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Dragons’ Den: Where to get the onHand app, Beans Coffee Club, XtraHand vacuum tool and more
We also saw a former Olympian enter the den with an ice-skating clothing company
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There are just three episodes left of Dragons’ Den and the deals are getting more frantic and more frequent. Three out of four entrepreneurs secured investment this episode, with some real negotiating taking place at the end.
Founder Sanjay Lobo fought hard with the dragons to secure a fair deal for his volunteering-based app onHand – a platform with which almost every dragon wanted to get involved. Lobo’s pitch also produced this series’s first “I wouldn’t get out of bed for 1 per cent” from Touker Suleyman.
Lobo wasn’t the only one who got the backing of a dragon tonight. The panel perked up at Richard and Fiona Jones’ Beans Coffee Club subscription service, and two dragons took to Alan Gillett and his dust-busting attachment for DIYers.
While Olympic figure skater Jenna McCorkell didn’t make it a royal flush of deals, she could still walk out with her head held high, as the dragons essentially told her she’s so good, she doesn’t need an investor. Here is where you can buy all of the products (and download the app) seen in tonight’s episode.
The onHand app: Beonhand.co.uk
Tech entrepreneur Sanjay Lobo walked into the den with an innovative product: an app that digitises the act of doing good for your local community and the environment. Described as exceptional, it was no wonder he walked out of the den with four dragons on board, after some hard-nosed negotiating.
Launched in 2019, onHand is an on-demand platform that engages individuals or teams of employees in doing social good in their local communities or for the environment. Volunteers registered with onHand (who have full DBS checks) do things such as help people shop, run to the dry-cleaners, collect deliveries, have a chat on the phone and do some gardening. You can also take climate change pledges and earn badges.
Missions, as they’re called in the app, result in trees being planted, Your organisation doesn’t need to be affiliated either, as you can sign up as an individual. Founder Lobo was awarded an MBE for services to Older People, particularly during Covid-19 for his work with onHand.
Read more: Dragons’ Den: Where to buy Football Billionaire and more
Beans Coffee Club subscription: From £7.99, Beanscoffeeclub.com
Richard and Fiona Jones walked into the den hoping to wake up the dragons with their coffee club subscription service. The pair brewed up a mug full of investment from two dragons, in the form of Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett, who were full of praise for the genius idea and the tech behind the product.
Launched in 2019, Beans Coffee Club is a tailored subscription service that delivers a selection of bespoke roasted-to-order coffee from award-winning independent roasters, directly to your door. You take a seven-question quiz that matches coffee to your taste and brewing profile. You’ll then receive freshly roasted coffee in an eco-friendly letterbox package weekly, fortnightly or monthly. When you rate your coffees, Beans Coffee Club will learn your preferences for next time and provide you with beans that are more and more suited to your taste.
It’s different from most coffee subscription services, which send you a different selected coffee each month without the personalisation element. There are two collections and each comes with one bag of coffee. The standard collection costs £7.99 and comes with a bag of coffee based on your tastes and brewing preferences, while the exclusive collection costs £10.99 and comes with rarer, more complex coffees.
A weekly subscription gets you an average of 15 coffees per week, a fortnightly subscription gets you seven coffees per week and a monthly subscription gets you three coffees per week.
Subscribe now at Beans Coffee Club
Read more: Our pick of the best coffee subscription services
The XtraHand dust-free drilling vacuum attachment: From £23, Xtrahand.net
Modern-day vacuum cleaners are already pretty clever, but Alan Gillett wants to make them even smarter with his XtraHand vacuum attachment. A hands-free gizmo that collects dust and debris when drilling. After recounting his story, Peter Jones thought Gillett deserved a break and happily made him an offer of investment.
The XtraHand is a plastic attachment aimed at DIYers and tradesmen. It attaches to hose-mounted vacuum cleaners and suctions to ceilings and walls, including brick, removing all the dust and debris when cutting, drilling and grinding using all kinds of drills and bits. Alan invented it all the way back in 2006 but was forced to give up on the project due to his mum and wife’s cancer diagnoses. He picked up the project again in 2021 and, in his words, “it’s flown” since.
The XtraHand costs £23 as standard, but you can also buy one with a pro hose adapter for £25. The pro hose adapter helps with compression-fitting to any vacuum cleaner, which could be an issue with standard hose adapters.
Read more: Our pick of the best cordless drills and drivers
Chique Sport figure-skating apparel: Chiquesport.com
While former figure-skater-turned-entrepreneur Jenna McCorkell wasn’t able to secure investment from the dragons in tonight’s episode, she might as well have done. The Olympian was praised by Sara Davies and Deborah Meaden, who essentially told her she was so good, she could go and make a success of the business on her own without a dragon.
Launched in 2017 at the World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki, Chique Sport designs sportswear for elite figure skaters. Worn by Olympic champions, the GB national squad and Dancing on Ice stars, the brand makes stylish, flexible and functional apparel for children, teens, men and women.
In the Chique Sport collection, you’ll find leggings, shorts, dresses, tank tops, bodywarmers, crop tops and accessories, as well as half-zip and full-zip jackets. The company says the products are durable, making them perfect for both on and off the ice.
Read more: Our pick of the best activewear brands
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