As Featured on Dragons Den

As we enter the 17th series, Dragons Den has become a mainstay of British TV. Each year, more and more budding entrepreneurs enter the Den in an attempt to secure funding and partnership with the high-profile business moguls.

Every series so far has seen both success stories and flops and the new season is expected to be much of the same. But what about those we have already seen? Well, we decided to investigate the subscription boxes featured on the hit-BBC TC show; many of which are featured here at uOpen.

Now operating as Craft Clubs, this alcohol-related subscription service was featured on Dragons Den in 20146. After some impressive figures and fiery negotiations, the team at Craft Club were thrilled to receive offers from all of the Dragons. However, their decision was made easier when Sarah Willingham revealed that she was already a subscriber to their Gin Club.

After accepting £75 000 for 12.5 % from the mum-of-four investor, they have since gone from strength to strength. To date, Crafts Clubs is considered one of the top-100 startups in the UK, with subscribers up and down the country enjoying their monthly delivery.

Although Craft Gin Club is not part of the uOpen family just yet, we do have some excellent gin-related subscription services available. For example, Tipple Box starts at just £27.95 a box, which includes four handpicked premium gins and two tonic waters.

The subscription service for your canine companion, Busterbox was featured on season eight, episode 3, of the Irish version of the show. Previously known as ScoobyBox, this doggy subscription box will certainly keep your pooch’s tail wagging, after receiving  €20k investment.

Each box includes 4-6 items each month, including naturally produced treats, as well as chews and toys that are free from harmful chemicals and toxins, hygiene products and the latest accessories. You can choose between their regular subscription and their premium option, which also includes an extra exclusive toy. Check them on uOpen today for impressive savings on your Busterbox subscription.

Taking pork crackling to the next level, Snaffling Pig aims to transform the gourmet snacks market. Founder Nick Coleman, who reportedly launched the business after a bet with friends,  entered the Den looking for £70, 000 for a 10% stake in their business. Using only prime cuts of pork, the company had developed over 11 flavours at the time of filming, with multi-millionaire Nick Jenkins being blown away with their hot and spicy chilli option. Their lively and comprehensive pitch impressed the dragons, and the duo delivered with confidence until they stumbled over their figures regarding overheads. Den stalwarts Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden were out first, but Jenkins later came in with an offer for all of the money for 20%.

Since then, Snaffling Pig was briefly part of the uOpen family but they have now decided to concentrate on their high street sales, which reportedly are generating over £4 million in sales every year. As big fans of their premium pork scratchings, we certainly wish them all the best!

One of the big names of food-related subscriptions, Gousto was originally founded in 2012 by bankers Timo Schmidt and James Carter. A Gousto subscription provides subscribers with convenient, healthy, easy to cook meals for 2-4 people, with each box including an easy-to-follow recipe and perfectly measured ingredients.

After Duncan Bannatyne showed off just how easy it is to create delicious meals at home, the Dragons seemed impressed at first. However, when questions turned to the fact that the company was losing £25,000 a month at the time, none of the Dragons felt that this was a solid investment opportunity. Bannatyne declared that he didn't think they will ever make any money, and the future looked bleak for Gousto. However, the dragons certainly missed out here, recent company sales were expected to exceed 100m and the company recently expanded their workforce from 500 to 1200 people. Ouch, that's gotta hurt!

You can check Gousto out for yourself and take advantage of first box discounts here: www.gousto.co.uk

Sassy Bloom is a subscription boxed aimed at parents, with each box containing a selection of baby-related products handpicked for your child’s age and stage of development; with options from bump to three years old. You can personalise your box to match your little one’s needs with each box having a value of £30-£85.

Sassy Bloom featured on Dragons Den at the beginning of their journey, and whilst they did not receive any offers, the promotion was enough to ensure that this subscription service kept on the right track. In 2016, the UK’s number one family subscription box was worth an impressive 1.5 million and they have won several big-name awards. Although Sassy Bloom is not part of the uOpen family as of yet, we do have a similar box, Little Fawn Box for just  £15.98 per month, which would make the perfect gift for any new mummy and their new arrival.

When Falkirk-based couple Fraser McIntyre and Sophie Whittaker entered the den, they were asking for a £50, 000 investment for a 25% share of their biscuits from around the world subscription box.

None of the Dragons was impressed, but Biscuit Baron continues to satisfy thier biscuit loving subscribers. Each box contains 5-8 packets of biscuits, a fact sheet and a scorecard so you can rate the treat of the month on things like taste and dunkability, This would make a great gift for a biscuit lover, to jazz up your office biscuit supplies or just a regular treat for the biscuit-fan. Plus, you can signup and manage your subscription with the Biscuit Baron subscription at uOpen.

Aiming to normalise the conversations about periods, We Are DAME originally entered the den under their previous name of Sanitary Owl. However, the importance of period positivity did not quite come off on the TV show, with some of the Dragons finding the topic a little uncomfortable. After a rejected pitch and some controversy regarding how the show is edited and why they were not taken seriously, the brand has continued to fight back and challenge the stigma associated with menstruation.

With a positive focus on sustainability and women’s wellness, this subscription service is a convenient way of ensuring you have the monthly supplies you need whilst also reducing your carbon footprint. Although not featured on uOpen just yet, we do hope to embrace the period positive message alongside them in the future.

With the chance to get authentic Italian Pasta delivered to your door, Pasta Evangelists is the ideal subscription box for any foodie. The Anglo-Italian founders, Alex Savelli and Finn Lagun entered the den asking for 75, 000 for a bite-sized 2.5% stake in the business. The duo gave a strong pitch, revealing a loyal customer base and a passion for bringing the five-star pasta experience into the comfort of your own home.

