In the summer of 2023, 16‑year‑old Harrison Nott launched CoolTowel from his Essex bedroom; the reusable cooling towels have now surpassed £750,000 in sales, largely thanks to a heatwave‑driven surge.
Nott entered Alibaba’s CoCreate Pitch, outshining 15,000 competitors worldwide to win a £150,000 prize. Former England striker Rio Ferdinand, one of the judges, was impressed and subsequently backed the venture, providing capital and mentorship.
CoolTowel’s 80,000 units sold through TikTok Shop and Shopify translate to about £100,000 in a single hot‑night sale, while pre‑orders in a week pushed stock sales to £600,000. Yet supply‑chain hiccups on TikTok Shop, copy‑cat ads, and high marketing costs have kept the company from turning a profit.
Despite passing his GCSEs, Nott and his parents decided he should forgo college; he says, "It’s like burning the bridge, but it feels right."
Nott is eyeing U.S. expansion and aims to break even by Q4 2024; he says the brand will evolve from a bedroom startup to a full‑scale operation, hoping to support more customers amid rising heat‑wave demand.