7 business ideas, 1 investment

Dragons Den inspired challenge energises future entrepreneurs 

In a challenge designed to encourage entrepreneurial thinking, teamwork and ingenuity, Year 10 pupils came face to face with our business-savvy ‘dragons’ to pitch their very own business ideas. They worked in teams to research and develop their concepts, culminating in pitches for everything from self-inflating footballs to a snack subscription service, power bank jewellery and a wellbeing tracker for dogs. 

Following the semi-finals, which took place during form time, the teams who received the most votes progressed to the final where they competed for investment in their ideas. Head of Business and Economics at Loughborough Grammar School joined our Head of Year 10 on the panel, alongside Dr Laura Bond – Professor of Practice in Entrepreneurship, Sustainability and Innovation, who supports business growth through education, mentoring and investment. 

It was a pleasure to be a Dragon at this year’s Dragon’s Den competition at LGS. The students pitched some really exciting business concepts which, with further development, I feel would make great businesses. A key part of the morning was securing an investment under pressure; negotiating away unreasonable terms without jeopardising the deal. Business is all about making deals, so experiential approaches like this help students hone their skills in preparation for when it really matters. Good luck to all the future entrepreneurs!

Dr Laura Bond, Professor of Practice in Entrepreneurship, Sustainability and Innovation

Questions asked by our panel of experts included: 

• How much is your business currently worth? 

• How would you maximise your marketing budget to drive customers 

• What does your customer base look like? 

• What problems does your product or service solve? 

• How easy is your product to manufacture? 

• How do you overcome criticisms posed to your business?
• How will you persuade people to use your service or buy your product? 

Evaluation of their business concepts at this stage encouraged the Year 10 teams to think critically and reflectively, ultimately discovering ways to prove demand for the product or service they were pitching.  

The final pitches, which were also judged by an audience of Year 9 pupils who were asked to vote after each presentation, were all considered carefully before a winner was chosen. Our ‘dragons’ were thoroughly impressed by the innovative and creative ideas presented to them on the day and chose to invest to varying degrees in all seven of the day’s pitches. Congratulations go to the overall winner – the team with the idea of the self-inflating football!