The BBC’s Dragons’ Den has been entertaining reality TV fans for nearly two decades now. It’s also given hundreds of entrepreneurs a chance to grow their businesses and get free publicity. Below is a list of ten successful products to feature on the show.
Most Successful Products from Dragons’ Den:
1. Reggae Reggae Sauce
Reggae Reggae Sauce is a popular condiment in British supermarkets. It’s a barbecue sauce with Jamaican jerk spice cooked in a secret recipe from the founder’s grandmother.
Musician Levi Roots entered the show with a reggae song to introduce his sauce and proposed 20% equity for a £50,000 investment. Initially, he was discouraged by Duncan Bannatyne.
However, Richard Farleigh and Peter Jones took a liking to Levi, so they teamed up to invest £50,000 for 40%. In just over a decade, sales went from a mere £4,000 to £30 million! Currently, Reggae Reggae Sauce is valued at £30 million and Jones is still a shareholder.
2. Hungry House
Nowadays, food delivery apps are everywhere but long before the likes of UberEats and Devlieroo existed, Hungry House was a pioneering company in the food delivery space.
Founded by Shane Lake and Tony Charles in 2003, the duo signed up for the reality show after building their online platform in 2006. The guys asked for £100,000 in exchange for 11% of their startup. James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne offered £100,000 for 50%, but the deal never closed.
Despite this, Hungry House expanded rapidly after the show and signed up thousands of restaurants. In 2013, the business was acquired by Delivery Hero. In 2018, Just Eat then acquired Hungry House from Delivery Hero in a deal worth £200 million with an extra £40 million if they hit performance targets.
3. Tangle Teezer
Unlike most of the products on this list, Tangle Teezer was rejected on Dragons’ Den. The product is a well-crafted hairbrush with 400 teeth. This helps it glide through hair easily, whether it’s wet or dry.
Retired hair colorist Shaun Pulfrey came up with the product and was looking to boost distribution across the UK. Pulfrey came on seeking an investment of £80,000 for 15%, valuing the business at just over £500,000.
Shaun’s pitch was rocky, and there were multiple factors that led to him not getting a deal. Nevertheless, the founder pushed on. In 2021, he sold a majority stake to Mayfair Equity Partners for £70 million. Tangle Teezer revealed sales worth £43.5 million in 2021 with the US becoming a major driver of revenue.
4. Chocbox
Chocbox is a plastic device that safely contains electrical wiring. This simple yet cleverly designed product can serve as a junction box, an inline connector, a telecom connection storage, or a conduit box.
Peter Moule launched his masterpiece under his company, Electro Expo. Moule pitched the product in the Den in 2017, hoping to raise £150,000 for a 10% equity stake. Bannatyne and Caan gave him £150,000 for 36%.
Months after the show, Moule became a millionaire as his brilliant creation clinched a five-year sales contract worth £25 million with GET Plc, one of the largest importers and distributors of electrical accessories in the UK. Mr Moule believes Chocbox can reach £100 million in annual sales.
5. Wonderbly
Initially called Lost My Name, Wonderbly creates personalised books for children. Parents can have their child’s name as a leading character in a book. Founded by David Cadji-Newby, Tal Oron, Asi Sharabi, and Pedro Serapicos, Wonderbly were seeking £100,000 for a 4% equity stake,
Piers Linney gave the entrepreneurs exactly what they asked for. In addition, Wonderbly has raised $23.1 million in funding. The company’s revenue has reached £30 million after selling over three million books. International sales now account for 85% of its revenue.
6. Craft Gin and Bubble Club
Wine and gin are two of the most iconic alcoholic beverages in the world. Craft Gin and Bubble Club is a subscription-based business that delivers these two drinks every month.
Jon Hulme and John Burke launched the startup when there was a growing demand for gin. Soon after setting up, they went to the Dragons, looking for an investment of £75,000 for a 3% equity.
Sarah Willingham put in £75,000 for 12.5% because she was already a subscriber. This enthusiastic deal helped the beverage firm acquire over 25,000 active customers and is now valued at $2.5 million.
7. Skinny Tan
There are several self-tanning beauty products on the market. However, Skinny Tan claims to be the first to use only organic ingredients to decrease the presence of cellulite, which makes the skin look tanned.
Skinny Tan was founded by female entrepreneurs Louise Ferguson and Kate Cotton. After a strong first year in business, they entered the Den seeking £60,000 for 10% of their startup.
Five Dragons fought for a piece of the business, but Kelly Hoppen and Piers Linney came out victorious, splitting the £60,000 for 10%. In 2015, InnovaDerma bought the majority share in Skinny Tan, which is now worth over £2 million.
8. Magic Whiteboard
If your job requires bringing a whiteboard almost everywhere you go, Magic Whiteboard might solve one of your biggest problems. It’s a roll of whiteboard sheets that can stick to any surface.
The husband-and-wife team of Neil and Laura Westwood are the creators of the product. They entered the Den, hoping to get £100,000 for 15%. After their presentation, a bidding war commenced.
The winners were Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis, who invested £100,000 for 40%. After the show, the founders bought back the shares from the Dragons. Magic Whiteboard is now worth £1.6 million.
9. Mainstage Festivals
Mainstage Festivals is a tour company that mainly focuses on festivals and club vacations. They promote event packages that are much cheaper than registering separately for multiple events.
The company was established by Rob Tominey and Aden Levin. After their startup gained early success, the pair applied to be on the reality series. The duo initially proposed £100,000 for 10% equity.
After gaining Rob and Aden’s trust, Piers Linney invested £100,000 for 15%. The three business partners helped Mainstage Festivals achieve annual revenue of £1.6 million.
10. Razzamataz Theatre Schools
It is best to develop someone’s talent when they are still young. Razzamataz Theatre Schools do just that. They teach children aged 2 to 18 performing arts such as dancing, acting, and singing.
Denise Hutton-Gosney is the head of the business and was looking to raise £50,000 in exchange for 25%. Some of Denise’s students came with her, and performed a cute little jingle.
Duncan Bannatyne invested £50,000 for 25% but Denise bought back the shares in 2014. Though its valuation is unclear, her school now has over 50 international locations.
