Tangle Teezer Dragon's Den reject set to be richer than a Dragon
Shaun Pulfrey, who was turned down by the Dragons when he pitched for investment in 2007, is about to sell his business - in a move that could make him wealthier than the Dragons who turned him away.
Pulfrey took the Tangle Teezer to the Dragons Den nine years ago. He was a former hair salon colourist, who had already saved from his salary, and remortgaged his flat, to fund the development of the product. He demonstrated it on the show, and asked for £80,000 in exchange for 15% of the business.
Unfortunately, the dragons were unimpressed. Theo Paphitis, Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne, didn't see the point of the product - with Jones claiming it was a 'hair brained' pitch. The viewers were far more interested, however, and the Tangle Teezer website crashed on the night the show aired, as people tried to buy one for themselves.
Pulfrey spent the next nine years building up the business, which now exports to 60 countries, and numbers Nicole Scherzinger and Emma Watson among its celebrity fans.
Now, the Mail On Sunday has reported Pulfrey is on the cusp of signing a £200 million deal to sell the business. The Sun pointed out that he has actually benefited from the plunging pound in the wake of Brexit, because exports make up so much of the business.
And having failed in the Den, Pulfrey is still the sole owner of the business, so stands to make a fortune.
Dragon Rejects
This isn't the only big success story the Dragons missed out on. In 2006, Robert Law took his children's suitcase, the Trunki, to the Dragons and was turned down. He went on to sell over 2 million of the suitcases in more than 60 countries.
Natalie Ellis, meanwhile, was turned down when she asked for funding in 2008 to enable her to sell the Road Refresher, the non-spill dog bowl, in America. She has since made millions from the product - and her other pet accessories - and even sold a bowl to Barack Obama for his dog Bo.
And Dan Cluderay failed to persuade the dragons that people would want to buy out-of-date food online at knockdown prices. He asked for an investment of £150,000, and was told there was no demand. His business, Approved Foods, now has an annual turnover of £4 million. The business was featured on the Bargain Fever Britain TV shown last year.
