The Wealthiest Women In The Dragon’s Den
Dragon’s Den has become essential British TV viewing and is now so popular that multiple spin-offs of the pitch-invest show are airing all over the world. As we continue to celebrate International Women’s Month, today we’re going to look at some of the most successful female pitchers (and Dragons) in Dragon’s Den history.
Side note — we are big Dragon’s Den fans!
4 Female Dragon’s Den millionaires
To date, around 1,800 people have pitched in the Den, with wildly varying success. (That’s the best bit, right?) Here are 4 women who have really aced it — whether they got the investment they were looking for or not.
Rachel Lowe
Net worth: £96 million
A Dragon’s Den reject, but a multi-millionaire nonetheless, Rachel Lowe is the brains behind Destination London — a location-based boardgame. Rachel entered the Den in 2004 but failed to get any offers.
Since then, the board game has gone on to outsell Monopoly and even has 21 different variants. Lowe also went on to receive an MBE for services to business.
The hyper-successful entrepreneur is now wealthier than many of the Dragons!
Chika Russell
Net worth: £10 million
Another one that slipped through the net. In 2015, Chika Russell actually turned down Peter Jones’ 30,000 investment in her African snack company, Chika’s Foods.
Nigerian-born Russell moved to the UK when she was five as the youngest of seven siblings. Watching her mother balance a hectic job, with raising children inspired Russell to develop a strong work ethic. The entrepreneur is now worth £10 million and she owns six houses, including a Notting Hill mansion. Yes girl!
Louise Ferguson and Kate Cotton
Net worth: £5 million each
Louise and Kate are the inventors of SkinnyTan, a tanning brand that’s designed to make the wearer look tanned and slim, too. So it’s not just a clever name!
When the duo went to the Den in 2013, they boasted profits of £600k in the company’s first year, which got all of the Dragons excited enough to make an offer. Former Dragons, Kelly Hoppen and Piers Linney were the lucky ones, having their 60,000 offer for 10% of the company accepted.
SkinnyTan then went from strength to strength and Ferguson and Cotton sold the company to InnovaDerma in 2015.
What about the Dragons?
Of course, we shouldn’t forget the two amazing businesswomen Dragons. Who are they and how did they get there? Let’s see.
Deborah Meaden
Net worth: £49.8 million
Originally earning her wealth in textiles, Deborah Meaden entered the Den in series 3, filmed in 2006. She’s now the second-longest serving Dragon behind Peter Jones.
Deborah is well known in the construction/DIY industry, often specifically targeting inventions in that sector. She’s also known for her green credentials and knowledge of environmentally friendly business spaces.
Her most successful investment has been the Magic Whiteboard, invented by husband and wife duo Neil and Laura Westwood. Meaden joined fellow Dragon Theo Paphitis in investing £100,000 in the business. To date, that’s brought in almost £1 million in returns.
That’s actually the most successful investment in Dragon’s Den history. Well done, Deborah!
Sara Davies
Net worth: £37 million
Sara Davies joined Dragon’s Den in 2019 and is a British businesswoman, entrepreneur, and television personality. She’s the founder and owner of Crafter’s Companion, a company she started while a student at the University of York. By the time she had graduated, her business was turning over £500,000 and it has only increased since then. That business now ships to 40 countries worldwide.
We love Sara for her kind, but very direct business approach, and applaud her for being an excellent female role model.
Let us know what you think!
What’s your favourite Dragon’s Den pitch? Let us know by tweeting us at @_contentworks.
Top fundamental events week commencing 06.03.23
This week looks like plain sailing until we hit Friday and a lot of important things go down! Have a good week, everyone!
Monday
● USD — ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI (FEB)
Tuesday
● AUD — RBA Interest Rate Decision
● USD — Fed Chair Powell Testimony
Wednesday
● EUR — GDP Growth Rate QoQ 3rd Est (Q4); GDP Growth Rate YoY 3rd Est (Q4)
● CAD — Balance of Trade (JAN); BoC Interest Rate Decision
● USD — Fed Chair Powell Testimony
Thursday
● JPY — GDP Growth Annualised Final (Q4)
● CNY — Inflation Rate YoY (FEB)
Friday
● JPY — BoJ Interest Rate Decision
● EUR — German Inflation Rate YoY Final (FEB)
● GBP — GDP 3-Month Avg (JAN); GDP YoY (JAN)
● CNY — New Yuan Loans (FEB)
● CAD — Employment Change (FEB); Unemployment Rate (FEB)
● USD — Non-Farm Payrolls (FEB); Unemployment Rate (FEB)
Here at Contentworks we closely follow market movements and prep content that we think your traders would love to read. Let’s get you started right here.
Speak soon!
The Contentworks team
