Two teenage sisters from Sussex have hit Dragons’ Den for six after turning down offers from all five Dragons for their female-first cricket brand.
Cricketing siblings Honor Black, 18, and her sister Cat, 17, were pupils at Hurstpierpoint College when they founded Maiden Cricket in 2024 with the tagline: ‘Built for her. Not adapted from him.’
The siblings have been playing cricket since the age of seven and launched Maiden as a result of their frustrations at having to wear boys’ kit and accept products that weren’t designed around them.
On Thursday, millions of viewers saw them initially accept a combined offer of £50,000 from Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Steven Bartlett, Touker Suleyman and guest Dragon Gary Neville in exchange for 25 per cent equity.
Honor and Cat Black, founders of Maiden Cricket, wowed the Dragons
However, once the cameras stopped rolling, the sisters decided the deal wasn’t right for the fledgling startup and turned it down.
Instead, the teenage founders completed a separate oversubscribed fundraise, raising more than £400k at a valuation of £2.1m.
Cat, who was 16 at the time of filming and studying for her GCSEs, wasn’t allowed to stay for the interrogation from the Dragons because of her age.
Instead, Nicole Muller, mentor and business lead at Maiden Cricket, joined Honor in answering the Dragons’ questions.
Didn’t make business sense
Explaining why they turned down the Dragons, Cat told BusinessCloud: “I know we turned down five Dragons but it made business sense.
“After the show we had a massive family talk and decided that £50k for 25 per cent was giving away a lot of the business.
“The Dragons have all been very successful but they don’t have backgrounds in women’s sport so they didn’t feel like the right fit.
“Former Dragon, Sara Davies, plays cricket and would have been a better fit.”
The sisters have been supported by their father Oliver Black, a serial entrepreneur and founder of My Family Care, which was acquired by Bright Horizons in 2019.
Honor said: “Walking into the show was one of the most nerve-racking experiences we’ve ever had.
“We knew we had to stand behind what we’ve built and explain clearly why women’s cricket needs better-designed kit. It was a huge opportunity to put that argument in front of a national audience.”
Nicole Muller, mentor and business lead at Maiden Cricket, said: “Seeing Honor and Cat presenting Maiden on such a major platform is a proud moment.
“The reaction reflects both the growth of women’s cricket and the demand for products designed specifically for female players.”
In just two years, Maiden has grown into a national brand working with clubs, schools, universities and county boards across the UK, supported by a community of more than 300 ambassadors, including players and ex-players such as Alex Hartley and Mia Rogers.
Sister act: Cat and Honor Black, founders of Maiden Cricket
Cat, who describes herself as ‘super competitive’, started playing cricket after her twin brother Jacob did.
“It became a competition between my brother and I,” she said.
When she was picked for Sussex U16s, she noticed the difference between the quality of cricket equipment girls had access to at the elite end compared with that available in schools and at grassroots level.
The trousers were often too long, the tops were often see-through and the pads were either too big or too heavy.
Cat said: “Maiden started because we were tired of girls having to compromise on kit that wasn’t made for them.
“Everything we’ve built is about changing that and making sure female players have products that work for them, not adapted versions of men’s gear.”
The company’s ambition is to build Maiden into a leading global female-first sportswear brand. It is already targeting the US market with the launch of Maiden Cricket US, bringing its purpose-built women’s cricket apparel and equipment to American players.
The launch aligns with Maiden’s partnership with the Seattle Orcas Women’s T20 Exhibition as its founding apparel and equipment partner, supporting the continued growth of women’s cricket in the US.