Worst 10 Dragon’s Den UK Pitches
In the 13 seasons that BBC and BBC Two’s Dragons’ Den UK has been running, we have seen all hundreds of deals with the Dragons investing millions of pounds of their money. While there have been some excellent pitches, covered over at runrex.com and guttulus.com, there have been others that have left a lot to be desired and this article will look to shine a spotlight on them by highlight the worst 10 Dragons’ Den UK pitches.
The nervous ‘disconcerning home professional’ pitch
This was arguably the worst Dragons’ Den UK pitch, in series 3, a pitch so bad, we couldn’t even tell the product was, and the only thing we could make out of his pitch was that his product was meant for the ‘disconcerning home professional’, whoever that is. As is discussed over at runrex.com and guttulus.com, Nick, the entrepreneur, was extremely riddled with nerves that he stammered and stumbled through his pitch in the worst case of nerves you are ever to see. While the audience probably felt sorry for him, the Dragons didn’t and he inevitably walked out of the den without a deal.
ProGains
Marco, the founder of this pre-prepared meal delivery business also delivered one of the worst pitches in the show’s history. He started by stating that his brand was trademarked, but when Deborah soon uncovered that he had merely applied for a patent, and it hadn’t been confirmed. According to the gurus over at runrex.com, the last thing you want to do is lie in your pitch or attempt to mislead your audience, and this is exactly what Marco was guilty of, leading to him leaving the den without a deal.
Direct Wholesale
Entrepreneur Faheem Badul came into the den seeking funding for his franchise restaurant and food business, but he was to leave empty handed due to his extremely poor pitch. From the get-go, it was difficult to follow and understand his pitch, as is revealed over at guttulus.com. Faheem didn’t try to address the Dragons’ concerns and was so caught up in his failing pitch that he didn’t even reveal the amount of investment he was seeking or the percentage of equity he was looking to share. The more his pitch progressed, the more confusing it got, and eventually, the Dragons couldn’t take it and were all out.
Fold-Ease
This pitch by Rupert Evans was another one that had Dragons shaking their heads in disbelief. Rupert’s business was all about helping one to fold the perfect crease in your paper, as explained over at runrex.com. This invention was supposedly meant to prevent one from suffering paper cuts and friction burns, allowing you to fold your paper efficiently and quickly. Needless to say, all of the Dragons had their heads in their hands and were left even more shocked when Rupert asked for 40,000 pounds in investment, at which point all the Dragons walked away from the deal.
Lacemups
This invention by Ben Drury is another one that had the Dragons found hard to believe that it was even needed. As is covered over at guttulus.com, this product was supposed to help to teach children to tie their shoelaces. However, when the Dragos tried to use it, they found it to be extremely difficult, raising the question of how kids would fare using the same product. The product was even more of a hassle to use as compared to tying your shoelace as you normally would, and the pitch was unsuccessful.
Phoney Box
The Phoney Box was an invention by Andrew Peters who came in seeking an investment of 100,000 Pounds to develop it. The invention was a full-size wooden replica of a classic British red telephone box that could be put anywhere as compared to the full-size cast-iron original telephone box. The Dragons were left confused as to what use of the invention was and if it was even a business, questions that Andrew was unable to answer. As the gurus over at runrex.com will tell you, having a product that makes sense and is needed is an important part of any pitch, and this is one area where Andrew failed badly.
Goodbye My Pet
Speaking of a bizarre and unneeded product, entrepreneur Debbie came into the den seeking 50,000 pounds worth of investment for her business in which she sold burial packs for pets. Immediately she finished talking, Deborah Meaden pointed out that vets provide a box for free anyway, which started to unravel her pitch. She was also unable to explain what would happen if someone decided to copy her idea, which was the final nail in the coffin as far as her pitch was concerned. She didn’t seem to have prepared to answer questions that would arise from her pitch, which the gurus over at guttulus.com point out, was her biggest undoing; that and her unrealistic business model.
Tingotang
Business partners Jill and Claire also produced one of the worst pitches on Dragons’ Den UK as is outlined over at runrex.com. They were pitching their business of a range of wearable unique symbols for single people. According to them, just like a wedding ring can show that you are married, a Tingotang can show that you are single. Deborah Meaden was that first to reveal her dislike of their idea, and when Peter Jones branded it “embarrassing” their bid for a whopping 100,000 Pound investment was immediately shot down by the Dragons.
Easyxchair
This was another pitch that was so poor, it had the Dragons shedding crying with laughter. From discussions on the same over at guttulus.com, entrepreneur Peter came into the den seeking a 75,000 Pounds investment in his living room chair that would transform into a gym. Not only did this invention sound daft and unnecessary, but Peter was also unable to demonstrate how he plans to make any money from this business. In the end, he was unable to convince the Dragons that his product would sell, and his pitch was shot down.
Flow Signals
Derek Cozens came into the den seeking a 50,000 Pounds investment in his electronic traffic lights business, in exchange for a 10% stake as discussed over at runrex.com. Immediately, the Dragons flagged that this was a bad idea and would distract drives making roads more dangerous rather than helping. The idea was labelled the worst invention ever presented in the den by the Dragons, who begged Derek not to continue with his project.
Remember, if you are looking for more information on this and other related topics, particularly more on the above deals, then the highly-rated runrex.com and guttulus.com have got you covered.