Tech entrepreneur Ben Towers has been named as one of the youngest recipients in the King’s New Year Honours list.
The 27-year-old, from Gillingham, in Kent, is the founder of Happl, an AI-native employee benefits platform for global companies.
With offices in London and New York, Happl is backed by Y Combinator – the Silicon Valley incubator that helped launch Airbnb and Reddit – as well as notable investors including Tom Blomfield, co-founder of Monzo and GoCardless
He’s been awarded an MBE for services to the startup business community, after founding his first business at just 11 years old and being identified as ‘one of the UK’s most exciting entrepreneurs’ by Richard Branson while still a teenager.
On receiving his MBE, Towers said: “Never did 11-year-old me, coding in my bedroom, ever imagine I would be awarded an MBE. I’m just a young guy from Kent who loves to build and solve problems using technology.
“Over the years, I’ve been able to build some great companies, but I’m equally honoured to have supported so many charities.
“I was also privileged to work with the Prime Minister’s Office at 10 Downing Street to help shape the Government’s AI strategy.”
Towers, who has always been motivated by creating things that help people, started his first business at the age of 11.
By 17, he was named by The Times as one of ‘the smartest teenagers on the planet’ and ‘one of the UK’s most exciting entrepreneurs’ by Richard Branson.
Towers has since gone on to successfully exit his marketing agency, invest in multiple startups, and advise governments and PLCs on entrepreneurship programmes.
He founded Happl in 2022 and it’s now trusted in over 160+ countries, with clients including Hootsuite, Kainos and Seed Legals.
Business expert, Dr Alison Edgar MBE, commented: “Ben’s honour is incredibly well deserved. I first met him when he was just 15 and have watched him work tirelessly – not only to grow his own ventures, but to inspire many other young entrepreneurs to believe that anything is possible.”
Towers is also a ambassador for Young Enterprise, The King’s Trust, Dogs Trust, and the Young Lives Foundation.
He follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, who was awarded an MBE for services to the community of Morland, Cumbria.