Dragons' Den hopeful in tears as moguls offer just £1 each in show first
Two Dragons’ Den stars have made history after all five moguls agreed to invest in their business for just £1 each in a first for the BBC show.
Married couple Charlene and Simon launched children’s book company Sooper Books after being inspired to write the stories by their daughter Goldie. Then when lockdown hit they began offering their resources for free while children were being homeschooled up and down the country.
Delivering their pitch in rhyming couplets as a story they had written specially for the Dragons, illustrator Charlene and investment banker Simon initially had the entrepreneurs, including Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden, baffled.
But the tide quickly turned when it emerged they wanted just £1 from each of the Dragons for a 1% stake in the company, which they claimed is worth £3.2 billion ‘on paper’, and already has big name investors such as Princess Beatrice and Monzo founder Tom Bloomfield on board.
Married couple Simon and Charlene asked for just £1 from each from the Dragons for a 5% stake in their business (BBC)Despite not asking for much money, Simon explained their reason for going on the show was they believed getting a Dragon on board could help them grow the business even further and help them reach “millions and millions of children”.
EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness
Asked by Deborah how they make money from the business, given they currently offer their books for free, Simon said they had originally considered a subscription model, but had instead decided on a website to attract high traffic that they could monetise with adverts. He added the low money ask was because they wanted “introductions” into the business world from the Dragons rather than a lump sum investment.
This impressed mogul Peter Jones who asked his fellow investors to huddle with him by the wall as they discussed what to do next. After returning to their seats, Deborah smiled as she told the couple: “You’ve showed us your baby and we loved it.”
Peter then delivered the news that all five Dragons had agreed to invest meaning they would collectively own a 5% share in the business for just £5. In an emotional moment, Simon and Charlene broke down in tears as they said they would love to accept the offer before all seven shared a group hug.
The Dragons huddle by the wall in a show first before all deciding to invest (BBC)The happy moment comes after Dragons’ Den has sparked controversy in recent weeks – with an episode being temporarily pulled following a story published by The Mirror. In the episode, which aired on January 18, Sheffield businesswoman Giselle Boxer said she had used "diet, acupuncture, Chinese herbs and ear seeds" to aid her recovery from ME, and had turned the latter idea into the brand Acu Seeds. She picked Diary of a CEO presenter Steven Bartlett to invest £50,000 for a 12.5% stake in her business.
But in an open letter organised by Action for ME to the chairs of two House of Commons select committees said they were "very concerned" that the way in which her pitch was presented suggested the product was "responsible for her recovery and should therefore be considered an effective treatment".
ME is a long-term condition with a wide range of symptoms including extreme fatigue, sleep issues and concentration problems, according to the website. It states that while there is currently no cure for the condition, there are treatments that may help manage it.
In a Mirror exclusive, watchdog The Good Thinking Society wrote to the Advertising Standards Authority to complain about misleading claims on the Acu Seeds website. The BBC has since added a clarification to the episode on iPlayer which reads: “Acu Seeds are not intended as a cure for any medical condition and advice should always be sought from a qualified healthcare provider about any health concerns.”
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