And suddenly it’s the Dragons’ Den final, as the last batch of entrepreneurs brave the fire and present their pitches.
Will their products inflame the Dragons’ imaginations enough to invest, or will the ideas prove to be a damp squib?
There’s plenty of drama to look forward to as the normally unflappable Deborah Meaden loses her cool, and one budding business man risks losing the chance of her money.
But which Dragons’ Den pitches immediately stand out? Read on…
Caffeine Bullet
Fitness fanatic marathon-runner David Hellard is first to face the Dragons with his Caffeine Bullet energy chews which he says can give anyone the power boost to exercise harder, faster and longer.
It’s an idea, David reveals, he came up with while running across the Sahara Desert. As you do.
The other Dragons look on with nervous laughter as Touker Suleyman promptly eats three of the chews – triple the recommended dose.
The fun, however, stops when David makes the error of being a tad too dismissive of Deborah Meaden.
But does David’s Caffeine Bullet get any of the other dragons’ pulses racing enough to give David £60,000 for 5% of his business?
And will it get viewers flocking to caffeinebullet.com where a bag of 40 chews is currently on sale for £23.95?
Mesoa
Reformed drug taker Matt Jones may have had a difficult past having left school at 14 with no qualifications, but the Welshman is glowing with confidence when he brings his men’s grooming range into the Den.
He tells the Dragons that Mesoa, is about “simplifying and educating skin care products and putting them into a routine”.
While Deborah questions the line’s ‘organic’ claims, other Dragons worry that Matt is trying to compete in an already over-crowded market.
And alarm bells ring when we learn that he ploughed £423,000 of his own money into the business, which lost £248,000 in its first year.
What on earth did he have to sell to have that sort of cash in the first place, you might wonder. His house, his car, his children? No. His very successful advertising firm. For a few million pounds.
Which, of course, begs the question of why he’s looking for another £66,000 from the Dragons.
Tiny Tool Box
Next up are husband and wife Victoria and Michael, with their Tiny Tool Box craft unit.
“Your work surface, your tool box and your well-lit craft area, all in one…” they explain.
Poor Michael gets stage fright and forgets his words, looking helplessly over at Victoria who immediately takes over, much to the Dragons’ amusement. It’s clear who wears the trousers in this relationship.
But does the carpentry couple’s handmade hobby station create a financial opportunity for the Dragons?
View-You cam
Meanwhile, former news reader Dan Baker and his technical sidekick Jonathan are hoping to wow the Dragons with their prototype moveable, screen-friendly webcam.
It allows people in online meetings to have direct eye contact, rather than gazing into the camera on their computer or tablet and appear to be looking to one side.
There are some concerns among the Dragons involving all manner of serious matters such as patents and future-proofing but are they deal breakers?
March Muses
Finally through the lift doors are Natalie Duvall and Alison Burton, two single mums with full-time jobs who’ve had an idea they hope will “change the world”.
Well, it certainly sends a message that has the Dragons gushing.
March Muses came about when, one festive season, Natalie’s daughter asked: “Can Christmas angels and fairies be black?”.
Not, as Natalie discovered, according to most retailers, so they set up marchmuses.co.uk.
So she and Alison set up a company which sells ethnically-diverse Christmas decorations – and they are already retailing through Selfridges.
And the Dragons are certainly impressed to learn that in their first year they had a pretty massive turnover compared to a tiny marketing budget.
But will the Dragons give Natalie and Alison the greatest gift of all: £50,000? Tune into Dragons’ Den on BBC One at 8pm to find out.
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