Most 15-year-olds are not thinking up business ideas and then putting together a pitch to take into BBC One's Dragons' Den, let alone then walking away with a deal. Shay Sharma impressed Dragon Peter Jones so much that he did just that in tonight's episode (March 9), despite having to leave the Den after his pitch.
Shay, along with his dad Raj Sharmer, had created a footballing board game that instantly impressed Peter Jones and is one of the Den's youngest-ever entrepreneurs. Speaking about his son Raj said: "Shay has grown up wanting to emulate the Dragons, maybe be a dragon one day himself".
Keen Chelsea FC fan, just like Peter, Shay combined his love for football with his love of board games to create the game called Football Billionaire. Shay and Raj were asking for £50,000 in return for 5% equity of the business.
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As Shay is only 15 years old he was unable to stay in the den after the pitch as BBC guidelines say he is too young to undergo a grilling from the Dragons. Dragon Sara Davies said: "Shay, the rules of the BBC say you can't stay here and take this grilling at this age, so we are going to have to grill your dad but let's hope he does you proud."
Raj took questions from all the Dragons including Touker Suleyman who asked why Raj, who is already a successful business owner, wasn't funding the board game himself. Raj explained that Shay did not want to use his dad's money and instead wanted to run the business independently.
Raj said: "Shay said: 'look dad I don't want your money', I want to go to the Dragons". Peter ended up offering all the money, £50,000, for 20% of the business which Raj accepted. You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.
After Raj had left the den Peter admitted to the other Dragons he always knew he was going to invest. He said he made his decision to invest after "the first two or three sentences (of the pitch), he was just off the chart".
Dragons' Den airs on Thursdays on BBC One at 8pm.
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