Levelling the Playing Field: How Zero Gravity is Opening Doors for Disadvantaged Students

This past weekend, the Founders Unplugged podcast featured an inspiring conversation with Joe Seddon , founder and CEO of Zero Gravity . Zero Gravity is a platform working to level the playing field for students from low-income backgrounds and underperforming schools by helping them access top universities and careers.

Seddon shared how his own journey growing up in a small town in West Yorkshire and attending state schools inspired him to create Zero Gravity. He discussed facing significant barriers as one of the few from his background to make it to Oxford University. Seddon saw firsthand how high the barriers are for students without access to private tutoring or resources, and from areas without surrounding opportunity.

Zero Gravity uses algorithms and data to identify talented students who may have been overlooked by traditional admission systems. They analyze factors like school performance and postcodes relative to background. The platform then provides mentorship, guidance and opportunities to optimize students' chances. Zero Gravity has partnered with over 700 schools across the UK to help more disadvantaged youth.

When asked about challenges starting as a bootstrap founder, Seddon noted the lack of an entrepreneurial network and doubts from his community. However, he emphasized traits like resilience, long-term thinking and incremental improvement as key to overcoming obstacles. Seddon also stressed the importance of controlling your own narrative as a founder while maintaining self-awareness.

Some of Seddon's best advice for entrepreneurs included focusing on optimizing your performance incrementally over time through small gains. He believes this "1% better" approach leads to huge compounding results if persisted with for years. Seddon also recommended learning from founders only a few steps ahead rather than perceived "gurus", in order to gain the most relevant knowledge.

The conversation provided valuable insights for any founders or students looking to make a positive impact. To hear more from inspiring entrepreneurs like Joe Seddon, be sure to check out the Founders Unplugged podcast hosted by Greg Mccallum here: https://linktr.ee/foundersunplugged

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