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Joe Seddon
BEM
Seddon in London, 2020
Born
Joseph Henry Seddon

(1997-06-04) 4 June 1997 (age 29)
Leeds, England
EducationHeckmondwike Grammar School
Alma materUniversity of Oxford (BA)
OccupationsChief Executive Officer
Entrepreneur
Known forFounder & CEO, Zero Gravity
Awards
Websitejoeseddon.com Edit this at Wikidata

Joseph Henry Seddon BEM (born 4 June 1997)[1] is a British technology entrepreneur who is the founder of Zero Gravity, a technology company that supports students from low-opportunity backgrounds into universities and careers.

Since its inception, Zero Gravity has supported over 23,000 students from low-opportunity backgrounds into UK universities, including more than 1,000 into Oxbridge.[2] In 2026, Zero Gravity was selected by the UK Government to develop AI tutoring tools for 450,000 disadvantaged students in UK state schools.[3]

Seddon was named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2022, and he was honoured in King Charles III's 2023 Birthday Honours for services to social mobility.[4][5] In 2024, The Sunday Times featured Seddon in their inaugural Young Power List as one of "the 25 most inspiring people aged 30 and under in the UK".[6]

Early life and education

[edit]

Seddon was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, in June 1997 and was raised in a single-parent family by his mother, Catherine, who works as a speech therapist in the National Health Service.[7] He grew up in Morley, West Yorkshire, a post-industrial town previously known for its textile and coal mining industries.[8] In 2018, Morley was ranked in the bottom half of English constituencies on the Social Mobility Index, which measures how likely a person from a disadvantaged background is to progress to a higher socioeconomic status later in life.[9]

Seddon was educated at Westerton Primary Academy, a state primary school in Morley, West Yorkshire. He then studied at Heckmondwike Grammar School, a state grammar school in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, securing 12 A* grades at GCSE and 3 A* grades at A-level.[10] In his later years at school, Seddon was involved in competitive debating, where he won a number of regional and national awards.[11]

Seddon has stated that, for most of his time at school, attending a prestigious university “wasn’t really on my radar”.[12] It was only after being questioned about applying to Oxbridge during a live radio interview on BBC Radio Leeds when opening his GCSE results that he began to entertain the possibility seriously.[13] However, Seddon struggled to navigate the Oxbridge application process, describing the interview as “almost like arriving on a different planet”.[14]

Seddon was ultimately successful in receiving a place to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Mansfield College, Oxford, and graduated in 2018 with first-class honours.[15] While studying at Oxford, Seddon received a £6,500 means-tested bursary from the university to fund his living costs.[16] During Seddon’s final year at Oxford, not a single student from his home constituency of Morley & Outwood was admitted to study at the university.[17]

Alongside his university studies, Seddon was an occasional contributor to The Daily Telegraph, where he wrote articles about reforming Britain's higher education system.[18] He also completed a summer vacation scheme at Magic Circle law firm, Slaughter and May, and turned down the offer of a training contract at the firm to instead focus on his entrepreneurial pursuits.[19][20]

Career

[edit]

Zero Gravity

[edit]

After graduating from the University of Oxford in 2018, Seddon founded Access Oxbridge, a mobile app supporting students from low-income backgrounds to win places at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.[21][22] The app matched students with mentors currently studying at Oxford and Cambridge for weekly support via hour-long video calls to navigate the university admissions process.[23] Seddon built the app from his bedroom in Morley, West Yorkshire, and initially funded the initiative from the final £200 of his student loan.[24] By 2020, 110 low-income students mentored on the app had received offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge.[25][26] This led Seddon to receive the Points of Light award from the Prime Minister for social impact in education.[27]

In 2020, following media coverage of his work, Seddon raised £425,000 from social impact investors, and relaunched the app as Zero Gravity.[28] Zero Gravity aims to increase social mobility by developing technology to support high-potential students from low-opportunity backgrounds into highly-selective universities and careers.[29][30] Zero Gravity uses an algorithm to identify students from the lowest 40 per cent of socioeconomic backgrounds who show indicators of academic potential, drawing on a network of over 800 state schools connected to the platform.[31] Identified students receive mentoring, masterclasses, scholarships and access to internships and job opportunities through the platform.[32][33]

By 2021, over 1,000 students mentored by Zero Gravity had achieved offers to study at Russell Group universities.[34] In June 2021, Seddon received the Diana Award in memory of Princess Diana for social impact in the education sector.[35] In December 2021, Seddon confirmed that he had raised a seed investment round in Zero Gravity totalling £3.5 million, with notable investors including private equity magnates such as Thor Björgólfsson, Guy Hands, and Stephen Peel.[36] In 2022, Seddon was named by Forbes in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.[37]

