Sara Berkai

About

Sara Berkai is a founder and investor focused on education and technology, based in New York. A first-generation student, Berkai holds an MSc in Child Development from the University of Oxford and a first-class BSc from University College London. Her work has been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30, Innovate UK, the UN’s ITU Young ICT Leader award, and the Conduit Young Innovator award. She has delivered lectures at Stanford, UC Berkeley, MIT, and the University of Oxford, and serves on the advisory boards of UCL School of Management and SXSW EDU. Berkai also founded the First Venture Award, a grant program encouraging young students to pursue social entrepreneurship.

Ambessa

In 2020, during her master’s degree, Berkai founded Ambessa, a social enterprise encouraging children to build. For every DIY kit purchased, one is donated to a displaced out-of-school child who lacks access to consistent electricity. With over 250 million children currently out of school and 40 million displaced, Ambessa teaches science through play and first principles, and sparks confidence through hands-on making. Launched through a successful grassroots Kickstarter campaign, Ambessa has since been featured in WIRED, The Financial Times, Fast Company, and Disegno. The company won Dezeen’s Product of the Year 2024, and its kits are now sold in museums and schools across the UK and US, and to parents and preppers in more than 35 countries.

First Venture

In 2020, Berkai ran a series of social impact workshops across London state schools, called Nobody Gets Fired for Building a Well, based on Clayton Christensen's work. This experience led to the founding of First Venture in 2026, an annual prize supporting students in London state schools to explore social entrepreneurship.