Entrepreneurs Meet at School

Sam and Barney met at Bloxham and are co-founders of Zeelo, serving as CEO and CCO respectively. Founded in 2016, Zeelo transports millions of riders in the UK and America to their place of work or education. Zeelo ranked 29^th in The Sunday Times 100 Tech 2025 list, which recognises the UK’s 100 fastest growing tech firms.

 

In 2023, not only did Sam win the coveted European CEO of the Year Award, recognising his game-changing contribution to the sustainable mobility industry over the past decade, but the company also secured $14m (£11m) in venture capital investment to further its growth in America and boost product development.   Sam and Barney relocated to America and opened a US headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. They were recognised in the Association for Commuter Transport’s “40 Under 40 Award”, which honours standout professionals in the sector. Sam was listed in Boston Business Journal’s “40 Under 40 Award” for his visionary leadership and the remarkable progress Zeelo has made in revolutionising the mobility sector and named as one of HURUN UK’s U35 entrepreneurs to watch in 2024 for his leadership in driving major innovation in the transportation and mobility sector. It was great to hear from Sam and Barney about their time at school and their ambitions for the future.

 

Zeelo has grown to become the leading transportation management solution in North America, the UK and Ireland. Our success is fuelled by our passion to provide the best shuttle experience, the best value for money for our clients and creating lasting partnerships with our large network of vetted operators.”  Sam Ryan, Zeelo CEO & Co-founder

 

 

Sam Ryan (Cr 06-11)

Throughout his years at Bloxham, Sam showed an ability to blend his academic prowess with his sporting skills. At the 2009 Founderstide prize giving ceremony, he won the Junior Business Award and the Junior Spanish award and in his final year, he won the Senior Economics Prize. Sam was a School Prefect and a member of the Wine Society. He played 1^st XV rugby and gained his rugby Full Colours, however he was even more talented on the cricket field. In Fourth Form he was captain of the Yearlings but was soon promoted to the 1st XI team. He stayed in the 1^st team throughout his time at Bloxham, gaining his Full Colours in 2010 and was captain (‘leading with professionalism, maturity and enthusiasm’, according to The Bloxhamist 2011).

 

 

Barney Williams (Sy 08-10)

Barney joined Bloxham for Sixth Form. He was a School Prefect, the Wine Society Secretary and at Founderstide he won the Senior Information and Communication Technology award. Playing for the 1^st XI cricket team in Lower Sixth it was noted in The Bloxhamist ‘Barney Williams was the find of the season’. In his final year he was leading wicket taker (including 3-35 against MCS) and gained his Full Colours. He was also a very talented hockey player, part of the 1^st XI team that retained the U18 Oxfordshire title. His career path into the transport sector was perhaps unsurprising, as reported in The Bloxhamist (2010). Barney and Sam were on their way to Bablake School for a rugby match “when the bus driver got horrendously lost and it was left to Barney “TB” Williams to guide us in with his Blackberry satellite navigation system”, as reported by the team coach Richard Longman.

 

 

What A Levels did you do and which have been most useful to your career?

Sam: Maths, Further Maths and Economics. All of them gave me a strong foundation for the Accounting & Finance degree I did at the University of Leeds and provided the basics you need to run a business – being financially literate and understanding supply and demand. I regret dropping Spanish though.

 

Barney: Business Studies, IT, Geography and PE. Business Studies was by far the most helpful. It gave me real life examples of how people start businesses, and create something incredible from scratch, which I found inspiring.

 

 

Which teacher inspired you and why?

Sam: Col Stewart – he taught me why the curriculum in Economics and Business was important and how it applied in the real world. He also really cared about us as people.

 

Barney: My tutor and hockey coach Matt Bull. His approach to communication was incredible. When he talked, everyone would listen. He would deliver messages so clearly and it’s something that I’ve tried to take into my career.

 

 

You both had huge sporting success at school, what were your highlights?

Sam: I was fortunate enough to play in the 1^st XI cricket team and captain the squad for three years. It was daunting to lead older, more experienced players but an experience that I’m extremely grateful for. My favourite sporting memory was winning the Woodard Schools Trophy, which included beating Worksop College (who had three England youth players) with only nine men. That’s some Bloxham spirit!

 

The Bloxhamist 2009: As the 1^st XI cricket team captain: “He [Sam] was excellent throughout. He engendered a strong sense of team spirit, camaraderie and friendship among the players.” Rob Hastings

 

 

Barney: It was fantastic to reach the national finals with the 1st XI hockey team two years in a row.

Winning the Woodard cricket festival at Worksop, chasing 312 to win. And also, winning the House hockey tournament for Seymour as underdogs and scoring the winning flick against Wilson is something I still remember.

 

 

Sam, you joined Crake in Third Form. How did you find boarding?

Crake life under Mr Best was a fantastic all-round experience. He held us accountable and pushed us but he recognised the importance of letting us make mistakes and balance academia with sport and other interests. I really grew up in Crake and it set me up well for life at university.

 

 

Barney, how easy was it to integrate yourself joining for Sixth Form?

At first, it was pretty daunting but I quickly realised that if I threw myself into everything it was easy to make friends and have a lot of fun. Sport certainly helped me to settle in quickly.

 

What are your fondest memories of Bloxham?

