About Oxford STEM Network
Good business comes from good relationships
Oxford STEM Network is an independent community for established business leaders and experienced advisers already working in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and manufacturing.
It started in Oxfordshire in 2019 and has evolved considerably since then.
What hasn't changed is the belief behind it: people do better business when they know, trust and understand one another.
How it started
Oxford STEM Network was founded by marketing consultant Su Copeland in 2019.
Through her marketing consultancy, Su was increasingly working with STEM business leaders and noticed something interesting. She knew plenty of good professional advisers, but the ones who really understood a life sciences business weren't necessarily the same people who understood software, engineering or manufacturing. Sector experience mattered.
So she started asking people she trusted a simple question: who do you work with?
Initial conversations took place informally in a pub with people who already worked with STEM businesses. Gradually, clusters emerged: people with genuine experience in life sciences, technology and software, engineering, manufacturing and other specialist sectors.
The original idea became the STEM Advisers Network, focused primarily on connecting specialist advisers. It later became the Oxford Science and Technology Network and, as the community broadened beyond advisers and became increasingly useful to business leaders themselves, evolved into today's Oxford STEM Network.
What we're here to do now
We want more established STEM business leaders to have somewhere they can meet peers and knowledgeable advisers without walking into a room full of people waiting to sell to them.
And we want experienced advisers to build genuine relationships with STEM leaders and with one another.
That means creating an environment where people can ask questions, share experience, recommend others, make introductions and collaborate. Business sometimes follows. But the relationship comes first.
Our approach
Everyone already working in STEM is welcome.
You don't need an invitation and you don't need to know somebody already. You do need to be already working in science, technology, engineering, mathematics or manufacturing, either within a STEM business or as an experienced adviser to businesses in these sectors.
No pitching.
Talk to people. Ask questions. Find out what they're doing. Don't work the room.
No category exclusivity.
We don't reserve 'the accountant spot', 'the lawyer spot' or 'the marketing spot'. People buy from people, and STEM leaders deserve choice.
Collaboration beats competition.
Having people with overlapping expertise in the same room isn't a problem. Quite often it's useful.
Come when you want.
There is no attendance requirement.
Geography isn't a boundary.
We're called Oxford STEM Network because this is where the community started. Most meetings take place in Oxfordshire, but you don't have to live or work in Oxfordshire to attend.
What does STEM mean to us?
For Oxford STEM Network, STEM means:
Science
Technology
Engineering
Mathematics
Manufacturing
We deliberately include manufacturing because it is an essential part of the ecosystem connecting innovation, engineering, technology and commercial application.