Bite-size news and insight from UK business and tech – including funding, deals and appointments
Published: February 5, 2026 at 8:46 pm
The final pitcher is Flavour Bombs, founded by married duo Tina Faghihi-Hallam and Olly Hallam.
Described as the ‘bath bomb for your saucepan’, it is reimagining home cooking. Its ready-to-use meal bases turn hard-to-make global dishes into effortless, restaurant-quality meals.
Each Flavour Bomb contains a complete base for a dish – no half-used herbs, forgotten spices or wasted ingredients left mouldering in the fridge.
Launched with just £300 and built entirely self-funded from a London flat, Flavour Bombs surpassed £100,000 in revenue in its first year, with no paid marketing and just the two founders running every part of the business – from manufacturing to sales.
Published: February 5, 2026 at 8:45 pm
Steven is concerned about the cost per customer acquisition and is out.
Gary is “frightened to death” by the £35k cash burn a month. He’s also not passionate about the business and is out.
Peter advises that he should spend £800k of his money raised to take the business to breakeven and then grow it from there. He makes an offer of £50k for 5% of the business.
Touker matches that offer but is happy to share with Peter if he is OK with that.
Deborah says Jinesh is clearly “very good” and says there is an integrity there. She offers all of the money for 4%! Cheeky…
Jinesh asks the men if they would consider a split matching Deborah’s offer. “Two Dragons are better than one.”
Well three Dragons are better than two, and they all agree to share £50k for 5% of the business.
“We may have been a bit naive there dropping out early,” Gary tells Steven.
Published: February 5, 2026 at 8:37 pm
Jinesh says they make money in two ways: when people shop through app, and when people pay their mortgages through the app.
It has partnered with many household names such as John Lewis.
Jinesh says they lost £565k last year and is currently losing £30-35k a month.
There are 25,000 homeowners on the app and they are looking for 40,000.
He says they have raised £4m at this time from institutional investors.
Published: February 5, 2026 at 8:32 pm
Also looking for investment is Jinesh Vohra, a former Goldman Sachs director who has developed a free app to tackle the problem of mortgage overpayments as household debt hits an all-time high.
The London startup closed a £5.5m funding round last April led by Ascension, with participation from Channel4Ventures, the broadcaster’s consumer investment arm, Velocity Capital, and Two Magnolias. I’m not sure if this was filmed before or after that round.
Launched in 2021, the app looks to allow homeowners to pay off their mortgage faster through their everyday shopping, by automatically putting spare cash towards overpayments and by continuously scanning the market to help customers find better mortgage deals.
Published: February 5, 2026 at 8:30 pm
Steven says he can’t conceptualise the product as he doesn’t play the sport. He’s out.
Deborah finds it fascinating but also doesn’t understand the game and is out.
Gary says he began playing as a youngster and wants to know if something can be designed to clean club heads. They aren’t keen on that idea.
But that idea has piqued Peter’s interest. He says the device reminds him of Pac-man and could have a dual purpose of cleaning balls and clubs.
Peter suggests that he, Gary and Touker all invest £30k each for 10% of the business apiece. They agree and we have a deal!
Published: February 5, 2026 at 8:25 pm
They are looking for £80k for 10% of the business.
They are yet to go to retail – everything is from a phone and packed on a kitchen table – after five years of operation.
They say each product costs £7 to make – in the UK – and sell for £29.99.
Touker says he can find a way to reduce the cost of the moulds (currently £25k) and the product should be sold for less than £20.
Published: February 5, 2026 at 8:20 pm
Next to pitch is married couple Ben and Natalia Reeves, who have a solution for golfers sick of muddy balls.
Swish is a portable golf ball cleaner launched in 2024 which takes seconds to do its job and clips on to golf bags.
Peter and Gary are keen golfers – indeed Peter has bought American Golf just today – so will the founders drive home a deal with them?
Published: February 5, 2026 at 8:18 pm
Dani says she was quite taken by Gary and Deborah’s answers and asks them to consider 15% equity for the £50k. Peter is mock offended!
