Social innovation champions take a bow in Cambridge competition

Winners of the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize for 2025 are creating positive social impact for individuals and communities in different parts of the UK through fashion, accessibility, training and entrepreneurship.

The Prize was awarded by Trinity Hall and the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation at the University of Cambridge, supported by a generous donation from Trinity Hall alumnus Graham Ross Russell.

These awards are made annually to extraordinary founder-CEOs of scale-up social enterprises to support their growth as leaders. Uniquely, the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize recognises mid-career social innovators with a proven track record, but who could benefit from support to reach the next level.

The prize includes a £10,000 cash award for personal and professional development. Additionally, mentoring from experts from Cambridge Social Ventures at Cambridge Judge Business School and support from an expanding community of social innovators at Trinity Hall will help them to develop the skills, resources, and networks they need to create more impact from their work. This year's winners were-

• Sol Escobar – founder and co-CEO of Give Your Best, an innovative social enterprise tackling both clothing poverty and fashion waste via one circular platform

• Charlie Fraser – co-founder of TERN (The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network) a social venture set up to enable refugees to rebuild their livelihoods through entrepreneurship

• Abdirahim Hassan – founder Coffee Afrik, Reimagining community spaces and co-producing culturally sensitive public health projects, rooted in care, love and liberation.

• Matt Pierri – founder and CEO of Sociability a disability tech company helping disabled people find accessible places.

Pierri said: “As an accidental founder, I applied for the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize to upskill myself to be the best leader possible for my team, our users and our business – as well as to better serve as a thought leader and role model in the impact for-profit space more broadly.

“I'm absolutely delighted and humbled to be named one of the 2025 Innovation Prize winners. I'm incredibly grateful and excited to have this wonderful opportunity to grow as a mid-career social innovator and leader in the inclusion and accessibility space.”

Nicole Helwig, Executive Director for the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation, adds: “The 2025 winners of the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize exemplify the power of bold ideas rooted in community, equity and impact.

“Each of these extraordinary leaders has created ventures that directly tackle urgent social challenges, from clothing poverty and refugee entrepreneurship to community development and disability access. We’re proud to recognise their achievements and support their continued journeys creating positive, social change.”

The Cambridge Social Innovation Prize is the cornerstone of an ongoing collaboration between Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation at Cambridge Judge Business School and Trinity Hall, one of the oldest colleges at the University.

Together, they are working to foster an interest in social innovation and entrepreneurship among students, fellows, and alumni - encouraging them to create new businesses and to pursue careers rooted in social and environmental impact.