A 15-year-old British entrepreneur has been crowned the Grand Winner of Alibaba.com’s CoCreate Pitch, securing a $200,000 prize for his innovative small business, CoolTowel, at the platform’s flagship B2B event in London.
Held on 14 November, CoCreate Europe brought together thousands of SMEs from across the continent, with 30 finalists shortlisted to pitch their product innovations to a panel of global business leaders. Each finalist was tasked with delivering a 90-second pitch to win the competition’s top accolade.
Following what judges described as a “fantastic pitch” and a “brilliant product”, Harrison Nott, from Essex, was named Grand Winner for his CoolTowel, a reusable cooling towel designed to provide instant relief during workouts, hot weather, travel and outdoor activities.
Despite his age, Harrison has already built an impressive enterprise: CoolTowel generates £200,000 in annual turnover, and his entrepreneurial journey — documented on social media — has attracted more than 50,000 followers and millions of views. He credits early encouragement and support from his parents for fuelling his passion for business.
Alongside the Grand Winner, 10 additional finalists were highly commended, each receiving $20,000 in prizes for their innovations. These were:
• UK: Nutri Troops, Intotum, HUID
• France: Azza Fencing, Opack, Portalo
• Germany: TRAINOM, RAZECO, Garados Swimwear
• Italy: Reeflex
This year marked the inaugural European edition of CoCreate Pitch. Alibaba.com reported an exceptionally high quality of entries, with British SMEs standing out for their commitment to sustainability: 18% of UK submissions featured environmental concepts, outperforming France, Italy and Germany.
Together, CoCreate Pitch Europe and CoCreate Pitch Vegas have now awarded $1 million in global prize funding, bringing together more than 4,000 SMEs across the two events. The programme reflects Alibaba.com’s focus on accelerating SME growth, helping businesses adopt AI-driven sourcing tools and unlocking new international opportunities.
Speaking after his win, Harrison said: “I’m speechless. I have worked so hard to get here and didn’t expect to win. I couldn’t be more grateful to Alibaba.com for the opportunity.”
Kuo Zhang, President of Alibaba.com, praised the calibre of entries: “CoCreate Europe celebrated the very best of SME product innovation. The creativity and fresh thinking on display were inspiring, and we have a one-of-a-kind winner in Harrison Nott and CoolTowel.
“At Alibaba.com, we are committed to helping SMEs fulfil their growth ambitions by democratising AI tools and digital sourcing.”