Harrison Nott, a 16-year-old entrepreneur from the UK, dropped out of college to focus on CoolTowel, his towel business that uses evaporative cooling technology. After winning £150,000 at an Alibaba pitching competition and securing Rio Ferdinand as an investor, Harrison now makes £750,000 annually with his company, which has grown significantly since its inception in 2023.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Harrison Nott, a 16-year-old entrepreneur based in London, dropped out of college to start his business CoolTowel, which specializes in towels that provide instant relief from heat through evaporative cooling. In 2023, Harrison won the Alibaba Concrete Pitch Event, securing a £150,000 prize after competing against 15,000 contestants globally. Impressed by his vision, former England football player Rio Ferdinand became an investor and head of partnerships for CoolTowel. Now, three years later, Harrison is earning £750,000 a year, showcasing the rapid growth and success of his startup despite starting in his bedroom.
Written for “Teen Entrepreneur Success Story” on 2026-10-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
A teenage entrepreneur who ditched college to start a towel business full-time has revealed how he is now earning £750,000 a year.
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he → ditch → 750,000
Avid squash player Harrison Nott, 16, first started CoolTowel in his bedroom in 2023 - with the hopes of creating specialist towels that provide instant relief from heat.
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that → start → heat
Relying purely on evaporative cooling, the towels are manufactured with three-layer polyester fabric.
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towels → rely → fabric
All the user has to do is wet the towel, wring out the excess and snap it sharply in the air before placing it onto the skin.
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user → have → skin
What initially started as a distant dream soon saw profound success.
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started → start → success
Last year, Harrison won the Alibaba Concrete Pitch Event - securing a £150,000 jackpot prize after beating 15,000 contestants from across the globe.
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Harrison → win → globe
Rio Ferdinand, who was among the judges, was so impressed that he swapped numbers with Harrison - and has since become an investor in CoolTowel.
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he → swap → CoolTowel
Three years on, business is booming for Harrison, who even managed to keep the company afloat during his GCSEs and now boasts a remarkable revenue of £750,000.
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who → manage → 750,000
Recalling how important it was to secure the financial support from former England player Rio, Harrison said: 'At that moment it was a bit of a blur.
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it → recall → blur
I couldn't believe Rio Ferdinand had taken my number.
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Ferdinand → believe → number
I was very excited and optimistic for how he could help.
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he → help → ?
'Having that name backing the business is quite a significant thing so it was a no-brainer when he offered to spend his time on it.'
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he → have → it
A teenage entrepreneur who ditched college to start a towel business full-time has revealed how he is now earning £750,000 a year
Rio Ferdinand swapped numbers with Harrison - and has since become an investor in CoolTowel
Avid squash player Harrison Nott, 16, first started CoolTowel in 2023 - which sells specialist towels that provide instant relief from heat via evaporative cooling
A few months after his contest win, Harrison met with Rio in London to discuss his vision for the business, and the former England player decided to come on board as both an investor and head of partnerships.
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player → ditch → partnerships
At the same time, Harrison was completing his GCSEs which he managed to pass, but he made the hard decision not to go to college and university as he has always planned.
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he → complete → college
He said: 'I really do value school, but me and my parents made the decision that it would be best for me to not go to college.
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me → say → college
'It is like stepping away from the norm.
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It → step → norm
Not going to college is burning the bridge.
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going → go → bridge
I think it is frowned upon in the UK to not go into education and go full-time into entrepreneurship.
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it → think → entrepreneurship
All of my friends are going to college and seeing each other, and I am on a different path which was a bit sad but it was a sacrifice that had to be made.'
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that → go → path
Not long after, Harrison flew to LA to meet with Rio where he met a whole host of celebrities, including James Corden.
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he → fly → Corden
When he returned, Harrison realised he had sold all of his stock in the space of just two days - making £100k in revenue in one night.
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he → return → night
He then started a pre-order function as they were selling more than they had, propelled by the continued UK heatwaves.
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they → start → heatwaves
As his business began to soar, Harrison was completing his GCSEs which he managed to pass, but he made the hard decision not to go to college and university as he has always planned
Last year, Harrison won the Alibaba Concrete Pitch Event - securing a £150,000 jackpot prize after beating 15,00 contestants from across the globe
CoolTowel helps to lower your body temperature by relying solely on physical evaporative cooling
In one week, Harrison's company sold £600,000 worth of stock bringing their revenue this year to over £750,000.
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company → begin → 750,000
However, things have not been entirely smooth sailing for the young businessman, with issues around TikTok shop cancelling orders meaning that he lost out on three months of the heatwaves, which he belives would have made him millions.
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him → cancel → heatwaves
Scammers have also used his face in their adverts, with one managing to rake in 20,000 orders.
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one → use → orders
And though he is doing very well in revenue, there are many hidden costs, including advertisement campaigns and commission for affiliates, which mean he is yet to turn a profit.
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he → do → profit
It has been very good, with a very terrible last few months,' Harrison said.
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Harrison → say → months
'The future is looking a bit brighter.
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future → look → ?
We have got big plans.
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We → get → plans
'It is not just a business in my bedroom anymore, it is a brand that is helping people properly.
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that → help → people
'It isn't physical cash in bank yet but I have got a lot of stock and assets.
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I → get → stock
If we keep going we should break even.'
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we → keep → ?
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