Two Welsh entrepreneurs have secured £80,000 investment for their sun care product from Dragons' Den investors Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden.
Viewers who tuned into BBC One show finale watched as Kelli Aspland and Laura Waters from Cwmbran braved the den to pitch Solar Buddies, a no-mess applicator that enables children to put sunscreen on themselves.
The best friends and business partners launched the company in response to the ‘no touch’ policies at their children’s schools. They found that, without help, the kids would make a massive mess applying the suncream or end up sunburnt if they forgot to reapply it.
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The product went viral on TikTok after it was shared by influencers on the platform which improved its sales.
Before launching Solar Buddies, Ms Aspland had a placement at Cardiff University for nursing, while Ms Waters was writing a book. They describe Solar Buddies as a “sliding doors” career moment for them both.
In the Den, the pair were looking for £80,000 for a 10% share in their business. Retail specialist Sara Davies was impressed with the product and saw potential in the company.
Peter Jones called Solar Buddies “clever and very neat” but added that the co-owners better understand their own USP. While Deborah Meaden said she thought the business had only “scratched the surface” of what it could achieve.
All three Dragons offered all the money for a 20% share. The two entrepreneurs asked if all three Dragons would be open to collaborating, however Ms Davies said she’d prefer to work with them alone.
The pitch ended with the pair choosing to go with Mr Jones and Ms Meaden who agreed to work together.
After the show, Ms Aspland said: “Going into the Den was a heart-in-mouth moment. But we know our business inside out, so as soon as we started talking, the nerves disappeared.”
Ms Waters said: “We’re so thrilled to be working with Deborah and Peter. To have such titans of the industry come on board is incredible.”
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