REFY co-founder Jenna Meek last night fulfilled her long-held dream of lining up alongside regular Dragons Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Peter Jones and Steven Bartlett.
The 33-year-old was the first in a revolving door of guest Dragons to appear in the show, following the departure of Sara Davies.
Meek may have seen her Instagram followers soar from just under 14,000 to 15,400 following her appearance on the show but was she a hit or a miss?
The first thing to say is that despite her business success – and being a BusinessCloud Northern Leader – Meek arguably went into the Den without the profile of the other guest Dragons – Gary Neville; singer Tinie Tempah; and ex-Apprentice star Susie Ma.
Meek hails from Bishop Auckland, and the similarities with Sara Davies went far beyond her North East accent and her status as a BusinessCloud Northern Leader.
Unlike Emma Grede, who was a guest Dragon in the last season of Dragons’ Den, was wasn’t overly aggressive in her approach and made an effort to be positive in her feedback.
Interestingly, the latest season of Dragons’ Den coincided with the launch of series 20 of The Apprentice and I thought I was watching the wrong programme with Meek’s over-the-top introduction.
Next generation powerhouse
Described by the show as a ‘next generation powerhouse’, Meek told the cameras: “I quit my job in fashion and started my first business with £3,000 of my own saving.
“I scaled that to a multi-million pound business. My vision is to own this world.
“I started my second business with a mission to simplify beauty and we’re on track to build a £1bn business.”
Then she came up with a full-on mic drop moment. “I’m not scared of any of the Dragons, if anything they should be scared of me,” she said.
The editing process can be a hard mistress and it gave the impression that she was trying too hard, which may not have been her intention.
The first person to welcome Meek onto the Den was Diary of a CEO Steven Bartlett.
“We’re the same age aren’t we?” he said, prompting veteran Dragon Peter Jones to quip: “You look so much younger than him.”
If Meek had been hoping to find the next PerfectTed or Reggae Reggae Sauce to invest in she would have been disappointed.
Pitch 1: Hatnspicy
The first person to pitch was Chloe Messer, founder of Hatnspicy, who was seeking £50k for a 15 per cent stake of her business.
In 2024 the startup reported a modest turnover of £30,000 and profit of £3,785 and Meek told Messer she didn’t need an investor.
“This isn’t an investment for me so I’m out,” she said.
Pitch 2: Mosaic Journal
The second person to pitch was Murad Huseynov, who was seeking an eye-watering £70k investment for just 4 per cent of his photo printing app Mosaic Journal.
The subscription service prints your photos every month so you can put them in an old-school photo album which lasts for a year.
Despite being loss-making, the founder valued the business at £1.75m.
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Meek was the first Dragon out the traps, congratulating Huseynov on a ‘great pitch’ before asking him about the competition.
“I love the idea of storytelling,” said REFY’s co-founder. “I love the idea of when I go on holiday being able to select the right amount of pictures and putting them in a book.
“I feel quite overwhelmed. I love where you’re going with this but I don’t think it’s perfect so I’m out but I do wish you luck.”
Pitch 3: The Original Teff-ly
Next up in the Den was The Original Teff-ly, a company dedicated to creating sustainable, Teff-based plant milks.
Despite being pre-revenue, the co-founders Karmen Gadi and Yosef Brhane were seeking a £100,000 investment for 2.5 per cent, giving the startup a whopping valuation of £4m.
However, there were more than a few raised eyebrows when the founders said an unnamed investor had already pledged £2m at a valuation of £25m.
Meek, who likes using the phrase ‘this is where I’m at with it’, quickly decided The Original Teff-ly wasn’t for her.
Speaking to Gadi and Brhane she said: “You’re clearly incredible entrepreneurs and you’ve clearly got this incredible fight in both of you and I think your story is amazing but for me today it’s not an investment so I’m out but I wish you the best of luck.”
It all meant that if Meek was to going make her debut investment in the Den it would come down to the fourth and final pitch.
Pitch 4: Strike Back Self Defence
Enter former pharmacist Gulshen Bano, with her women-only self-defence venture Strike Back Self Defence.
Strike Back is based in Birmingham and the founder was seeking £25,000 for 10 per cent equity.
Bano told the Dragons that the startup had generated revenue of £83,000 and expanded to 12 franchises
Meek was picked to do a demonstration that involved hitting a punch bag with the palm of her hand.
REFY co-founder Jenna Meek made her Dragons’ Den debut
“I thought I had a more powerful punch to be honest,” she said, returning to her famous seat.
Meek immediately focused on the cost of the franchises. “I can see your purpose and I can see your mission,” she said.
“I’m sitting here getting incredibly annoyed at everyone speaking.
“We’re just getting labelled as an investor like we’re all the same. I could not care less.
“I’ll get my money back because I know exactly how to build a business that’s got a purpose.
“It’s where I absolutely thrive. It’s what wakes me up, not worried about when I’m going to get my money back.
Purpose-driven
“Worrying about when I’ve done our mission on that business, that’s all I care about. You do that well, with a good business mind, the money just comes. I would love to join you on this.”
Meek didn’t follow Bartlett’s regular tactic of trying to increase the amount of equity by offering the full £25,000 for 10 per cent – which Bano immediately accepted.
The feedback on social media was broadly positive. Rashmiii wrote on X: “Jenna Meek is fabulous. Her telling the other Dragons, it’s not about all about the money!! Bravo!!”
Half the investment offers on Dragons’ Den don’t proceed and I was staggered to see that Gulshen Bano hadn’t even posted about her TV appearance on LinkedIn.
Speaking personally, Meek has kept a relatively low profile in the North West as she juggles running a scaling business with the demands of motherhood and it was nice to hear from her.
What clearly motivates her is purpose and that was refreshing.
Hopefully she’ll make more appearances in the Den as she bids to conquer the world.