This week, the Dragons were joined by businesswoman and beauty entrepreneur, Trinny Woodall. I was so excited for Trinny to join the show. Growing up in the noughties, obsessed with fashion, meant that I was absolutely obsessed with Trinny and Susannah. I vividly remember patiently waiting for my Grandad to finish his newspaper so that I could read their Ready to Wear column. I could not wait to see what she would wear to the Den, and she certainly turned up dressed to impress in the most gorgeous yellow Gabriela Hearst suit. Anyway, that’s enough about fashion because I could talk about it forever, let’s get on to the entrepreneurs and their pitches.
Hydration and Gains
Inventor and businessman Pete Anwyll certainly made my ears prick up at the mention of weightlifting as he entered the Den. The gym enthusiast was seeking a £50,000 investment in return for a 12.5% equity stake in his company Karta Bottle.
His invention of a water bottle, that also doubles up as a barbell jack, could help solve the dreaded racking and un-racking of weights between sets of deadlifts. As an avid gym goer, I understand the pain of loading my weights onto the bar and often take my partner with me so he can do the hard work of loading my weights between sets. Unfortunately, he can’t always come with me, so this could be the perfect solution.
Pete wisely protected the look of his product with a registered design (Design No. 6249904). Businesses can safeguard their innovative products by registering the distinctive appearance - including unique shape, surface patterns, and decorative elements. This grants exclusive rights to the design for up to 25 years in the UK and prevents competitors from creating products that look substantially similar. You can learn more about registered designs at our website here [link]: Register a design guidance
Once Pete told the Dragons how he had reached over 75 million views since launching the business and sold 3,500 units, they were all keen to ‘spot’ Pete and his product.
However, when Steven Bartlett made Pete an offer he couldn’t refuse, of all the money for 33% of the business, Pete left the Den with a huge weight off his shoulders.
Nature's Nectar: The Hair Syrup Story
Last in the Den was hair care guru, Lucie Macleod, with her business Hair Syrup. Lucie was asking the Dragons for £190k in return for a 3% stake in her company.
Lucie explained how she stumbled upon her business by accident after years of bleaching, backcombing and damaging her hair to the point she thought there was no return. Now, I'm no stranger to a bottle of bleach - I currently have bright purple hair which requires a lot of upkeep - so I was eager to find out how Lucy had gone from having damaged hair to the beautiful long locks she showed off in the Den.
Embarking on a hair care journey, she discovered the benefits natural oils can have on hair, but there was a big issue with the oils already on the market - the price tag. As a university student with limited funds, she decided to collate the raw ingredients and make her own. After posting her journey on TikTok, her comment section was full of people asking her to sell the product and this is where her business was born.
Brush up on your IP
From a quick search of our ‘Search for a Trade mark’ tool, I can see that Lucie has smartly protected her Hair Syrup brand with an impressive portfolio of trade marks.
This strategic approach to intellectual property protection helps safeguard the brand's reputation and prevents others from using similar names that could confuse consumers. You can see Hair Syrups trade marks here [link]: Hair Syrup trade mark portfolio.
Beauty Secrets
Like many successful beauty brands, Hair Syrup may choose to protect its valuable formulations through trade secrets. This would typically involve having manufacturers and suppliers sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) before sharing any confidential information about product formulations. These legal agreements help ensure that private information about ingredients, manufacturing processes, and unique formulations remains confidential.
Although Lucie unfortunately left the Den without a Dragon on board, she was thankful for the useful feedback and couldn’t wait to put it into action.
If you enjoyed getting to the ‘root’ of these entrepreneurs IP protection, don't ‘weight’ around and subscribe to our Dragons Den IPO blog! [link]: Subscribe - Dragons' Den: the Intellectual Property blog
Disclaimer:
The purpose of the IPO's Dragons' Den IP blog is to help identify the IP in entrepreneurs’ pitches and highlight how IP works, or could work, in the real-life examples featured. IPO’s authorship of this blog does not constitute its endorsement or sponsorship of any products, individuals or businesses referenced within it.
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