Levi Roots sought £50,000 for Reggae Reggae Sauce on the British show Dragon’s Den.
During his 2007 pitch, Roots asked the Dragons for £50,000 in exchange for a 20 percent stake in his sauce business. The proposal attracted Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh, who agreed to invest jointly for a larger share of the company than Roots had originally offered.
The investment gave Roots access to capital and experienced business partners at a crucial stage. The brand expanded into supermarkets and additional Caribbean food products, turning a single sauce pitch into a much larger commercial operation.
A common mistake is to remember the £50,000 investment but omit that it was requested in exchange for equity. The amount is also sometimes confused with the final ownership percentage, which changed during negotiations in the Den.