Angels Den Blog

Tuesday night saw the last episode of the sixth series of Dragons’ Den. By now every “cash starved entrepreneur” – as Evan introduces them – must have heard of the BBC’s answer to the X-Factor, a show that combines successful people in their field with the comically (or is that clinically) deluded and the occasional bright star.

The Harry Enfield character may mock the show, but there is an underlying reality to the sketch:

Love it or hate it, this TV show has put the industrial strength (occasionally eco-friendly) spotlight on the venture capitalist and inspired a new generation of inventors and business start-ups into existence, for which we at Angel’s Den are of course eternally grateful.

Through all the posturing, inspirational music and verbal abuse there is the occasional success story. Everyone remembers Levi Roots, the Jamaican-born reggae singer who took his grandmother’s recipe for spicy condiments into the Den, and with the help of two of the Dragons has taken his Reggae Reggae Sauce from kitchen production and Notting Hill Carnival sales to mass production and the supermarket shelves, no doubt making Mr Roots a very wealthy man in the process.

Whilst Dragons’ Den has opened the very public door to the mysteries of venture capital investment, it should be remembered that this very real scenario is being played out in the pantomime world of entertainment television.

The reality of venture capital pitches to Angels is very different from what you see on Dragons’ Den. Angels are not there to entertain or to lock egos for the sake of the camera; they are focussed on a single goal – to finding someone or something to invest in and make profit through. Angels are not complicated creatures, they are motivated by profit, or the buzz of helping new businesses succeed (so they can make more profit). So if you’ve an idea that could benefit from the funds or expertise of an Angel you should know that there is no shortage of them, they do not bite, and they will often come from far and wide to hear your pitch, keen to seek out anything that is investible in your idea.

Dragons may love the sparkle of the limelight and the treasure of advertising spin-offs, but Angels are not clouded by such earthly things. They’re focussed on their contribution to the success of your business…for the profits of course.