Next up is Nottinghamshire entrepreneur Rajan Bhojwani, an eye surgeon turned inventor who is taking on one of life’s small but frustrating challenges with his product SeeTheTape.

The concept is simple – instead of the usual light cardboard core, SeeTheTape is wound around a dark one, making it easier to spot where the tape ends.

Bhojwani launched the brand in 2024, saying the darker background helps the eye naturally detect contrast more easily.

A two-pack of rolls currently retails for £5.99 on Amazon and he’s hoping the Dragons will think that the idea can stick.

Suleyman is also OUT.

Jones says that the duo’s commitment is “off the charts” but thinks it is too early too invest. He is OUT.

The pair exit the Den with a raft of plaudits, but no deal.

Bartlett is the first OUT.

Meaden is also OUT as she thinks there will be too much cash tied up in stock.

Davies thinks that she cannot get the numbers to stack to make it an investment opportunity, and is also OUT.

 

They are asking for £75,000 for 10% of the business

First into the Den are Nottingham-based co-founders Laura Grant and Stacey Green, creators of Shades, a dancewear brand designed to celebrate diversity.

Launched in 2023, Shades offers dancewear in four tones – Pearl, Raven, Uday and Bojangles – covering light to deep complexions.

The brand’s range includes children’s tights, socks and belts, as well as adult ballet shoes and convertible tights.

Welcome to our live coverage of tonight’s episode of Dragons’ Den.

Ahead of the 8pm start, have a read of how Steven Bartlett approached his Dragons’ Den debut.

Earlier this week the serial entrepreneur revealed how his new company – Steven.com – had announced it had closed a major eight-figure investment in a deal that valued the business at $425m (£320m).

Tonight, millions of people will see Bartlett take his familiar place in the Den when the 14^th and final episode of series 22 of Dragons’ Den is screened.

Newark and Sherwood District Council has launched a new AI and Data Academy with Multiverse to boost digital skills and support its digital strategy for 2025–2028.

Following a successful pilot, 50 council staff will now receive training in AI tools and data analytics to improve productivity, reduce admin burdens and deliver smarter public services.

Courses such as AI Powered Productivity and Data Insights for Business Decisions will aim to help employees use tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot and Gemini to make data-driven decisions.

Octopus Apollo VCT has launched a £100 million fundraise, including a £25m overallotment, as it looks to expand its portfolio of established B2B software companies.

With net assets of £523m and investments in around 45 businesses, the VCT targets firms generating £2–£8m in annual revenue – positioning itself at the mature end of the venture capital trust spectrum.

Over the past five years to September 2025, the London firm has delivered a 53.2% net asset value total return, while targeting an average annual dividend of 5% of NAV.

Author: Patrick Killeen

FinTech entrepreneur Tom Greenwood, founder of Volt and Velocity, has been discharged from hospital in Greece after a serious quad bike accident left him fighting for his life for over a month.

The 50-year-old was injured on August 20th while riding on the island of Mykonos, sustaining multiple fractures below the waist and reportedly suffering a cardiac arrest while receiving emergency treatment.

His condition gradually improved over the following weeks and he was discharged earlier this month.

The UK government has confirmed £55 billion in long-term R&D funding to accelerate the next generation of scientific and technological breakthroughs.

Announced by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the investment secures funding for major research agencies such as UKRI, ARIA and the Met Office, as part of the government’s wider £86bn public R&D commitment.

The allocations will help scale discoveries that improve everyday life, from airport security technology to cancer treatments, while unlocking billions more in private investment.

Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the funding will back “the best and brightest researchers and innovators”.

A new Edinburgh-based platform looking to transform how startups and scale-ups build and manage partnerships has officially launched following a successful beta of its RelateIQ product. 

Founded by SaaS veteran Jon Mead, the PartnerBridge platform gives early-stage companies access to data-driven tools and frameworks traditionally reserved for larger enterprises, helping them accelerate partner-led growth. 

Its RelateIQ tool aims to automate discovery, analysis, and validation, cutting the time needed to identify and evaluate partners from hours to minutes.

London-based AshGrove Capital has completed a €26 million senior secured investment in Finnish digital water management leader Smartvatten, supporting its acquisition of submetering specialist LeakLook and fuelling its next growth stage.

