2018 News: Sweet award.

Sweet award

23 March 2018

The article at a glance

Chocolate maker Harry Specters, alumni of the Cambridge Social Ventures programme, is named social enterprise of the year in Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards. …

Chocolate maker Harry Specters, alumni of the Cambridge Social Ventures programme, is named social enterprise of the year in Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards.

Harry Specters, a startup that aims to build confidence in young people with autism by providing employment and free training whilst enabling them to produce award-winning chocolates, has been named social enterprise of the year in the Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards 2018. Harry Specters are alumni of Cambridge Social Ventures programme, part of the Centre for Social Innovation at Cambridge Judge Business School.

So far, the Ely-based startup has provided work experience and training to 183 autistic people and currently employs four full-time and five part-time employees. Mona Shah, founder of the startup, said their vision is “to enable young people with autism to become contributing members of society. Harry Specters will live this dream by creating employment opportunities and by partnering with other organisations working within the field of autism.”

The awards were launched in the UK by the Citi Foundation in 2013, with the aim of recognising the best microentrepreneurs as well as showcase the responsible finance sector. The winning enterprises received a prize of £7,500 at the event ceremony on 20 March in Glasgow.