A real pinch yourself moment… I’ve been recognised with an honour in King Charles’s very first Birthday Honours List for services to social mobility. My new passport will read Joseph Seddon BEM 🫡🤣
The work of
@lewis_goodall
over the past couple of days to shine a light on the inequities of the Ofqual system and universities’ responses has been nothing short of exceptional. A fantastic champion of social mobility!
Excited to announce that I am one of this year’s recipients of the
@DianaAward
in memory of Princess Diana 🕺
It’s great to be recognised for my work with
@zerogravity
- and can’t wait to reveal all the exciting things we’ve got in store this year to level the playing field!
From Free School Meals to Oxford University: Janhavi’s Journey with
@zerogravity

It's not every day that you come across a story as inspiring as Zero Gravity member, Janhavi Gupta.
I've seen the difference the digital platform
@zerogravity
can make in Doncaster to state school students applying to top universities by mentoring young people through the process. If you want a mentor for free to help you achieve your university ambitions, sign up now.
I try to avoid getting political on Twitter, but this craziness has to be called out.
Today’s leaked proposal that the government is considering abolishing inheritance tax is one of the most backward policies I’ve seen in quite some time.
Last night, something incredible happened at the
@CogX_Festival
–
@zerogravity
took home the Rising Star Startup Award along with the £25,000 grand prize! 🎉
After three years serving on the Board of
@bycLIVE
, my trusteeship comes to an end this November. I’m too old now!
This is an unparalleled opportunity for young people to set the strategic direction of a national charity that amplifies the voices of young people, and build
📣16-25 years old and inspired at the thought of helping to set the vision, values and objectives of the British youth Council? We're looking for ✨4 new Trustees and a Treasurer✨ to join our board!
👉️More:
People often ask me ‘What’s it like running a tech startup?’.
Well, running
@zerogravity
doesn’t get much weirder than jumping out of a swimming pool whilst on holiday in Dubrovnik to do a prime time
@SkyNewsBreak
interview with
@markaustintv
on A Level results day. 🤣
Great feature in
@MetroUK
of
@zerogravity
member
@ZekaFiona
on her incredible journey to Oxford University and dream of becoming the UN High Commissioner for Refugees!
Far more needs to be done to provide students with the support they need in this tough period.
As such, have signed a letter in
@thetimes
today alongside
@bycLIVE
,
@BearGrylls
and
@michaelsheen
calling on the government to deliver the £500 million Youth Investment Fund.
Young people face unprecedented challenges. Investing in them is never more needed than now.
Alongside more than 100 organisations, we’re calling on the government to
#BackYouth
and deliver the £500 million Youth Investment Fund promised over a year ago.
The controversy surrounding the Ofqual grading model shines a light on the stark reality of entrenched educational inequality in the UK. A model designed to recreate previous years’ results - unsurprisingly - systematically shafted low income students with big ambitions.
Earlier I i/ved Mithushan
He'd be the 1st in his school to go to Oxbridge (
@CaiusCollege
, medicine). Perfect GCSEs. State school. Predicted 4A*. Result: 1A* 3A. He's now been told he's been unsuccessful in his application.
His story embodies something important about today.
Gareth Southgate’s personal story is emblematic of this England team’s story. Overlooked, written off, misread. But with a mentality which unites all of those around - and wins. Gareth Southgate the whole of England is with you 🏴🏴🏴
Young people are being screwed.
Sounds harsh? Maybe, but look at the numbers.
After the gruelling journey through university and into a graduate job, graduates are met with a wall of taxes that are now staggeringly high.
Action starts now. So from today I am significantly extending the
@joinzg
platform to guarantee a dedicated undergrad mentor for all those disadvantged students who missed out on their top university place and now want to re-apply. We owe it to them to correct this injustice.
🎓This is Joe Seddon, who founded
@zerogravity
aged 23
🪜It helps students from underprivileged backgrounds apply to university
💻It matches applicants with those already at university
🚀 Joe went on his own socially mobile rocket journey after going to Oxford University /1
This is one of the best articles you’ll ever read on transforming access to elite universities.
@joshi
not only articulates the challenges many face, but beautifully captures the state of mind of ambitious students attempting to defy the odds. The outcomes speak for themselves.
Nice little feature for
@zerogravity
in the
@standardnews
today on democratising access to application support for students who can’t afford private tuition
More damaging than the direct effect of the Ofqual algorithm on lowered grades and university rejections is the increasing perception amongst young people that social mobility is a lie and the system will always be against them. When the anger turns to cynicism, we’ve truly lost.
Paula Vennells should be stripped of her CBE immediately.
Honouring people like her makes the honours system look like a complete sham - a chumocracy that rewards social status rather those who’ve made a real impact without any desire for recognition.
So to everyone who's been a part of the incredible
@zerogravity
journey so far, thank you. Whilst I’m proud of everything we’ve achieved to date, we’re only just getting started. 🕺🕺🕺
It’s been an incredible journey so far scaling the
@zerogravity
platform from mentoring 150 to 8,000+ students from low-opportunity backgrounds into top universities. And to see so many of our
@zerogravity
members now using the platform to win job roles at leading employers - who
The
#milifandom
is real!
Thank you
@Ed_Miliband
for your support to unleash the incredible talent living in Doncaster this year with our
@zerogravity
mentoring magic.
We're delighted to be working with
@Ed_Miliband
to support state school students into top universities this year.
Are you a Year 13 student thinking of applying to a top university this year?
If so, sign up for a
@zerogravity
mentor now at:
And if it’s not evident enough from the article, can also vouch for the fact that
@joshi
is a top bloke too! He was the first person to publicise my work when I was just a 21 year old in a bedroom with a big idea.
@zerogravity
wouldn’t exist without him.
📚 The next chapter for
@JimmysJobs
📈 The TL:DR - we are growing fast and we are hiring
💵 Interested in entrepreneurship and the future of the economy?
🛩️ Attempting to share as widely as possible to open it up to as many candidates as possible
100% agree.
There is far too much ideology in education research and far too little focus on asking difficult questions which may yield politically unpalatable answers. Cracking the code of why some groups do so much better than others is key to ending the attainment gap.
"I found it impossible to persuade research groups to undertake such work; they feared being denounced by activists who object to any investigation of ethnic disparity that does not conclude the answer is “structural racism” says
@TrevorPTweets
@thetimes
We need a national conversation about this. We need a tax system that supports ambition, rewards hard work, and encourages young people to aim high without punishing them when they succeed.
While the medal carries my name, the honour is really a testament to the talent and determination of the entire
@zerogravity
community. Together, we have been dedicated to our mission to unlock potential by powering students from low-opportunity backgrounds into uni, work, and
Zero Gravity shows that technology can be a force for good in the world. Our platform has powered 8,000+ students from low-opportunity areas into top universities, proving that it’s possible to be digitally powered and human-driven.
At Zero Gravity, we're not just winning awards; we're using tech to empower the next generation and build a better future for everyone. Because when talent wins, everyone wins.
Thank you,
@CogX_Festival
and
@AlbionVC
for this fantastic recognition - this is just the beginning!
This may seem like a pipe dream today, but if the last few years have taught me anything, it's that it's possible to land the future you didn’t think possible 🕺🕺🕺
It’s a paradoxical system – we tax the young, broke, and assetless to the hilt, yet hesitate to ask for more from those who’ve accumulated vast amounts of wealth.
I know a number of state school students who’ve suffered from this quirk in the Ofqual model. These students were awarded an A* in Further Maths, but only an A grade in Maths, and therefore failed to meet university offers which required an A* in Maths.
The ultimate goal is to make levelling up a reality - first in the UK and then worldwide! - by breaking the link between where you're from and what you can achieve.
@jnigelscott
@alexsobel
Yes, but government should be focusing on reducing taxes on earned income and increasing taxes on unearned income if it wants to make the economy fairer and more competitive
Great opportunity to join the
@bycLIVE
Trustee team and be involved in the strategic decision making of one of the UK’s leading youth charities.
Feel free to slide into my DMs for advice on applying / to find out more!
And it was that very Times subscription that helped spark my passion for politics, business, and economics which ultimately led me to study PPE at
@MansfieldOxford
.
First off, let’s remember: talent is spread evenly, but opportunity is not.
Inheritance tax exists to reduce the gap between talent and opportunity by trying to prevent huge wealth inequalities being entrenched across generations.
