Sixth Form students were recently inspired by entrepreneur and former investment banker Jinesh Vohra (OL 2002), who returned to share his journey from John Lyon to founding a £40m fintech business.

The talk opened with Dr Morgan White, Economics teacher set the scene with key insights into mortgages, interest rates and the impact of the 2008 financial crisis providing valuable context for Jinesh’s story.

In a lively student-led Q&A, Jinesh reflected on his path: joining John Lyon in Year 7 as one of the youngest in his cohort, studying at the University of Warwick, and going on to work at Goldman Sachs. He spoke candidly about the intensity of investment banking, working up to 100 hours a week and the importance of standing out in a highly competitive environment.

Driven to build something of his own, Jinesh founded Sprive, a free app helping UK homeowners pay off mortgages faster, now valued at over £40 million. He also shared how appearing on Dragon’s Den boosted the app’s profile, helping it grow into one of the UK’s most downloaded financial platforms.

Looking ahead, Jinesh plans to expand Sprive into tackling student loans and credit card debt, continuing his mission to improve financial wellbeing.

His visit left students motivated and inspired an excellent reminder of where ambition, resilience and initiative can lead.