John Roberts is the Dragon's Den investor known for founding AO, originally called Appliances Online.
Roberts founded Appliances Online in 2000 after identifying an opportunity to sell household appliances through the internet. The company later became AO, a name associated with online retail and home delivery of electrical goods. Its growth made Roberts a prominent British e-commerce entrepreneur.
He joined the Dragon's Den panel as a guest dragon in 2015. This makes him distinct from the long-standing regular investors who appear across many series. His business background also differs from investors whose main companies were built in fashion, recruitment or financial services.
AO is sometimes confused with a brand that began under the AO abbreviation. The business was originally named Appliances Online, and the shorter corporate identity came later. The retailer's history is a useful example of how a specialist online store expanded into a major multichannel business.