Shaun Pulfrey created the Tangle Teezer hairbrush that appeared on the British TV show Dragon's Den.
Pulfrey was a professional hairdresser and developed the detangling brush after observing how conventional brushes could pull and damage hair. He presented the product on Dragon's Den in 2007, but the Dragons did not invest in the proposal.
Despite that rejection, Tangle Teezer became a major commercial success. Its flexible teeth were designed to move through tangled hair with less pulling, and the company expanded from a British startup into an international beauty brand.
The story is often cited as an example of a business succeeding after a television rejection. The programme provided exposure, but Pulfrey—not a Dragon—created the product and developed the company after leaving the pitch without a deal.