Jager reveals the origin story and core premise of the podcast. Drawing on her extensive background as a former COO and CEO of a European equities hedge fund, and her later work in pension capital reform, Susannah shares what inspired her to move from listed asset management to focusing on nascent companies. She discusses how being exposed to companies in their critical growth phase—when they need long-term capital from investors like pension plans—revealed a passionate purpose: to make a meaningful impact by connecting capital with brilliant academics.

Susannah de Jager: Susannah is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in UK asset management. She has worked closely with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and government officials to shape the conversation around domestic scale-up capital.

Connect with Susannah on LinkedIn / Subscribe to the Oxford+ Newsletter for exclusive content

Oxford+ is hosted by Susannah de Jager and supported by Mishcon de Reya and Oxford North.

Produced and edited by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford.