About us

We believe that family income should not be a barrier to the pursuit of excellence

Our mission

Our mission is to enable and nurture talented individuals from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to thrive within world-leading postgraduate study and become STEM leaders. Our vision is that family income is never a barrier to postgraduate study.

Postgraduate degrees are increasingly associated with academic and career advancement. Student loans often fall short of tuition fees, never mind the cost of living. This puts postgraduate study out of reach for many who cannot fund their studies through financial support from their family.

The Martingale Postgraduate Scholarship is our flagship programme that supports passionate and talented students facing financial barriers to pursue Masters and PhDs and excel in them.

Launched in 2022, the Martingale Foundation is currently incubated by Purposeful Ventures, a not-for-profit that partners with social entrepreneurs and philanthropists to improve the education and well-being of young people from their earliest years. We are proudly supported by world leading algorithmic trading company XTX Markets, whose generosity has helped make our Scholarships possible.

How Martingale Started

The idea for the Martingale Foundation originated within XTX Markets, and was developed through further conversations with Purposeful Ventures and our founding partner universities. While access to undergraduate degrees is rightly a priority for universities, there has been much less focus on postgraduate degrees.

XTX Markets has committed long-term funding to develop the Martingale Foundation, including core operating costs and scholarships for Masters and PhDs in the mathematical sciences. Together, we have a shared vision to build a foundation that will champion access to postgraduate degrees and will change how the sector develops talent.

Founding donor xtx markets

‘It’s quite clear that everyone at Martingale wants to give you the opportunity to do your best in the application process as it was very straightforward and well communicated.’
Joel

What is a ‘martingale’?

A martingale is a mathematical concept, our founding subject of interest at Martingale. In probability theory, a martingale is a random process where the expectation of future values is equal to the current value, regardless of all prior values.

We have named the Martingale Foundation after this concept as we believe that students who have excelled in their undergraduate studies should be supported to excel at postgraduate level, irrespective of family income.

Contact

The Martingale Foundation is here to support candidates in any way you need. We also welcome enquiries from universities, whether about current recruitment activities or future partnership opportunities. If you have a question or message for us, please reach out through the form.