- PPE student at Durham University
- BlackRock intern in Private Equity (RE) Investing
- Durham University 1st XI Football
- Head Boy at Repton School
Who
Founded by Student Business Owners
Charlie Bramwell and Rory Edwards built The Too Early Co while studying at Durham University. They work from inside the same university system, graduate market, and business networks their users are in.
The pair have had hundreds of conversations with business owners, founders, and more developed companies across the UK to pilot the idea and test early-stage demand. TEC received approximately 300 student applications in the trial stage, most of them through word of mouth.
They also formed partnerships with leading UK universities, which gave early access to student and business networks. After the trial, the matching software was rebuilt to reduce the number of steps required of both sides.
- Studying Economics at Durham University
- Versus Acta intern in climate-tech (Incoming)
- Captain of Durham University 1st XI Football
- Scaled Spanish teaching platform and YouTube channel "Spanish with Rors"
What
A matching service for defined project work
Businesses tell us what needs to be done. We identify students who can deliver it, then place the work through a structured internship.
The Too Early Co connects students from leading UK universities with businesses that have a clear piece of work to complete, from start-ups and scale-ups through to SMEs. We are not a general job board, and we do not run high-volume internship schemes.
Matching begins with the project brief. From there, assessment, shortlisting, and placement are all organised around that piece of work.
How the service works
Step01
Define the project(s)
Businesses submit a brief with Ask TEC. The brief sets out the deliverable, whether the work is AI workplace integration only or that plus other project work, tools, skills required, success criteria, and timeframe.
Step02
Course, then assessment
Students take the TEC AI Workplace Integration Course, about two weeks, then an assessment. A pass is required before they are shown to businesses. Accreditation is recognised externally, partnering with some of the UK's top universities, and shows the skills needed to make a real difference inside SMEs.
Step03
Present a focused shortlist
Businesses receive a short shortlist with clear evidence linked to the brief. Students move to interview where we believe they can have a real impact.
Step04
Deliver through an internship
Once both sides agree, onboarding is adapted to the business's tools and working methods. The placement runs as a structured project-based internship, in summer or during the academic year, depending on preference.
Why
The current route leaves talent unused
TEC exists to place strong students into early-stage project work, support entrepreneurial activity in the UK, and offer an alternative to corporate screening that often closes the door too early.
Large employers still place heavy weight on applications written to pass a filter. Students with genuine ability can be filtered out before anyone has assessed what they can do. At the same time, businesses need people who can contribute to live work, not just candidates with a well-structured CV.
The Too Early Co was built to address that gap. We match students to defined project(s), give businesses a clearer path to delivery, and give students a serious route into growing UK businesses during university.
01
Able students are filtered out too early
Many strong candidates are rejected before anyone reviews their ability. Corporate ATS systems often favour keyword-heavy CVs, which can leave capable students behind.
02
Early-stage work should be accessible
Put strong students into live project work so they learn how those businesses actually operate. That is how we support better operators, stronger businesses and a more competitive UK economy.
03
A clearer path through university
TEC offers a structured route during university: access to opportunities, project experience along the way, and stronger options for students who perform well.
04
Support for UK businesses
Placing capable students into those teams helps companies get defined work done, and keeps talent closer to the businesses that need it.
Continue