Dragons' Den (2024)

FAQs

What is the most successful product from Dragons Den? ›

Magic Whiteboard

With an original investment of £100,000 from Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis, this portable whiteboard roll became a smash hit. The Magic Whiteboard was created by husband and wife Neil and Laura Westwood and has since become the two Dragons' most successful investment.

Tangle tee*zer

Well, let's say the pitch didn't go very well, and Pulfrey heard the sentence "I'm out" repeated 5 times to him. In the ten months following the rejection, the Tangle tee*zer turned over £800,000, and a profit of £200,000.

Here was me thinking they'd spend all day listening to pitches from entrepreneurs all for their own image and the chance at making money from the companies afterwards. But no, that's definitely not the case! The Dragons are actually paid a fair whack for their time in the Den, to add to their already huge net worths.

The Dragons' Questions. So what type of questions do these people ask of the entrepreneurs? They almost always focus on questions like, "Do people want what your offering?" or "Do you know who your customers are?" Many of the entrepreneurs react badly to this.

After appearing on the show, the group behind GoCompare.com bought the energy switching site. Mr Hodson and Mr De Zoete said the £8.5million sale meant the Dragons had more than doubled their money in less than 12 months and could triple their money.

Peter Jones stands out among the rest of the Dragons, both literally and metaphorically. He's the only Dragon still standing from the very first series 19 years ago, and he's also the richest. According to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2023, he reportedly has a net worth of £1.2billion.

Each Dragon is working as an individual investor. The Dragons can invest as little or as much of their own money as they want. It is up to the entrepreneur to persuade them to match the required investment or pledge to invest a portion thereof.

One of the most notorious (and successful) Shark Tank rejects started as a video doorbell name Doorbot. After a famously tepid reaction from the sharks, Amazon later bought the company for a deal worth nearly $1 billion.

A plastic case that allows electrical wires to be stored safely and securely, after granting the two Dragons' a 36% stake between them, ChocBox then scored a sales deal worth £25million. Just three months after he set foot in the Den, the partnership had made Peter a millionaire.

Kelly Hoppen, aka the 'Queen of Taupe', announced in 2015 that she was leaving after two seasons because she was too busy to commit to the filming schedule. "It has been a privilege to be part of a programme which champions entrepreneurs," she said.

Is the money on the table in dragons den real? ›

Amusingly, the dragons sit with large stacks of cash on the tables between them as the pitches are being made - although it's strictly a prop, and no cash is seen to be handed over (after all, the dragons don't have the luxury of commercial breaks in which to count out the cash).

What's clear is that none of the dragons take the showdowns in the den to heart. During his appearance on This Morning to discuss the latest series, Suleyman revealed that off screen the dragons are all friends and love to hang out together all the time while filming the unscripted series.

Jorah reminds Daenerys that dragons can never be tamed, not even by their own mother. After Daenerys claims Meereen as its queen, Drogon continues to hunt for food independently, burning and killing livestock of farmers that live around the Meereenese region.

Key Dragons' Den stats and facts

Peter Jones is the longest serving Dragon in the world, having been on the show since the first series and taking part in all 21 series. He has also appeared as a guest on Shark Tank, the US version. Over £32 million has been invested in businesses since the series began.

The good King Viserys (Paddy Considine) is burdened by the weight of the crown, but he is also troubled by an old family secret. His legendary ancestor, King Aegon the Conqueror, had a vision that the world of men would fall, and understood that only his family of Aryan inbreds could save it.

Taking first place with an overwhelming portfolio of 41 investments, Peter Jones has invested £2,080,666.67 over the course of 18 seasons, averaging just over £115,500 per deal. The Dragon that has invested the second-highest amount of money is Deborah Meaden, who has invested a total of £1,799,000.00.

Peter Jones is the richest and longest-serving Dragon, having joined the show on its very first season.

Grillstream on Dragons' Den: Here is the Grillstream pitch from 2009. Ask: £120,000 in exchange for 15% equity. The Dragon's Liked the product idea, but they weren't convinced of its ability to make money as a standalone product and ultimately passed on investing.