It’s official: Dragon’s Den is back for another season and we couldn’t be more excited. This year you can expect more budding entrepreneurs to pitch their business plans; all in the hope of getting one of the five multi-millionaires to invest their cash and kick-start their new business.
We also have a new Dragon, Steven Barlett who will join the team alongside Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Sara Davis in 2022. You might know that the 28-year-old businessman is the youngest ever dragon on the show. However, you may not know that Bartlett actually applied to pitch on Dragon’s Den a few years ago and got rejected. Having dropped out of uni before founding a multi-million-pound business in his bedroom in Manchester, Barlett’s is a success story like no other. You can read more about Steven Bartlett and his net worth here.
However, there are plenty of success stories that have come out of Dragon’s Den pitches. So, if you are a budding entrepreneur, we’ve rounded up some of the most successful Dragon’s Den contestants. Without further ado, here’s the Dragon’s Den rich list.
Levi Roots Reggae Reggae Sauce: £45 million net worth
Two words- hot sauce. Back in 2007, then reggae singer and chef Levi Roots went on to Dragon’s Den to pitch his new brand of hot sauce. His spicy Reggae Raggae sauce went down well with a couple of the dragons. It led to him receiving interest from Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh. The pair decide to invest £50,000 for a joint 40% equity. Luckily for them, Levi Root’s sauce was a recipe for success!
These days you can find his hot sauce, in most UK supermarkets- standing out with its bold packaging and captivated with its mouthwatering taste. Levi’s worth is now estimated at around £45 million- not bad for a hot sauce based on a family recipe
Shaun Pulfrey: Tangle Teezer: £65 million Net Worth
These days, most girls have got a Tangle Teezer lying around in the house. Well, the hairbrush company first made news on Dragon’s Den. However one of the most interesting things about this business plan- what that the Dragons didn’t invest in the product. Former hair colourist, Shaun Pulfrey, pitched his 400 teeth hair comb on the show, however, it was mocked by the Dragons. Well, who’s laughing now? It is now one of the most popular hairbrushes around, used by celebrities, and loved by hairdressing professionals and individuals alike. The company was recently valued at a whopping £65 million.
Neil and Laura Westford: Magic Whiteboard
Husband and wife super-couple, Neil and Laura Westford, went on to Dragons Den to pitch their roll of A1 whiteboard sheets. The product, called Magic Whiteboard’s, USP was that it could stick to any surface. Two dragons, Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis were both interested in the idea. The pair ended up investing £100 k or a 40% equity in the firm. The gamble paid off. The couple brought their shares back from the Dragons in 2014, giving them an 800k return on their initial investment. Magic Whiteboard is stocked in offices worldwide and the pair made £1.2 million in sales last year.
Jon Hulme and John Burke: Craft Clubs
Next up on our Dragon’s Den rich list is Craft Clubs. This subscription box service delivers monthly artisan gins and sparkling wine. The company was founded in 2015 by Jon Hulme and John Burke and the pair impressed the dragons in their pitch. An incredible four dragons made offers for the subscription service. The pair ended up accepting dragon Sarah Willingham’s of £75,000 in exchange for a 12.5 % equity. Craft Clubs now has a net worth of £852 k with over 100,000 members! It has also been selected as one of the top 100 UK startups in recent years.
Kate Cotton and Louise Ferguson: Skinny Tan
If you love home self-tanners then chances are that you would have heard of Skinny Tan. The business was started by Kate Cotton and Louise Ferguson who entered the Dragons Den hoping for investment. A few of the dragons were interested in what had already proven to be a profitable business- the pair had already made an impressive £600,000 in one year alone. In the end dragons, Kelly Hoppen and Piers Linney invested that same amount in return for a 10% equity. A few years on, the brand was sold for an undisclosed sum of money but the business is now worth millions. The company made £1 million in revenue in 2014 and that number is thought to have increased, resulting in a profit of more than £5 million today.
Peter Moule: Chocbox
Dragon’s Den has proven that there is money to be made in anything- as long as your idea is well thought out. Chocbox is another one of the most successful Dragon’s Den’s contestants. The company, created by Peter Moule, is not as exciting as it sounds. It’s an aplastic cable device that is designed to help you store electrical wires safely. Moule pitched his business plan to the Dragons in 2007 and that culminated with two dragons offering their investments. Duncan Bannantyne and James Caan invested a cumulative £150,000 in exchange for a 36% equity. What’s even more impressive is that just three months after that initial pitch, the company made its first million. Since then it has made over 25 million in global sales and is available worldwide-quite a success story.
Denise Hutton-Gosney: Razzamataz Theatre Schools
Another one of the most successful Dragon’s Den contestants was Denise Hutton-Gosney. She pitched her idea for kids theatre schools to the dragons and received a lot of interest back in 2007. In the end, she managed to secure an investment of £50,000 from the dragon, Duncan Bannatyne. The company was launched across the UK and abroad. A few years later she was able to buy her investment back. The company has now made profits into the hundreds of thousands.
That’s a wrap up for our list of the most successful Dragon’s Den contestants. Likewise, if you are interested in knowing who the richest dragons are, you can find out here. Fancy starting your own business? Well, check out our list of 40 start-up ideas for university students. We’ll see you pitching your ideas on the new series of Dragons Den.
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