The combined business will now monitor real-time water flows across more than 40,000 properties in 30 countries, helping clients cut waste, detect leaks and achieve sustainability goals.

AshGrove’s investment, introduced through its ongoing partnership with Norvestor, strengthens its growing Nordic presence following a similar deal with ESG software firm Position Green last year.

This marks the eighth investment from th firm’s €650m Specialty Lending Fund II.

Risers:

Computacenter – +4.17%

Goodwin – +3.37%

Airtel Africa – +2.68%

Ithaca Energy – +2.41%

Kainos Group – +2.20%

Fallers:

WPP – -14.75%

Rathbones Group – -4.82%

Bluefield Solar Income Fund – -4.67%

Aston Martin Lagonda – -4.27%

Foresight Solar Fund – -3.99%

Author: Patrick Killeen

Digital bank Monzo has confirmed that TS Anil will step down as CEO after more than five years at the helm, to be succeeded by former Google and Standard Chartered exec Diana Layfield. 

The leadership change comes as the London-based FinTech gears up for an anticipated stock market flotation, which could value the company at up to £10 billion.

Layfield, who will take over in February 2026, brings extensive experience in both banking and technology. 

She previously served as CEO for Africa at Standard Chartered and later spent nine years at Google, holding senior positions across search, crypto and international business operations. 

She currently sits as a non-executive director at AstraZeneca and chair of British International Investment.

Author: Patrick Killeen

London-based AI video creation platform Synthesia has raised $200 million (£151.7m) in a new funding round reportedly led by Google Ventures (GV), pushing its valuation to $4 billion.

The investment makes the business one of the UK’s most valuable AI companies and follows a £146m Series D round in January.

That round valued the company at $2.1bn and its latest deal highlights the rapid rise of the now-UK giant amid the AI boom.

Synthesia’s platform allows enterprises to produce studio-quality videos using AI avatars, removing the need for cameras, studios or actors.

The company’s technology is used by over 90% of Fortune 100 companies to streamline corporate communications, training, and marketing.

OpenAI is reportedly laying the groundwork for a potential public listing that could value the AI giant at up to $1 trillion (£760 billion). 

According to Reuters, the ChatGPT maker is exploring the possibility of filing IPO paperwork in the second half of 2026, with the listing likely to follow later that year or in early 2027.

The Sam Altman-led company is said to be targeting a $60bn fundraise through the flotation, which would make it one of the largest IPOs in history. 

However, an OpenAI spokesperson told Reuters: “An IPO is not our focus, so we could not possibly have set a date.”

London-based Allye Energy has promoted Dr Arghavan Nazemi to CTO after advancing the company’s technical direction and strengthening its position in intelligent battery energy storage systems (BESS). 

Nazemi joined the business in February this year as director of control systems and the company says she has since transformed its engineering operations, introducing new levels of discipline and innovation across software, embedded systems and control technologies.

Her leadership has been central to the development of Allye’s MAX range of BESS, with breakthroughs in grid-forming capabilities, seamless synchronisation and bi-directional power control — technologies key to modern grid resilience. 

She was previously a senior powertrain control engineer at Arrival and is a PhD graduate from Imperial College London.

Tropicana Brands Group has partnered with London-based AI and analytics specialist Cogna to overhaul production planning at its Zeebrugge facility, the company’s main European manufacturing site. 

The collaboration aims to boost efficiency, agility and sustainability by replacing manual planning processes with a data-driven, AI-enabled system that provides real-time visibility into capacity and performance.

It is also looking to help uncover hidden production potential, accelerate product innovation and strengthen long-term planning.

Cogna CEO Ben Peters said the partnership demonstrates how intelligent tools can help manufacturers unlock capacity and plan with confidence.

Serbian FinTech lender Finspot has secured a £22 million debt facility from London-based Fasanara Capital as it looks to expand alternative financing options for SMEs across Southeast Europe and beyond. 

The transaction, advised by London-based FinTech consultancy Finkr, will enable the company to scale its technology platform and extend faster, more flexible funding to businesses underserved by traditional banks.

Finspot, the only FinTech of its kind in Serbia, has developed an advanced in-house platform that automates SME financing through invoice factoring. 

The agreement also marks Finkr’s first major advisory transaction since its launch in 2024.