It had recently been discussed by Sam Shead (editor at LinkedIn News) that the prestigious University of Cambridge have indeed set up a new “Founders” programme.

The programme is expected to simplify and amplify ones success within the area of technology, as a founder, believing that it would be incredibly sufficient and helpful to not only the students and founders, but also the ecosystem itself.

As explored in an article by Tony Quested (Cambridge University Launches a Founder Firms on a Rocket to the Stars ), the programme is set to put startup tech founders on the map. It is suggested that the data sourced from Dealroom shows that Cambridge in-fact produces more founders than any other university city in the world with a track record of creating 23 unicorns.

Note that current companies founded by Cambridge Alumni includes the following:

• Improbable – Herman Narula & Rob Whitehead, Co-Founders.
• Opto BioSystems – Dr Ben Woodington, Co-Founder.
• Hide Biotech – Dr Yudi Ding, CEO and Co-Founder.
• DeepMirror AI – Dr Ryan Greenhalgh, CTO and Co-Founder.

(See Cambridge Alumni’s Tech Firm Startup, Improbable, Raises $500 Million and Alumni News on Enterprise Startup firms for reference)

With Cambridge’s international scope, what type of effect do you think the new programme will have on other universities? Will it pressurise the educational system, and could this bring more business to the UK?

It is a fundamental expectation that one’s choice of university (or educational institution) is set to fulfil their needs, whether that is gaining more experience, connections, or flexibility.

Tech News Thursday in fact carried out a survey amongst current university students, and it was noted that 78% of students want there to be more opportunities that enable them to gain hands-on knowledge on how to run an organisation.

A study carried out by Business Insider suggest that Gen Z’s want to in-fact retire at the age of 68 (the latest).

So, with the rise of Generation Z getting into the work force, it is becoming increasingly apparent that there is a clear desire to work tirelessly for what they are interested in to retire at the age of 68 and be financially free. Now, in this current climate, that may be a long shot; however, with more access to these opportunities (such as the “Founders” programme), we could potentially see a rise in students’ wellbeing in a professional setting, happiness, and drive to retire at a young age, essentially enabling students to be more efficient in what they do.

Do you think we could potentially see Gen Z’s retire at “younger”ages, or do you think there is still a long way that the educational system has to go before one can retire at a young age?

See the Business Insiders study on Gen Z at Gen Z Working Desires for reference

See also Cambridge’s page on the new programme at Technology at Cambridge

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