Dragons’ Den: From Gilley umbrella to Spudos crisps, here’s every business pitching tonight

It might be the most random business show on telly, but it’s also one of the most enduring. Dragons’ Den has spent nearly two decades putting hopeful entrepreneurs through the ringer, and let’s be honest, we all love watching brutal takedowns unfold.

Last week, Steven Bartlett added two more businesses to his portfolio, backing Omni’s plant-based dog food and Will Little’s premium coffee company. A portable bidet and a cute bee revival kit weren’t so lucky, however.

But what’s on the menu tonight? This evening, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies, and Steven Bartlett will grill four new sets of entrepreneurs looking for cash, pitching everything from reinvented crisps and pre-packaged flowerbeds to a new kind of umbrella and rentable baby equipment.

Here’s everything you need to know about the businesses pitching in the den tonight and where you can buy their products.

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First up in the den are Reid and Trib, co-founders of a new kind of umbrella. They’re on a mission to make the UK feel less miserable about the British weather with durable brollies that have been reinvented to fix their daily annoyances.

Launched in 2021, Gilley’s umbrellas are windproof up to 30mph, and boast a hard-shell water-tight case that keeps your umbrella dry after use, stopping your brolly from getting your things sopping wet when you put it into your bag. The case also doubles up as an optional handle.

A familiar face to The Independent, Gilley’s umbrella features in our round-up of the best umbrellas. “We tested the brolly in some fairly wet and windy conditions and were impressed by its ability to withstand some large gusts of wind and protect us against rain,” we said in our review. “Even better, it has a large canopy, so two people can snuggly fit underneath it.”

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Next up in the den are green-fingered co-founders Henry and Alex, who are hoping to impress the dragons with their instant flowerbeds that transform outdoor spaces into pretty garden studios.

Launched in 2022, Dig lets you design your own pretty flowerbeds directly through its website. You choose from a stylish garden theme, detail the dimensions of the flowerbed and choose the setting (where it’ll be planted). Plants are then delivered directly to your door, fully established and colour-coded, just like a Hello Fresh meal kit. Dig’s instant pre-designed flowerbeds cost £275 on average and can be pre-ordered today, with deliveries expected in mid-March.

We reviewed the service, and our writer was “blown away by how quickly the plants transformed the dead space” in her garden.

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Third in the den is entrepreneur and mum of four Hayley, who thinks she’s found the solution to expensive travel-specific children’s equipment that you only use once or twice a year. Cabin-approved baby gear that you can rent.

Launched in 2022, Tiny Explorers is on a mission to provide parents with a cost-effective and sustainable way to travel with their young children.

The company rents out everything from prams, travel cots and high chairs to bouncers, luggage scooters and booster seats, letting both parents and grandparents get the gear they need for short trips.

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Last in the den is serial entrepreneur Del Currie, who wants to make the UK’s obsession with crisps not just more sustainable, but also more fun, letting everyone season their bag of crisps to their own taste. But will the dragons be hungry for more?

Launched in 2022, Spudos sells unseasoned crisps that come in home compostable bags that you season yourself with the brand’s spud dust sachets. There are eight different spud dust flavours, including chip shop curry, nooch and onion, crispy bacon, doner kebab, prawn cocktail, nduja and honey, southern fried chicken and more.

You can buy one 500g bag (around 16 bags) or a 1kg bag (about 32 bags of crisps). Spudos also sells its crisps in reusable tubs and you can get its spud dust shakers on their own, if you want more than just sachets.

Missed last week? Catch up on all the businesses in episode five now