The BBC’s Dragons’ Den has been entertaining reality television 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 investor Duncan Bannatyne.
However, Richard Farleigh and Peter Jones took a liking to Levi, so they teamed up to invest £50,000 for 40%. As of 2023, Reggae Reggae Sauce is valued at £30 million.
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.
Hungry House was founded by Shane Lake and Tony Charles in 2003. After building their online platform in 2006, the duo signed up for the reality show and asked for £100,000 in exchange for 11% of their startup.
James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne offered £100,000 for 50%, but the deal didn’t close. Even so, Hungry House expanded rapidly after the episode 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 up to £240 million!
3. Tangle Teezer
Unlike most of the items 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, regardless if it’s wet or dry.
Retired hair colorist Shaun Pulfrey is the one who came up with the product and was looking to improve 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.
4. Chocbox
The Chocbox is a plastic device that can safely contain electrical wires. 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 is the inventor and launched his masterpiece under his company, Electro Expo. Moule pitched his product in the Den in 2017, hoping to raise £150,000 for a 10% equity stake.
Duncan Bannatyne and James Caan gave him £150,000 for 36%. Months after the show, Moule became a millionaire as his brilliant creation helped him clinch a five-year sales contract worth £25 million.
5. Wonderbly
Initially called Lost My Name, Wonderbly is a company that provides personalised books for children. Parents can have their child’s name as a leading character in a book.
Wonderbly was founded by David Cadji-Newby, Tal Oron, Asi Sharabi, and Pedro Serapicos. When they appeared on the show, they were seeking £100,000 for a 4% equity stake,
Piers Linney gave the entrepreneurs exactly what they asked for. Wonderly has gone to raise around $23.1 million in funding. The company’s revenue has reached £30 million after selling over three million books.
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 company that delivers these two drinks monthly.
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 only 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 you to bring a whiteboard almost anywhere 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, they 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 like dancing, acting, and singing.
Denise Hutton-Gosney is the head of the institution and was looking to raise £50,000 in exchange for 25%. Some of Denise’s students came with her, and they did a cute little jingle.
Duncan Bannatyne wanted to support the startup and invested £50,000 for 25%. Denise bought back the shares in 2014. Though its valuation is unclear, her school now has over 50 international locations.
