A 27 year old man from Gillingham, Kent, has been awarded an MBE for services to the startup business community.
Ben Towers’ work has been focused on building technology driven companies and supporting others to do the same.
Motivated from an early age by creating tools that help people, Towers launched his first business at the age of 11. What began as website building for friends and family later became a digital marketing agency, which he successfully exited at 19.
By 17, Ben Towers was named by The Times as one of “the smartest teenagers on the planet” and described as “one of the UK’s most exciting entrepreneurs” by Richard Branson. Since then, he has invested in multiple startups and advised governments, FTSE firms and PLCs on entrepreneurship programmes, digital transformation, Gen Z engagement and the future of employment.
In 2022, Towers founded Happl, an AI-native employee benefits and rewards platform for global enterprises. Happl operates from London and New York and is backed by Y Combinator, the Silicon Valley incubator that helped launch Airbnb and Reddit, alongside investors including Tom Blomfield, co-founder of Monzo and GoCardless.
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.m
“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.”
Business expert Dr Alison Edgar MBE said: “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.”
In 2025, Ben Towers MBE entrepreneur Ben Towers was recognised on the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe Technology list. He is also a proud 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.
Happl is described as the leading global integrated employee benefits platform. Through intelligent automations, it removes time consuming administration and supports seamless global compliance throughout the year. The platform is designed to be intuitive for employees and powerful for HR and Finance teams.
Headquartered in London with operations in New York, Happl is backed by leading investors and works with organisations committed to improving the employee experience. It is trusted in over 160+ countries, with clients including Hootsuite, Kainos and Seed Legals.
