Oxford Science Enterprises Appoints Ed Bussey as Chief Executive Officer
Oxford Science Enterprises
5 min read
Oxford Science Enterprises
Ed Bussey selected by Board to lead company in next phase of growth
OSE introduces Chief Investment Officer role, appointing Jack Edmondson
Oxford, UK: August 31, 2023: Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), the independent investment company created to found, fund and build transformational businesses via its unique partnership with the University of Oxford, today announces the appointment of Ed Bussey as CEO and Jack Edmondson as CIO.
We are delighted by the appointments of Ed and Jack,” said Chris Chambers, Chairman of Oxford Science Enterprises. “Ed is a dynamic entrepreneur and business leader with a strong track record of founding and building successful tech-enabled companies, and Jack is a highly experienced investment professional with a deep understanding of the Oxford ecosystem. Together, they bring strong expertise to the team as we continue to accelerate the commercialisation of Oxford’s world-leading science and technology, creating value for all stakeholders.”
A serial entrepreneur, Ed has launched and scaled three venture capital-backed businesses through to successful exits. He is currently an executive chair and investor in a portfolio of early-stage technology companies. Most recently, Ed founded and served as CEO of Quill, a multi-language content platform for e-commerce partners including Google and eBay. After building the business for 10 years, he led the sale of Quill to Jellyfish, a global marketing group, in 2020.
Recognised as a digital thought leader in the UK, Ed has been awarded UK Entrepreneur of the Year, Disruptor of the Year, and twice been included on the Sunday Times’ list of 500 most influential people in Britain. Ed commenced his career in the Royal Navy, followed by various national roles in the UK Diplomatic Service. He holds a BA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge.
“The University of Oxford is home to the world’s leading scientific research and the opportunity this presents to build businesses that can solve the world’s most pressing challenges is one I could not refuse,” said Ed Bussey, CEO, Oxford Science Enterprises. “OSE’s success to date, in establishing a remarkable portfolio of innovative companies, is a testament to the strength and commitment of its exceptional team. I’m really looking forward to leading the company into its next phase of growth, by building on this momentum to help OSE’s portfolio businesses achieve their full potential.”
Responding to the significant growth in its portfolio over the last eight years, OSE has today announced the creation of a new role, Chief Investment Officer (CIO), and has appointed Jack Edmondson. As CIO, Jack will oversee OSE’s investment process, the Investment Committee and provide direction on investment strategy.
Jack has over 20 years’ experience in investment management and spent the last 14 years at Oxford University Endowment Management (OUem). As OUem’s Deputy CIO, Jack was integral to growing the fund from £600 million to £6 billion and invested across areas of technology and innovation. He also managed OUem’s stake in OSE.
“I’m thrilled to join Oxford Science Enterprises at this stage in the company’s journey. I look forward to supporting the team as we continue building OSE’s presence as a world-class investment company founded in the heart of the Oxford ecosystem,” said Jack Edmondson, CIO, Oxford Science Enterprises.
Jack joined OUem from an investment role at Exponent Private Equity; earlier in his career he worked at McKinsey and Merrill Lynch. Jack holds a CFA qualification, an MBA from the University of Oxford and a BA from Durham University.
Oxford Science Enterprises has established itself as the leading investor in university spinouts in the UK and raised £850 million from blue-chip international investors. Since its founding in 2015, OSE has helped increase investment in Oxford-founded companies from £135 million per year to £1.4 billion in 2022 - representing over half of the amount raised by all UK university spinouts.
Recent OSE highlights include:
8 new companies to date in 2023 and 10 companies in 2022
Areas of new investment cover: next generation AI, clean energy, tech enabled neurology care and eating disorder treatments, plus therapies for cancer, retinal and rare diseases
Significant portfolio company exits include: sale of DJS Antibodies and MiroBio to global pharmaceutical companies in 2022 for a combined value of approximately $660 million
£600 million raised by portfolio companies last year - £160 million invested by OSE and £440 million coming from UK and international investors
About Oxford Science Enterprises
Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE) is an independent, billion-pound investment company, created in 2015 to found, fund and build transformational businesses via its unique partnership with the University of Oxford, the world’s #1 research university.
This partnership enables OSE to work with the brightest academic minds tackling the world’s toughest challenges and guarantees unrivalled access to their scientific research. In collaboration with its global network of entrepreneurs and advisers, OSE goes well beyond funding to shape and nurture these complex ideas into successful businesses.
Actively focused on a core portfolio of around 40 companies spanning three high-growth, high-impact sectors - Life Sciences, Health Tech, and Deep Tech - the company adopts a flexible, long-term investment approach, recognising the path from ground-breaking research to global markets takes time and resilience.
To date, OSE has invested £0.6 billion in over 80 ambitious companies built on Oxford science. A key player in Oxford’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, OSE is highly motivated to foster an environment that catalyses pioneering research and steers it to commercial success.
