Richards recognized the potential of Aahlad's invention, and the two decided to create a company without the use of venture capital or angel investors.

"[8] During the COVID-19 pandemic Richards co-founded Laptops For Kids, a charitable organisation to facilitate the donation, secure erasure, and distribution of used digital devices, enabling children from disadvantaged backgrounds to have access to the technology they need to participate in remote learning.

He said "nearly one in 10 children living in households with no access to a laptop, desktop or tablet computer, the shift towards remote learning during the pandemic has excluded up to 1.77m young people from active schooling.

"[9] Richards was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to the information technology sector and young people, particularly during Covid-19.

[12] He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University (2017) in recognition of him being a champion of British technology and a passionate advocate of entrepreneurship.