Carlo Weaver was diagnosed autistic when he was a child, left school with no GCSEs, spent eight months homeless, and rebuilt his life through an investment banking apprenticeship. He now runs a company designed to create the same opportunity for other young people.
As founder and chief executive of Apprentago, he has built a platform that helps teenagers discover apprenticeships and work experience they might otherwise never hear about, an achievement that has made him a finalist for The Cazenove Capital Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the 2026 Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards.
Reaching young people first
Weaver’s insight is that careers websites only reach students who already know what to search for. Apprentago reaches them earlier, on TikTok, where the business says creator-led content has drawn more than 35 million views, and in the classroom, where over 150 schools run a dedicated Apprentago careers lesson each week. A young person uses the platform free to discover opportunities, build a CV, prepare for interviews and track applications with an AI-agent coach.
A model that serves four audiences
Around each student, Weaver has built a model serving employers, schools and colleges, and regional government. Employers, from SMEs to the likes of KPMG, DHL, Deutsche Bank and NatWest, pay not to post jobs, which is free, but to reach an audience no other channel can, through TikTok campaigns, co-branded lessons and sponsored sector categories. Schools and colleges pay to track work experience requirements and evidence outcomes to Ofsted, while regional government funds Apprentago to identify in real time which young people risk becoming NEET and intervene early. Apprentago was awarded lead technology partner to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority on the UK Youth Guarantee through public tender. Their platform is in every school and college across the region, every employer gets access too and all 900,000 residents in CPCA.
Built by ex-apprentices
Weaver has built Apprentago with a team of ex-apprentices who all code, and the company reports revenue growth from around 30,000 pounds in its first year to roughly 100,000 pounds in its second, with about 350,000 pounds targeted this year, and it has been featured on Channel 4. His personal story and the mission it powers speak directly to what the entrepreneur category rewards: a founder who has turned lived experience into an inclusive, scalable business. Finalists across the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards will hear the outcome at Grosvenor House, London on 10 November 2026.
