Teenage biz whiz turns down £5m business offer

A teenage entrepreneur from Dewsbury declined a £5m business offer for his app, which he thinks is worth billions.
Mohammed Ali, 16, works from his Savile Town bedroom.Mohammed Ali, 16, works from his Savile Town bedroom.
Mohammed Ali, 16, works from his Savile Town bedroom.

Savile Town’s Mohammed Ali said that he and business partner Chris Thorpe, 60, turned down American tech investors who wanted to buy the pair’s WeNeed1.com idea.

Mr Ali, who attended Batley Grammar School, said: “If there’s this potential now, how much is this worth in the long run?

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“It was a risk but I believe it will really take off because there’s nothing like this.”

The creative 16-year-old works from his bedroom at the home he shares with his parents Nasir and Nadia and siblings in Selbourne Avenue.

His website and app, which launched on Saturday, allows customers to alert sellers that they need a product or service.

Businesses using similar keywords will in turn be made aware of the customer’s desire, allowing for ‘real-time’ price comparison quotes.

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Mr Ali said that it “puts the buyer in control” and thinks it could be worth billions.

It has earned interest in far away countries such as Australia.

Mr Ali made enough money to pay for his own university fees before he had even taken his GCSEs.

The son of taxi driver Nasir Ali started gaming and programming at the age of four, and taught himself Java programming aged 12.

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Before he created WeNeed1.com he made his own online game, started his own business and helped others with their websites and apps.

He has also developed a financial app for stock traders.

After seeing a BBC broadcast about Mr Ali, partner Mr Thorpe got in touch to forge their two-man team.

Visit https://www.weneed1.com

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