12 Dragons' Den rejects who then made a fortune

The ones that got away

Since it first launched on BBC Two in 2005, there have been 20 series of the UK version of Dragon's Den – and 19 millionaire investors who have all considered themselves shrewd enough to spot a lucrative business opportunity when it's pitched in front of them.

But they don't always get it right and every so often, the rejects get the last laugh.

Read on to discover the incredible success stories that the Dragons have missed out on over the years.

Rachel Lowe: Destination London

A former cab driver, Rachel Lowe used her in-depth knowledge to create the taxi-themed Destination London board game and took it to the Den in 2004.

The Dragons ripped her idea to shreds and refused to hand over the £75,000 she had requested in exchange for a 30% stake in her business, RTL Games – but later found out they'd taken a wrong turn. 

Rachel Lowe: Destination London

Iconic London toyshop Hamleys began stocking Destination London later that year and had sold 2,400 copies by Christmas, making it the store's best-selling board game. 

Lowe began creating Destination games set in other cities, including New York, Paris, and Dublin, and has created 24 editions of the game to-date. In 2006, she received NatWest's Everywoman Award, and she was made an MBE in 2009 for her services in promoting enterprise to students. 

However, there have been some bumps along the road for the entertainment entrepreneur. A deal with Warner Bros to create a Harry Potter edition of Destination was hit by delays, resulting in financial difficulties and the eventual closure of Lowe's business.

But the Den-reject picked herself up once again, launching lifestyle brand She Who Dares UK in 2010 as well as an Olympics-themed edition of Destination in 2012. In 2017, she founded Rachel Lowe Games & Puzzles, which makes and sells licensed games for brands including Jumanji, Beano, and Call the Midwife.

David and Sarah Glashan: Itsa

David and Sarah Glashan also entered the Den in 2004. The husband-and-wife pair pitched Itsa, their innovative beach bag product that can transform into a towel and sun lounger cover, and even features storage pockets for personal belongings.

While the Glashans were laughed out the door by the Dragons, the show’s viewers saw the potential of the holiday hero. Demand for the bag soared and, within a year, the couple had sold 65,000 units of Itsa.

David and Sarah Glashan: ista

The Dragons might well have thought that the Glashans were cheeky for seeking a £250,000 investment in exchange for a 20% stake in Itsa.

However, the couple revealed in a 2015 interview with the Scottish Daily Mail that their products were selling around the globe, generating six figures in sales.

Rob Law: Trunki

One of the most successful UK Dragons' Den rejects of all time, Rob Law entered the Den in 2006 and asked for a £100,000 investment in exchange for a 10% share in Trunki, his ride-on children's suitcase product.

However, when Dragon Theo Paphitis broke a strap on one of the cases, a humiliated Law left the Den empty-handed.

Rob Law: Trunki

Much to the regret of the Dragons, Law had sold two million Trunkis by 2014. In a 2021 interview with Law, Startups revealed that an estimated 10% of British children aged between three and six years of age now own one of the colourful suitcases. And the appeal of the rideable luggage is global: Trunkis are sold in 100 countries around the world.

Earlier this year, Law sold Trunki in a deal estimated to be worth more than £12 million, though he will remain in the business as a general manager. 

Shaun Pulfrey: Tangle Teezer

Shaun Pulfrey became a hair colourist at the age of 16. After spending years working for hair salons such as Toni&Guy, Nicky Clarke, and Richard Ward, he began to develop a product that would undo the knots and tangles he regularly encountered in his customers' hair.

Dismissed as a "hair-brained" idea by the Dragons back in 2007, Pulfrey has since made his Tangle Teezer brand a household name.

While Dragon Deborah Meaden was convinced the product was no different to a brush used on horses, the Tangle Teezer became a hit and Pulfrey's business has since expanded to offer customers a whole stable of hair styling products.

Shaun Pulfrey: Tangle Teezer

Popular among celebrities including Victoria Beckham and Emma Watson, Tangle Teezer can now be purchased via Boots, John Lewis, Look Fantastic, and more.

It's loved by at-home users as much as it is by industry pros; celebrity hair stylist Chris Appleton famously used a Tangle Teezer brush on Jennifer Lopez's hair before her half-time performance at the 2020 Super Bowl.

Largely unaffected by the coronavirus pandemic, around 80 million brushes have been sold to date.

James Watt and Martin Dickie: BrewDog

Unlike the other entrepreneurs on this list, BrewDog founders James Watt and Martin Dickie didn't even get the chance to face the Dragons. Having launched their brewery business in 2007, they applied for the show in 2008 and were selected for a screen test after passing the initial application process.

However, the producers evidently decided that BrewDog didn't quite hit the spot and the pair never got the chance to ask the Dragons for £100,000 in exchange for a 20% stake in the business.

James Watt and Martin Dickie: BrewDog

With nothing to show for their Dragons' Den application, Watt and Dickie decided to crowdfund BrewDog instead – and the rest is history. Now a household name, BrewDog was the best-selling craft beer in the UK in 2019, and has since expanded to Australia and the US.

However, Watt and Dickie have attracted criticism for the brand's controversial marketing, which has included everything from a product named after a drug cocktail to another that was packaged inside stuffed animals.

BrewDog's pubs and bars were also badly affected by COVID-19 restrictions, although it did use its resources to make free hand sanitiser for local hospitals and charities. In January 2022, co-founder Watt announced that the business was planning to open 30 new bars around the world, with locations including Berlin, Mumbai, and Las Vegas.

Natalie Ellis: Road Refresher

Natalie Ellis was determined to not give up after her non-spill water bowl for pets was rejected by the Dragons' Den investors in 2008.

