Dragons’ Den female entrepreneurs are landing some of the series’ most eye-catching investment deals, with a string of women-led businesses walking away from the Den with backing from the panel. The BBC programme, available to catch up on BBC iPlayer, has featured several deals in its current run that underline the range of businesses women are bringing to the Den.
One of the standout moments involves an entrepreneur named Susie, who attracted an offer from Sara Davies. According to a BBC video, Davies offered Susie £40,000 in exchange for a 15% stake in her business, with Davies reportedly believing she could offer something the other Dragons could not.
Dragons’ Den female entrepreneurs: the deals taking shape
The series has produced more than one memorable outcome for women founders. Louise Truman’s appearance is among the most discussed. She entered the Den seeking £60,000 for 3% of her company, a valuation that might have given some Dragons pause. She left with considerably more than she asked for.
According to Wales Online, Truman walked away with a £120,000 investment, double her original ask, after negotiations in the Den. The deal represents one of the larger sums secured by a female founder in the current run of the programme.
Another deal drawing attention involves Cicely Coop and her business Selkie, a powder-based shampoo company. Coop’s pitch proved popular enough to attract not one backer but four. She received £40,000 for a 20% stake in Selkie from Steven Bartlett, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden and Jenna Meek, according to the list of series offers compiled on Wikipedia’s Dragons’ Den page.
What the Den’s investment activity tells us about the current series
Taken together, the three deals illustrate the variety of businesses and deal structures appearing in the Den this series. Truman’s outcome, at £120,000, sits well above the amounts secured by Coop and Susie, though both of those pitches brought in multiple or high-profile Dragon backing. Selkie’s four-Dragon deal is relatively uncommon and points to a business the panel felt broadly confident in.
The powder-based shampoo category that Selkie operates in has attracted wider consumer interest in recent years as buyers look for alternatives to liquid products, though the specific commercial case Coop made to the Dragons is what the deal rests on. Four Dragons agreeing terms in the same pitch room is not an everyday occurrence, and it signals a level of collective conviction that is rare in the Den format.
For Susie, the appeal of Sara Davies’ offer appears to have rested as much on what Davies could bring beyond the money as on the sum itself. The BBC video of the pitch notes that Davies believed she could offer something the other Dragons could not, suggesting the mentorship or industry connection on offer was part of the proposition.
Louise Truman’s double-the-ask outcome is the kind of result that tends to draw the most attention when Den episodes air, partly because it inverts the usual negotiating dynamic. Founders typically expect to give ground on valuation once inside the room; leaving with twice the investment sought is a less common conclusion.
All three businesses and their deals are part of the current series of Dragons’ Den, with episodes available on BBC iPlayer for viewers who want to watch the pitches in full.
