About Dragons' Den

 

Dragons' Den is a programme about entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to secure investment finance and expertise from a panel of business experts or 'Dragons'.

The individuals pitching believe they have a viable and potentially profitable business idea, but lack the funding to take it forward. They pitch their business idea to the Dragons and then answer their questions, on anything from financial forecasts to competitors.

The Dragons' probing can reveal a complete lack of preparation or uncover troubling facts and figures that don't add up. Individuals have also been known to let nerves get the better of them and entirely forget their carefully prepared pitch.  It is common to see five or six business ideas but only one that attracts the investment.  In return, the individual offers the dragons a percentage of the company, which is the chief point of negotiation.

 

Season 5- My First

In the summer of 2007, I filmed my first series of Dragons' Den. It was one of the most exciting projects I had done, and added a completely new dimension to my day job. As I invest in people for a living, it wasn't too different to what I do on a day-to-day basis, but it required me to think faster, react faster and to make decisions much faster than I would usually in the office.

No. of investments made in the Den: 3
Wackiest Idea: Cowley's Fine Foods, the beef jerkey pitch
Most memorable pitch: James Buckley, Children In Need Special
Most successful investment made: Peter Moule, ChocBox


Season 6- On BBC2, Monday 9pm

I returned to pinewood this summer to film my second series as one of the dragons. The feedback from last season was extremely positive and I am so appreciative for all the support and comments from everyone who watched the show. This season we saw even wackier ideas than last year however we did see some remarkable people and investment proposals.

No. of investments made in the Den: 4
Wackiest Idea: The bedsheet with the line down the middle
Most memorable pitch: D4M with the talking tree and human table
Most successful investment made: Too early to say, but they are all doing remarkably well right now!

                                              
External Links:

To see James's page on the BBC Dragons' Den website where you can view his video diary, an interview with Evan Davies, and his personal story, click here.