The entire system is propped up by government subsidy and a cohort of hyper-socially mobile students who accumulate huge “debt” burdens at uni which are then compounded by high interest rates in early career before mid-career salary progression enables net inroads into debt
And I should mention something about interest. I paid a lower rate of interest than current students. For those starting in 2020 in England and Wales their rate of interest is 5.6%. So a third year student who owes £30,000 will have £1,680 added to their debt this year.
Not to mention that abolishing inheritance tax would cost £7.2bn a year.
To put that in context, it would cost roughly £7.5bn a year to abolish tuition fees, which would immediately reduce the tax burden on young people graduating from university.
Instead of perpetuating a system that lightens the tax load for the wealthiest, we should be driving policies that make the UK economy more competitive by spreading access to opportunity to everyone.
As Janhavi steps into the hallowed halls of Oxford, she not only unlocks her own potential but illuminates the path for others from similar backgrounds to follow in her footsteps and create their own success.
Certainly arguable that those who reap the economic rewards of university education should pay significantly more than those who don’t.
But the current distribution makes it clear that policymakers should consider why most grads are never in a position to make repayments.
My powerhouse of a mum somehow managed to raise three pesky kids alongside working tirelessly in the NHS, whilst my inspirational grandmother mentored me from a young age.
What can look like an overnight success is often the product of months of setbacks, self-doubt, and battling against the odds. What always kept me going was
@zerogravity
’s mission.
So how about the government spend more time thinking about how to create a society where potential is no longer defined by postcode, rather than exploring policies that amplify advantages for the few?
@CorinneVigreux
@zerogravity
Thanks
@CorinneVigreux
! We mentored 1000+ students into top unis last year (incl. 151 into Oxbridge) through our cutting edge digital platform & unorthodox thinking. We’re now scaling to thousands more so support from those who’ve scaled great businesses always appreciated..! 🕺
While many young people are juggling student debt repayments, rising rent, and the challenges of an unpredictable job market, this proposed cut offers a handout to those already standing on the solid ground of substantial wealth.
If you want to stay ahead of the game in terms of what’s happening with the future of work, this is a cracker from
@jimmym
. Everyone should check it out!
🚀🚀 Launching Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future 🚀🚀
A podcast interviewing entrepreneurs about where the jobs of the future are coming from.
Short half hour interviews distilled into a Prime Ministerial style briefing. Follow us
@jimmysjobs
/1
We don’t do anywhere near good enough as a country to support “outliers” like Mithushan - talented students who consistently defy the odds.
How many other students like Mithushan have fallen through the net over the years due to neglect? And which institutions just stood by?
The difference in grades between London and the North is not due to differing levels of intelligence - it’s down to differing levels of opportunity.
Talent is spread evenly, but opportunity is not. And
@zerogravity
is changing that. 🚀
Let’s start that conversation now. Because there’s a generation of young people who are quickly losing hope about the future. The tax system is broken - and now is the time for action.
Talent is spread evenly, but opportunity is not. I wanted to change that by creating a digital platform to propel students from low-income backgrounds into uni, work, and life.
@RektTradoor
@Shawred0
This is an award my company won at the UK Tech Business Awards. We have nothing to do with any of the above or the people you’ve tagged, so I would be careful that you’re not being scammed…!
It was my late Gran who gifted me a subscription to The Times when I was a teenager, teaching me the importance of staying informed and engaged with the world.
Success for me is looking back in five years' time and seeing the
@ForbesUnder30
list overflowing with
@zerogravity
members from across all four corners of the UK.
At a time in which the tax burden is at a record high on working people, why is the government even considering a tax cut that only benefits the wealthiest 4%?
@leedolman9
@EFL
How does the linesman not pick that one up? Is a clear red and 5 yards in front of him…!
Don’t think our players show enough gamesmanship though. Where was the player reaction to surround the referee and demand the sending off (like Weds players did to Morton…!)?
This year’s A Level results saw the biggest fall ever in top grades, as the pandemic’s effect on school students finally came out into the open. Students from low-income backgrounds in Yorkshire and the North East were particularly badly affected, with only 23% of Yorkshire
This isn’t a horror story; this is the reality for graduates in 21st century Britain – a tax system with the highest tax rates we’ve seen in 50 years.
We now live in a country where graduates earning £30k a year pay a marginal tax rate of 46%, those earning £60k pay 56%, and
The rest? Swallowed by a tax system that seems almost relentless in its demands.
It’s not just about the 40% income tax or the 20% hit when you start losing your personal allowance.