Dragons’ Den star offers biggest deal in the show’s 20 year history with eye-watering amount for just 1 per cent of a company

Dragons’ Den stars have bid an eye-watering sum for just 1 per cent of a company, the biggest bid in the show’s 20-year history.

In Thursday night’s episode of the hit BBC programme, Francisco Gimenez stepped into the Den with an ambitious plan to revolutionize the hairdressing industry.

Founded in 2023, her company Yuv has developed a smart hair dye delivery system that automatically mixes the perfect shade for each customer.

Not only does this reduce waste and save valuable time, but it also tracks color usage through an app, similar to a printer’s ink subscription service.

Explaining how the business model works, Francisco told Dragons: ‘You as a venue will pay £49 a month to rent all the equipment.

‘Moreover, you pay for the hair color you use as much as you use it.

In Thursday night’s episode of the popular BBC programme, Francisco Gimenez stepped into the Den with an ambitious plan to revolutionize the hairdressing industry.

‘To put it in perspective, a salon with four to five hairdressers can spend between £800 and £1,000 a month on colour.

‘We have an operating margin of 55 percent. So a salon using Yuv would need to contribute £500 of profit per month.

‘We have several patents, we have been working on this for three years. We just launched, literally just launched.

‘We currently have a waiting list of approximately 500 venues. So here I am asking for an investment of £250k for 1 per cent of the company.’

The dragons burst into laughter as they tried to process this bold assessment.

Now it was time for the Dragons to share their thoughts on Francisco’s product and decide whether they wanted to invest.

Touker Suleiman said: ‘Look, I think you’re great. But if I have to stick to my real rules, I won’t get out of bed for 1%.

That’s why I’m out.’

Founded in 2023, her company Yuv has developed a smart hair dye delivery system that automatically mixes the perfect shade for each customer.

Not only does this reduce waste and save valuable time, but it also tracks color usage through an app, similar to a printer’s ink subscription service.

‘That’s why I’m here asking for an investment of £250k for 1 per cent of the company,’ he told the Dragons.

Later Sara Davies said: ‘Francisco, you are very, very good. But we don’t need to tell you that.

You know this; You have a proven track record, you invest your own money and everything works out for you.

‘And I think the offer on the table is: ‘This is what I’m offering you; “Are you in or out?”

Sharing his decision, he continued: ‘I’m in. I was into this too. And I understand that this is a small seat on a big bus. But let me tell you, it’s nice to ride the bus, right?

‘So yes, I would give you all that money (a quarter of a million) for 1%.’

Emma Grede was next and said: ‘Francisco, I don’t think I can make a better deal for you than Sara has here.

‘I’d happily give you £250,000 but I wouldn’t do it for 1%.

‘I’ll need 3% of the job. So I’m going to be really honest with you because I think what you’re doing is great. This is an offer, this is a direct offer.

Now it was time for the Dragons to share their thoughts on Francisco’s product and decide whether they wanted to invest.

Touker Suleyman decided he had to stick to his ‘real rules’ and left the game

Sara Davies gave her %! offered £250 in return

‘I’d give £250,000 for 3 per cent. However, my experience – and I have raised a lot of money, hundreds of millions of dollars – is that not all investors are created equal.

‘Some are more useful depending on the stage you are at. And this is not meant to be disrespectful to anyone on your pay scale; It’s just that different people are good at different times. That’s why I would make you this offer.’

Peter Jones said: ‘Francisco, you know what, I couldn’t describe it better than Emma.

‘Because I made you an offer without even knowing how much you wanted or how much equality you wanted, right?

“So I will keep my word and stick to this offer. My offer still stands, but with a slight change.

‘My tweaking comes in the form of sharing advice in Emma’s opinion because it’s so true.

‘When you look at the match table, not everyone is equal. Investors often find ‘Avengers’ and I feel like I am one of them.

‘That’s why I want a 3% consultancy share. The benefit of this is that you can keep your cap table clean without offending anyone with that 1% and no one gets diluted.

Emma Grede offered him £250k for 3% of the business

Peter Jones says he will offer £250k for 1% of the business and 3% consultancy stake

Deborah Meaden offers £250k for 3%

Steven Bartlett offers £250k for 1%

‘You’re the only one who does this because you believe in the value of having me. ‘That’s my offer.’

Sara asked: ‘1% plus 3% is a recommendation. So you’re at 4%?’

Peter replied: ‘Yes.’

Later, Deborah Meaden said: ‘Francisco, I think you’re great and I love your vision. It doesn’t bother me that it’s a smaller percentage, because if you have a business that you think is going to be really successful, then, you know, it’s a great thing to be a part of.

‘So I’m going to make you an offer. ‘I’ll offer you the full money, I want 2% of the business.’

After considering the Dragons’ offer, Francisco decided to accept both Sara and Steven’s offers.

Finally, Steven Bartlett was next. He said: ‘I’m going to do something I don’t usually do. Typically when I make an offer I want to put myself above other Dragons, but I actually believe that if you had accepted anything other than this offer today it probably wouldn’t have happened.

‘This would offend a lot of people who have supported you on your journey.

‘So I’m sitting here, the reason I’m pausing is because I’ve come to a point where the offer is the offer.

‘You’re so gorgeous I’ll give you this. ‘I’ll give you £250k for 1% of your business.’

After considering the Dragons’ offer, Francisco decided to accept both Sara and Steven’s offers.