Ellis was looking for £120,000 in exchange for a 15% stake in her Prestige Pets business. Dismissing her plans to expand into the US market as "unrealistic", the Dragons decided the idea was a no-go.

Natalie Ellis: Road Refresher

However, the savvy entrepreneur saw sales of her bowl soar worldwide after her appearance on the show and even former US President Barack Obama splashed out on one of her Road Refresher travel bowls for his dog Bo. By 2010, Ellis had made £1 million in profit.

Speaking about her success in 2009, Ellis told the Daily Mail: "In the back of my mind, I can't help thinking 'Yes, Dragons, you were wrong'".

James Nash: Cup-a-Wine

Entrepreneur James Nash fared badly when he pitched his Cup-a-Wine idea to the bemused Dragons in 2009.

Laughed off as "tacky", his single-serve plastic cups of wine were ridiculed and Nash's request for £250,000 investment in exchange for a 25% stake in his business was flatly rejected. 

James Nash: Cup-a-Wine

However, not everyone thought the idea was a waste of time. After watching Dragons' Den, a private investor contacted Nash to offer him the £250,000 he needed to get his business off the ground.

And it gets better: later that year, Nash's invention was picked up by Marks & Spencer for its award-winning Le Froglet wine range. Beloved by commuters and picnickers alike, the 187ml wine cups were launched in June 2010 and became an instant hit. In 2012, Nash told Food Manufacture that he had sold 800,000 units of the product.

Guy Jeremiah: Aquatina (now Ohyo)

In 2010, the Dragons poured hot water on Guy Jeremiah’s impassioned pitch for his collapsible and reusable Aquatina water bottles. Jeremiah sought £100,000 in return for 10% equity in his brand but the Dragons dismissed Aquatina as a "terrible invention".

Since rebranded as Ohyo, the innovative bottles are now available in over 15 countries around the world.

Guy Jeremiah: Aquatina (now Ohyo)

Jeremiah, an environmental scientist from Sheffield, designed his Ohyo bottles to encourage people to cut down on the single-use plastic that goes hand-in-hand with disposable plastic water bottles.

He later teamed up with Felix Conran – the grandson of Habitat founder Sir Terence – to launch the Ohyo bag, a reusable everyday bag that can be reconfigured into four different sizes and has the goal of eliminating the need for plastic carriers.

Dan Cluderay and Andy Needham: Approved Food

Dan Cluderay and his business partner Andy Needham appeared on Dragons' Den in 2015.

The duo were looking for a £150,000 investment in their business Approved Food, which sells food, drink, and household items that are out-of-date but still usable. In exchange, the would-be investors were offered a 10% stake in the company.

Dan Cluderay and Andy Needham: Approved Food

The fact that all of the Dragons opted to turn down the opportunity must have stung given how successful Approved Food would go on to become.

Securing that crucial investment elsewhere, Cluderay and Needham went on to build-up a formidable business, with Approved Food enjoying revenues of £4 million by 2015. The website is now the UK's largest online retailer of clearance food and drink.

Harry and Charlie Thuillier: Oppo

Harry and Charlie Thuillier tapped into the health-conscious dessert trend with Oppo, a low-calorie ice cream brand.

Before the siblings took their idea to the Dragons in 2016, Oppo was already stocked in Waitrose. As well as that, the brothers were also the recipients of The Guardian's Startup of the Year Award in 2014.

Despite their strong position, however, the pair still left the Den without the £60,000 they were seeking in exchange for a 7% equity stake in the business.

Harry and Charlie Thuillier: Oppo

Not to be deterred, the brothers opted to crowdfund their idea. They had already seen success with this method, having previously set the record as the fastest food and drink company to reach its target on crowdfunding platform Seedrs.

The Thuilliers returned to this tried-and-tested method, with Oppo acquiring hundreds of investors by the end of 2016, including Richard Branson and tennis star Andy Murray.

A major success story, the virtuous ice cream brand is currently stocked in 1,300 stores across the UK, including all the major supermarkets. It can also be snapped up in Harrods and Whole Foods, as well as via Amazon.

Alex Savelli and Finn Lagun: Pasta Evangelists

In 2018, Alex Savelli and Finn Lagun entered the Dragons' lair to pitch Pasta Evangelists, their pasta-by-post business that promises restaurant-quality DIY dishes that can be delivered through the letterbox.

Although the would-be investors were impressed with the samples Savelli and Lagun brought with them, the duo's business model wasn't quite as palatable. The Dragons ultimately decided not to offer the £75,000 the entrepreneurs were looking for, despite the 2.5% stake that Savelli and Lagun were using to tempt their tastebuds.

Alex Savelli and Finn Lagun: Pasta Evangelists

Fast-forward to now and Pasta Evangelists has become a major player in the food subscription sphere. The business was purchsed by Italian food company Barilla for a reported £40 million in early 2021, and the brand now boasts everything from a restaurant at Harrods to its very own cookbook.

Anne-Marie Hurst: Floreat Wines

Anne-Marie Hurst entered the Den in March 2022, looking for £50,000 in exchange for a 5% share of her business Floreat Wines.

Although Hurst's low-alcohol botanical sparkling wine was described as "a beautiful looking product" by Dragon Sara Davies, none of the investors decided to bite. However, the TV appearance alone proved to be the kickstart that Floreat Wines needed...

Anne-Marie Hurst: Floreat Wines

Just 24 hours after Hurst's episode of Dragons' Den had aired, Floreat Wines had completely sold out. 

With customers including wedding venues, restaurants, and spa hotels all keen to get their hands on the herb-infused tipple, the Dragons could only toast Hurst's success from the sidelines. 

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