Harrison Nott

What they built

Founded CoolTowel™ at age 15 from his bedroom in Essex, a reusable evaporative cooling towel that lowers skin temperature during workouts, hot weather, and for people with heat sensitivity. The product uses a three-layer polyester fabric that delivers cooling relief via a simple wet-wring-snap activation, keeping users cool for up to two hours with no chemicals or electricity. Harrison self-funded the brand, scaled it to 25,000+ units sold and £200,000+ in annual revenue, and won the 2025 Alibaba.com CoCreate Pitch competition — beating 15,000 entrants globally — earning a $200,000 prize. The business addresses a genuine overheating problem experienced by athletes, outdoor workers, menopausal women, and pet owners.

Verified track record

• Essex Live (Nov 2025) — 'Essex boy, 16, who started £100k business from his bedroom wins competition' (source)
• SMEWeb (Nov 2025) — '15-year-old UK entrepreneur wins $200,000 prize in CoCreate Europe pitching competition' (source)
• RetailTimes (Nov 2025) (source)
• Good News Network (2025) — 'Boy Selling Towel That Stays Cool for 2 Hours Wins $200,000 in Prize Money' (source)
• Side Hustle Nation (2025) — 'This 15-Year-Old Built a $100k Business From His Bedroom' (source)
• CoolTowel official site (confirms age 16) (source)