The duo got roasted by the Dragons, who were not impressed with their business model at the time. However, around 2-3 million people tuned into the show, and the PR drove significant sales into the business. With fresh artisanal pasta and mouth-watering garnishes and sauces, they are now one of the leading pasta subscription services in the UK and we're proud to offer thier subscriptions on the uOpen marketplace.

After the Dragons felt that they had valued their company too high, the founders of One Third Stories turned down Peter Jones’ offer of 60k for a 20% share in their business. However, they later went on to achieve success and as of Feb 2018, the company was reported to be worth £2.64 million - EIGHT times the amount Peter Jones valued it at.

Offering the chance for children to embark on their language learning journey, the One Third Stories subscription is fun and educational. Research has consistently shown that children find it easier to learn languages, and this is a great way to keep them engaged in the process. Each box includes an illustrated book, exciting crafts and Audiobook well as activity packs, flashcards and more. This subscription service is aimed at children aged between four and nine years old and you can choose between either the French or the Spanish story box.

Check it out on uOpen for savings on your One Third Stories subscription.

 With such a famous family name, James Cadbury was born to shine in the chocolate industry. Through reinventing the chocolate classics and upgrading the traditional, Love Cocoa is a fair trade brand that offers subscriptions from just £12.99. Cadbury went on the TV show asking for £75,000 for 5% equity in his business, but some of the Dragons were concerned about the potential legal battle with Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods), who purchased his great-great-great grandfather John Cadbury's legacy of the prestigious Cadbury company back in 2010  

After receiving offers, he designed to opt for Taj Lalvani who offered up all the money for 20% of the company. However, later on, Love Cocoa decided not to go ahead with the deal and Cadbury walked away from the investment. Love Cocoa has since gone from strength to strength, featuring in retailers such as Harrods and Harvey Nichols and now one of our most popular chocolate subscription services available at uOpen. With 10% of the profits going to charity, a Love Cocoa Subscription would make an ideal for a gift recipient with a sweet tooth or a regular treat for any chocoholic.

Providing healthy snacks that are jam-packed full with goodness, Creative Nature is a gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, vegan subscription box. After appearing on Dragon's Den, the team were offered a £75000 investment from Deborah Meaden in return for 25% of the business. However, they later decided this investment was not quite for them and the offer fall apart post-show.

They then went on to secure an impressive £350, 000 from their crowd-funding campaign. Creative Nature has certainly turned things around, and to date, they have an impressive turnover of 1.5 million per year. Although we are hoping Creative Nature joins the uOpen family shortly, in the meantime we have some similar options available. For example, Life Box offers a fantastic healthy box with snacks, drinks and products that have been carefully selected for their good-for-you properties.

This food and craft beer subscription service appeared on Season 12, with young entrepreneur Ryan O’Rourke entering the den in the hopes of getting £75, 000 for a 5% stake in his online company. Duncan Bannatyne first came in with half of the money for 10% equity, with three other dragons matching the offer. After accepting a joint bid between Jones and Linney, off-screen this was later rejected and Ryan returned to crowdfunding; getting an impressive £515, 000 for a 34% stake in his business.

Flavourly have since shifted their focus to bringing members the best selection of craft beers from award-winning breweries. Their subscription boxes are now personalised to suit the customer's taste and this would make a great gift for a hard-to-buy-for gift recipient with a taste for ale.

Similar to Flavourly, uOpen has it's own craft beer subscription from the team at Hoppily, check the link out below to explore 8-10 different craft beers every month.

When this subscription serviced appeared on the eleventh episode of series 14, the only OG Dragon, Peter Jones felt that the founder was one of the most impressive entrepreneurs he had seen on his time in the Den. Distributing the best of beauty sample products to subscribers, London based ‘highly investable’ Oliver Gauci accepted a shared deal between Sarah Willingham and Nick Jenkins.

Unfortunately, the deal was not finalised after the show due diligence and the company has since closed its doors; sending out its last box in April 2018. However, the beauty box subscription market is bigger than ever, with so many fantastic companies offering boxes filled with all manner of beauty and cosmetics delivered to your door each month. 

Which brings us to one of uOpen's best selling beauty boxes, Pip Box, who deserve a special mention in our Dragon's Den Subscription Box feature....

Pip Box didn't actually appear on Dragon's Den but get a special mention as it was chosen for a Small Business Sunday (SBS) Award by Dragon Theo Paphitis. Founded in 2016, this is a subscription service that delivers vegan cruelty-free cosmetics, and it has been seen in Elle, the Evening Standard and Women’s Wealth.

Named after the founder's dog Pip, this is a beauty subscription box, which promotes ethical beauty, and 10% of all profits go to animal-friendly charities. Pip Box has won several awards, and each month your box will include five beauty items, including one full-sized item and four travel-sized.

If you are looking to make positive changes, this is a great way to sample some of the best vegan cosmetics and beauty in the country. Boxes start from just £22 a month, and subscriptions are available at uOpen.

Another subscription box that did not appear directly on Dragons Den, Our Little Globe was selected by the Dragon superstar- Theo Paphitis to be showcased at one of the largest retail fairs in the world. Aimed at children aged 5-10, this is the Ultimate activity box for a Round the world adventure.

There is an excellent mixture of activities, including everything from cooking tips and spice pouches to arts and crafts. This box is fun and entertaining, as well as being highly educational and engaging.

Plus, your first One Little Globe box comes with a suitcase which serves as a stage for the mini subscriber. Subscribe to Our Little Globe at uOpen for a discount on your subscription.