Sam: The Sri Lanka cricket tour in 2011 – what an experience! I was part of this cricket tour, playing in the inaugural Murali Trophy where we were crowned Plate Champions. Leading up to the trip, we raised £10,000 to help rebuild areas of the island most affected by the tsunami and knowing the impact our fundraising would have on the country was profoundly moving.

 

Barney: Winning the House Shout for Seymour with a fabulous rendition of Five’s ‘Keep on movin’ alongside a full dance routine was an unforgettable memory. House dances were always great fun too – hosting the Seymour House dance and getting a group of us to become DJs for a night to ‘headline’ was also very entertaining.

 

Sam, did your entrepreneurial talent start with JumpIn while you were at university, or had you done anything before?

My dad was a salesman and he gave me the instinct. I used to make money selling my parents unwanted goods on eBay and I ran my own unofficial tuck shop out of my bedroom in Crake. Then at university, Barney and I founded our first business, JumpIn, which was a community-focussed taxi booking and sharing app for students.

 

Tell us about co-founding Zeelo.

Sam: After selling JumpIn to Addison Lee, Barney and I spent a couple of years there learning our trade; how a larger business operates and some of the challenges that transportation can solve. Growing up outside London, we understood that most people are car dependent to get to work or take their kids to school. We believed in a more sustainable affordable alternative and so we started Zeelo. We were lucky that some of our JumpIn investors were willing to back us again.

 

Barney: Zeelo is a great business because it’s a ‘real’ business. We transport millions of people to important places like their place of work or education. In some cases, we transport people who wouldn’t be able to hold down a job if it wasn’t for Zeelo’s services and that gives me a great sense of pride. We are doing something that is making a difference alongside being commercially successful.

 

 

Sam, what do you most enjoy about being CEO and what drives you each day?

The challenge, the variety and succeeding as a team. Our business has a different set of challenges and opportunities every month because it’s growing and changing all the time. I’m fortunate that I get to experience all of that and empower the team to adapt and succeed.

 

Barney, what drives you?

Innovation, family, success. Inherently, I want to be successful but also I want to make my family proud. My parents worked extremely hard to give me the best opportunities, including going to Bloxham, and I’d like to do something that allows me to do that for my future family.

 

Why did you expand the company to America?

Sam: It’s a huge market, roughly 15 times larger than the UK for what we do and there’s more availability of capital. We considered expanding in Europe but language and regulation makes it more challenging. I think also we relished the challenge – most European businesses fail in expanding to the US and we wanted to buck the trend.

Barney: Expanding to the US has been a challenge and seeing our hard work is really rewarding. In particular, since we’ve been here, our biggest success have been building a great team with aligned values to our team in the UK, and winning major accounts with the likes of Amazon, UPS and Barclays.

 

 

How are you enjoying working and living in the US?

Sam: I thrive on the positive energy and attitude towards entrepreneurs. If you really want to achieve something, you can go and do it. I’m also lucky that I get to travel back to the UK every 4-6 weeks to catch up with the team here, and of course see friends and family.

Barney: American ambition is infectious. It feels as if anything is impossible here and people want to help make your dreams a reality. Also, I love that I can drive two hours north and go skiing.

 

 

What are your hopes and aims for Zeelo?

Sam: The company is still tiny relative to the size of the opportunity. I hope we can build a transatlantic market leader that really makes a difference for the riders and customers who trust in us every day.

 

What has been the most rewarding moment of your career so far?

Barney: When COVID 19 hit our business was rocked and we lost 90% of our revenue overnight. But instead of hibernating, we went on the front foot, pivoted and launched a new service line that helped key workers get to work. Our business grew over 200% that year and it was rewarding to look back at such a terrible time knowing we’ve done our bit, while also growing our business and setting us up for our future growth.

Sam: The resilience we showed to thrive in those difficult moments makes me extremely proud of the culture we’ve built.

 

What are you most proud of?

Sam: It’s hard to pick a specific thing and I’m terrible at stepping back. When I do, I feel proud about the quality of people and companies that trust in our team and in our product every day.

Barney: Growing a business is a journey so I never feel there is a moment that can be classed as an achievement.

 

How did your time at Bloxham prepare you for what you are doing today?

Sam: Bloxham was fantastic for giving me a rounded experience. It wasn’t just about doing well in exams; it was about how we developed as people. For me, that was a lot of time playing sport and learning how to lead teams.

Barney: I think first and foremost it taught me how to communicate and interact with all sorts of different people. There were lots of social events, interactions with teachers and different year groups which, without realising at the time, helped me to build confidence as I moved on to university and the business world.

 

What advice would you give to your past self when you were at Bloxham?

Sam: Be curious, try everything and treat setbacks just as learning experiences on your journey. It’s crazy to pigeonhole yourself at school into one specific career path so embrace everything and it will set you up for whatever you do later.

Barney: Do stuff. Try things. Be busy. Don’t be afraid to ask.

 

 

What are your top tips for success?

Sam: Surround yourself with people smarter than you and make fast learning your superpower.

Barney: Ask for help and network. You’d be surprised at how willing people are to help. Just get going. The hardest part of starting a company is taking the first leap. I always use the sky diving analogy with my team. The fear of ski diving isn’t the free falling itself, it’s the flight up that’s the scary part.

 

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