Zero Gravity subsequently scaled its university admissions work across the UK. By April 2024, the platform had supported more than 8,000 students into Russell Group universities, including more than 800 into Oxbridge, with Seddon stating that one in four low-income students starting at Oxbridge had come through the platform.[38] As of 2026, the company states that it has supported more than 23,000 students into university, including more than 1,000 into Oxbridge.[39]

As its members progressed through university, Zero Gravity expanded beyond admissions into careers, partnering with employers to recruit students from low-opportunity backgrounds into internships and graduate roles. Its partners have included HSBC, KPMG, McKinsey, Rolls Royce and Snapchat.[40][41] Zero Gravity has also scaled the numbers of scholarships awarded through its platform, with The Times reporting in 2023 that it had deployed over £1.5 million of scholarships.[42] In 2024, Mercedes-Benz Formula One team pledged £438,000 to scholarships through Zero Gravity.[43]

Seddon was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to social mobility.[44] In 2025, Zero Gravity was named as the 36th fastest-growing startup in the UK and Ireland.[45]

In 2026, Zero Gravity launched an AI-powered tutoring product covering STEM subjects at GCSE and A-level, designed around a Socratic coaching approach in which the software guides students through problems step by step rather than providing answers directly.[46] In June 2026, Zero Gravity was announced as one of the companies selected by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Education to develop AI tutoring tools for UK school students.[47] The government has said the programme could ultimately support up to 450,000 disadvantaged pupils a year.[48]

Honours and recognition

[edit]
  • Point of Light Award for social impact in education (2019)[49]
  • Diana Award for social impact in the education sector (2021)[50]
  • Forbes 30 Under 30, for social impact in technology (2022)[51]
  • British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2023 Birthday Honours, for services to social mobility (2023)[52]
  • Tech Entrepreneur of the Year in the UK Business Tech Awards (2023)[53]
  • The Sunday Times Young Power List (2024)[54]

Other roles

[edit]

Seddon has previously served as a trustee of the British Youth Council, and as a governor of Lister Community School.[55][56] In 2025, he was appointed by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport to the advisory board for the UK Government's National Youth Strategy.[57] In May 2026, he was appointed as a trustee of the Royal Voluntary Service.[58]

Seddon is a frequent commentator on education, social mobility, and technology for outlets such as BBC Radio 5 Live, LBC, Times Radio, GB News, and Sky News. He has delivered talks at the Cambridge Union, London Tech Week, Durham Union, and the House of Lords.[59] His work as an entrepreneur has been covered by BBC News,[24] The Times,[60] The Daily Telegraph,[61] and Corriere della Sera.[62]

Personal life

[edit]