However Deborah stands firm. And Dani walks out of the Den with the £50k for 20%, split between her and Gary.
Published: February 5, 2026 at 8:15 pm
Steven Bartlett asks Dani about social media. She is on Insta and has built community organic growth, but has a love/hate relationship with TikTok.
He says she has a story to tell there.
Gary says he will give her the money for 20% of the business!
Deborah Meaden, the ‘green queen’, matches his offer.
Touker says it isn’t his thing and is out.
Steven says “I am the best Dragon for you”…. but he doesn’t see enough to punch through the market and is out.
Peter Jones says it’s really difficult not to make an offer as Dani has a great product and is “radiating” – everything he wants to see in a founder. He matches the previous offers.
Published: February 5, 2026 at 8:08 pm
Dani is looking for £50,000 for 10% of her business.
She was one of the early people working at Charlotte Tilbury.
She turned over £23k in year one, £73k in year two and is set to double that this year – despite being a one-woman business.
She is in Whole Foods and also growing in the US.
She is also a professional psychic medium!
Published: February 5, 2026 at 8:02 pm
First up is Danielle Close, whose Brighton business My Skin Feels – founded in 2023 – is a vegan skincare brand that ferments rescued organic food waste from the Italian food and drinks industry.
The by-products of breakfast oats, olive oil, tomato skins and citrus juice are used in skincare products, which could appeal to sustainability champion Deborah Meaden.
Danielle says the fermentation process boosts the ingredients’ antioxidant and postbiotic content.
Published: February 5, 2026 at 7:55 pm
Of course, there are four regular Dragons running the rule over the four featured pitches tonight.
But how often are won over and invest? And how often do the deals actually go through?
Click below for all Dragons’ Den investments made by:
Published: February 5, 2026 at 7:47 pm
The new series of Dragons’ Den is set for episode 2 tonight as guest judge Gary Neville returns to the Den.
The businessman, broadcaster and former footballer joins Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Steven Bartlett and Touker Suleyman as they put another set of business hopefuls to the test.
In this episode, a beauty industry insider pitches skincare made from rescued food. A husband-and-wife duo tee up an innovative device designed to keep golf balls spotless. A finance-savvy business founder wants to score big with an app that helps users overpay their mortgages. And a married couple spice things up with their seasoning balls.
But will the Dragons bite?
Join us for live coverage from 8pm to find out!
Published: February 5, 2026 at 4:49 pm
Award-winning podcast, We Built This City, has marked the milestone of reaching 100 episodes with a star-studded dinner in Manchester.
The honour of being the 100th guest on the podcast hosted by Lisa Morton went to Michael Ingall, founder and CEO of Allied London.
Ingall is the visionary behind some of Manchester’s most iconic neighbourhoods, including Spinningfields and St. John’s.
Morton, who founded PR agency Roland Dransfield in 1996, launched We Built This City in February 2020, just two weeks before the UK entered lockdown.
Notable podcast guests include Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester; Professor Erinma Bell, community activist; the late Sir Howard Bernstein; actor John Henshaw, DJ Paulette, Clint Boon, Sacha Lord, and Rowetta.
On Wednesday, Morton brought together 100 guests at the iconic Manchester Hall for a landmark celebration.
Published: February 5, 2026 at 4:17 pm
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined MediaLab, owner of image sharing and hosting platform Imgur, £247,590 for failing to use children’s personal information lawfully.
The penalty follows an investigation that found MediaLab allowed children to use Imgur without putting in place the basic safeguards required under UK data protection law.
The ICO concluded MediaLab breached the law by:
John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner, said: “MediaLab failed in its legal duties to protect children, putting them at unnecessary risk.
“For years, it allowed children to use Imgur without any effective age checks, while collecting and processing their data, which in turn exposed them to harmful and inappropriate content.”
Published: February 5, 2026 at 4:09 pm
Dragons’ Den star Peter Jones has bought the UK and Ireland’s leading specialist golf retailer, American Golf, from private equity firm Endless.
The 59-year-old serial entrepreneur is a keen golfer and said his latest purchase was ‘especially meaningful’.
