In light of our Entrepreneurship & Innovation programme staring on the 12th July, we thought we would bring you a list of the most successful business to feature on Dragon’s Den. Why? Well as part of our exclusive programme we will be providing workshop led by industry experts and at the end you will take part in a Dragon’s Den style showdown called ‘The Big Pitch’. You will pitch your business idea to a panel and 3 lucky people will win an Innovation Award which of £2,300. So lets give you some inspiration and dive into the best in the business…
1. LEVI ROOTS — REGGAE REGGAE SAUCE
Without a doubt, you would have seen Levi Roots and his Reggae Reggae sauce in your local supermarkets. Adding some personality and flair to his pitch, Levi walked into the den singing his reggae reggae song, a bold move which helped him bag an investment of £50,000 for 40% equity of the business with Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh. The business is now said to be worth £30 million, the question is, would you be brave enough to sing in your pitch and be in the chance of creating a successful business?
2. LOOK AFTER MY BILLS
With the cost of living crisis and gas and electric prices rising, Look After My Bills is something we all need in our life. They pitched a service that automatically switches gas and electricity consumers to a cheaper deal when the contract ends. With investment from Jenny Campbell and Tej Lalvani, they sealed a deal for £130,000 for 3% equity of the business. The company was then sold to their competitor GoCompare in 2019 and is said to be worth £12.5 million.
5. APPROVED FOOD
Did you know that 277,000 tonnes of food every year goes to waste in UK supermarkets? Well, Approved Food are an online retailer that sells discounted groceries that are close to or passed their sell-by date. They were looking for £150 00 for 10% equity of the business but the Dragons passed on this pitch as the business was not quite established enough.
7. UMBROLLY
This is one of the more random ideas that we have seen on Dragon’s Den. Umbrolly is an umbrella vending machine. We have all needed an umbrella from time to time, especially with UK weather, but surely this idea doesn’t have a big enough demand? Well, Duncan Bannatyne and Peter Jones thought it did, still in business now, the Dragon’s agreed to £150 000 with 20% equity. It just goes to show, that even your crazy ideas have legs.
10. TEC-ANGEL
Now we all want our grandparents to be safe, Tec-Angel produced a monitoring and alert system designed to help the elderly to stay safe in their own homes. A winner of the 2019 Integrated Home Award at the Smart Home Expo, the product was created when Nigel Mills came out of retirement and put his engineering skills to use when a friend lost their disabled son because no one knew he had fallen and required help. Although, a £5 million product the Dragon’s declined to work with Nigel, as his pitch was inconsistent, with the brand name being different on the products to what he was pitching. So just a note, get your pitch clear and consistent!