Seddon lives in London and is a Hull City supporter.[63]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Joseph Henry SEDDON personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Joe Seddon". London Tech Week 2026. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Six companies selected as AI tutoring development partners | Computer Weekly". ComputerWeekly.com. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Forbes 30 Under 30 2022: Social Impact". Forbes. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  5. ↑ "The London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Elliott, Hannah Swerling; Tarrant, Katie; Eccles, Louise; Hussain, Sharin (30 April 2024). "The 25 most inspiring people aged 30 and under in the UK and Ireland 2024". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  7. ↑ Gill, Gurvinder (11 February 2020). "I spent my last £200 getting people into Oxbridge". BBC News. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  8. ↑ "The Heritage Trail – Morley Archive". www.morleyarchives.org.uk. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  9. ↑ "Social Mobility Index by Constituency, England" (PDF). House of Commons Library (CBP 8400). 15 October 2018.
  10. ↑ "Celebration for pass masters at two schools". The Press. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  11. ↑ "Debating Matters – People – Joe Seddon". archive.debatingmatters.com. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  12. ↑ Heywood, Lucy (21 August 2022). "In Conversation with Joe Seddon, founder of Zero Gravity". The Oxford Blue. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  13. ↑ "Joe Seddon's fight to transform UK higher education and beyond". Varsity Online. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  14. ↑ Burn, Chris (18 February 2019). "Meet the 21-year-old from Yorkshire giving hundreds of state school students the secrets of how to get into Oxbridge".
  15. ↑ "Oxford grad offers free tutoring to poor kids". Metro Newspaper UK. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  16. ↑ Choudhury, Yasmin (30 April 2024). "'We used our student loans to start a business'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  17. ↑ "Meet the 21-year-old from Yorkshire giving hundreds of state school students the secrets of how to get into Oxbridge". Yorkshire Post. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  18. ↑ Seddon, Joe (27 February 2018). "Striking lecturers must stop using students as a bargaining chip". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  19. ↑ "Meet the new 2018 Ones to Watch! | Freshminds". www.freshminds.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  20. ↑ Ashworth, James (4 October 2018). "Interviewing Joe Seddon: Mansfield College graduate and CEO and founder of non-profit startup Access Oxbridge". The Oxford Student. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  21. ↑ Mintz, Luke (17 June 2019). "Can mentor schemes really turn the tables for disadvantaged students applying to Oxbridge?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  22. ↑ "Student-led outreach initiative Access Oxbridge launches 'groundbreaking' new app". Varsity Online. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  23. ↑ "This app helps students with Oxford and Cambridge University admissions". studyinternational.com. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  24. 1 2 Gill, Gurvinder (11 February 2020). "I spent my last £200 getting people into Oxbridge". BBC News. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  25. ↑ Bennett, Rosemary (2 February 2019). "Oxford graduate Joe Seddon offers key to interview ordeal". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  26. ↑ Penna, Dominic (12 February 2020). "Want to go to Oxbridge? 5 insider tips for state school students from a 'super mentor'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  27. ↑ "Access Oxbridge founder receives Prime Minister's Points of Light award". Varsity Online. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  28. ↑ "ALUMNI STORIES: 'I WANTED TO SHOW HOW TECHNOLOGY COULD DISRUPT THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR AND LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD FOR STUDENTS'". www.alumni.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  29. ↑ "Mentoring start-up 'Zero Gravity' launched today by founder of Access Oxbridge". The Oxford Student. 24 May 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  30. ↑ Cerullo, Sophia (30 May 2020). "Oxford graduate launches digital mentoring for students from disadvantaged backgrounds - Cherwell". Cherwell. Archived from the original on 5 March 2026. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  31. ↑ "Meet Joe Seddon, the Tech Entrepreneur from Morley Who is Levelling the Playing Field for the UK's Brightest Students". Living North. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  32. ↑ "'Not everybody has a dedicated office space and a Macbook Air': Oxford grad creates app to help improve access to university". University of Cambridge. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  33. ↑ "Grad signs up 1,000 students to mentor disadvantaged kids applying to uni". The Tab. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  34. ↑ Griffiths, Sian. "Fairground worker Milly teaches herself Classics on rollercoaster ride to Oxford". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  35. ↑ "Alumni Stories: 'I Wanted to Show How Technology Could Disrupt the Higher Education Sector and Level the Playing Field for Students'". www.alumni.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  36. ↑ "Zero Gravity (Educational Software) Company Profile: Valuation & Investors | PitchBook". pitchbook.com. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  37. ↑ "Joe Seddon". Forbes. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  38. ↑ "Meet Joe Seddon, the Tech Entrepreneur from Morley Who is Levelling the Playing Field for the UK's Brightest Students". Living North. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  39. ↑ "Joe Seddon". London Tech Week 2026. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  40. ↑ Young, Helena (13 January 2025). "Zero Gravity - "every student deserves an opportunity to succeed"". Startups 100 by Startups.co.uk: Start up a successful business. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  41. ↑ "Joe Seddon". London Tech Week 2026. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  42. ↑ "The millionaires funding university students over drop-out fears". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  43. ↑ "Mercedes-Benz to Support Zero Gravity STEM Scholarship Programme". Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  44. ↑ "No. 64082". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2023. p. B35.
  45. ↑ "Sifted 100: UK & Ireland (2025) - Fastest-Growing Startups". sifted.eu. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  46. ↑ "Six companies selected as AI tutoring development partners | Computer Weekly". ComputerWeekly.com. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  47. ↑ "'Limited' evidence for AI tutoring tools, government says | Tes". www.tes.com. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  48. ↑ "Edtech and AI companies invited to help build safe AI tutoring tools for disadvantaged pupils". GOV.UK. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  49. ↑ "UK Government Web Archive". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  50. ↑ "The Diana Award - Roll of Honour 2021". diana-award.org.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  51. ↑ "Joe Seddon". Forbes. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  52. ↑ "The London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  53. ↑ "2023 Winners". UK Business Tech Awards. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  54. ↑ "The 25 most inspiring people aged 30 and under in the UK and Ireland 2024". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  55. ↑ "British Youth Council | Our board". British Youth Council. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  56. ↑ "Lister Community School - GOV.UK". www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  57. ↑ "Government partners with young people to help develop new national youth strategy". GOV.UK. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  58. ↑ "Who's Moving: Asthma + Lung, Refugee Council, Pennies and more". www.civilsociety.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  59. ↑ "Easter Term 2019 | Cambridge Union". Issuu. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  60. ↑ Bennett, Rosemary. "Young mentor secures 60 Oxbridge offers for deprived pupils". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  61. ↑ Penna, Dominic (12 February 2020). "Want to go to Oxbridge? 5 insider tips for state school students from a 'super mentor'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  62. ↑ "La scelta di Joe, aiutare (gratis) chiu vuole entrare a Oxbridge" (in Italian). 23 February 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2025 – via PressReader.
  63. ↑ "The North/South Divide – Climbing The Rungs". Retrieved 15 July 2021.
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