Nigel Oddy, CEO of American Golf, said: “Joining forces with Peter Jones and his investment group marks an exciting new chapter for American Golf.”
Endless acquired Warrington-based American Golf in 2018, following an accelerated sale process completed in only two weeks.
Alvarez & Marsal acted as the lead financial advisor to Endless on the sale.
Jonathan Boyers, head of corporate finance for EMEA at Alvarez & Marsal: said: “American Golf is the UK and Ireland’s leading specialist golf retailer, with an annual turnover of £135m.
“It was acquired by Endless in 2018 and currently employs more than 1,000 people across its omnichannel operation, which consists of more than 80 bricks-and-mortar stores in the UK and Ireland alongside its online offering.
“I first started working with American Golf years ago and so it really is pleasing for my team at Alvarez & Marsal corporate finance to help achieve this excellent outcome for the business and its shareholders.”
Published: February 5, 2026 at 3:20 pm
The founder of photo-printing app Mosaic Journal has revealed the explosive impact this appearance on Dragons’ Den has had on the startup.
Last week viewers saw Murad Huseynov walk away with an investment offer of £70,000 from Steven Bartlett for a 15 per cent stake in the business.
Now the 30-year-old has told BusinessCloud about the full extent his TV appearance has had on Mosaic Journal.
Highlights include:
Huseynov is still the only full-time employee in the business, which is on track to hit £2.5m revenue this year and has active users in 21 countries.
He launched Mosaic Journal after becoming disillusioned with mainstream social platforms to create a digital and physical space designed to preserve memories in a tangible form.
Published: February 5, 2026 at 3:17 pm
Entrepreneur Paul Simkiss has warned that other SMEs will follow his lead in selling their business because of Rachel Reeves’ changes to inheritance tax.
Earlier this week it was revealed that United Infrastructure had acquired Rochdale-based Simkiss Group for an undisclosed sum.
Simkiss Group consists of Simkiss Control Systems, which was founded in 1999, and Instrument Control Services (ICS), which was acquired in 2025.
The leading engineering solutions provider works across multiple sectors, including energy, utilities and infrastructure and has a combined turnover of £20.5m and employs 152 staff.
Simkiss Control Systems designs and builds bespoke electrical control systems for a range of blue-chip clients, including Amazon, Network Rail and Siemens.
Although he welcomed the acquisition by United Infrastructure, Paul Simkiss said Labour’s changes to inheritance tax rules had been the ‘final straw’.
He asked: “Why is Rachel Reeves decimating SMEs in the country when they employ the vast majority of people in the UK?
“It’s frightening. Other SMEs will have to follow suit. Within a generation, SMEs are going to be eradicated because they’re not going to be able to continue.”
Published: February 5, 2026 at 2:50 pm
Two Manchester-based tech workers are celebrating the first year of a coffee side hustle that has grown from a Kickstarter experiment into a fast-growing national subscription business.
Vex Coffee was founded by Ross Jamieson and John Bradshaw, who both work full-time in the tech sector and began building the company in evenings and weekends after launching a Kickstarter campaign in late 2024.
The idea was born during a drive back to Manchester from Wales, when the pair began discussing how difficult it was for people outside major cities to discover high-quality speciality coffee without specialist knowledge, expensive equipment or access to independent cafés.
Published: February 5, 2026 at 2:42 pm
Lawhive, a LegalTech company transforming how consumer legal services are delivered, has raised £44 million in Series B funding to accelerate its expansion across the US.
Lawhive, live in 35 states and targeting a presence in all 50, plans to scale its model of building the world’s first ‘AI-native consumer law firm’.
In addition to Lawhive’s Austin office, a New York office is being opened to support this next stage of US growth.
The round was led by Mitch Rales, co-founder of Danaher Corporation, with participation from TQ Ventures, GV (Google Ventures), Balderton Capital, Jigsaw, Anton Levy and LTS.
The investment comes within a year of Lawhive’s $40m Series A, which included England footballers. In 2024 it raised £9.5m seed funding. Annual revenue now exceeds $35m, having grown sevenfold in the past year.
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