A history-making Dragons’ Den contestant’s has been backed by one of the UK’s richest entrepreneurs since his appearance on the BBC show.
In 2023 Shaye Bhattessa-Sharma, then 15, became the youngest person ever to secure an investment from a dragon.
Accompanied by his father Raj, he pitched a football board game called Football Billionaire in which players trade goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards.
Shaye accepted a £50,000 offer from Peter Jones, 59, in exchange for a 20% stake in the business, but the following year he revealed that after a ‘mutual discussion’ they decided not to press ahead with the deal.
Since then, the 17-year-old has partnered with Phones4U magnate and billionaire John Caudwell, 72, for a new version of the board game.
According to The Sunday Times Rich List, John is the 109th richest person in Britain, worth £1.54 billion.
In 2013, Shaye signed the Giving Pledge, a movement where wealthy people promise to donate the majority of their fortune to good causes.
Speaking about the new partnership, the 17-year-old told The Mirror in November: ‘The impression of billionaires is that they’re not always positive. But I know a lot of them give back. John has always been an inspiration.’
John added: ‘It struck a cord with me. Why wouldn’t I help a young guy on his entrepreneurial venture while promoting the charity at the same time? It was no-brainer.’
Perhaps Peter is now regretting not sealing the deal, but it would not be the first time a Dragon has missed a huge opportunity.
Three years ago, entrepreneur Mark Wong entered the Den on the BBC One competition with his non-alcoholic beer brand Impossibrew, asking for £45,000 for 10% of his company.
However, despite an ‘impeccable’ pitch he was rejected by all five Dragons Peter, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies and Steven Bartlett as he did not have a proven trackrecord, aka turnover.
Since then, though, Impossibrew has skyrocketed, with a January fund aiming for £500,000 investment reaching £1,575,390 from 1,204 investors.
Now, the pre-money valuation of the company stands at £12,000,000, and Impossibrew saw more than £500,000 in sales from January 2025 alone.
In fact, the company is selling a beer every 15 seconds on the website, with more than 1million cans sold in the last 12 months.
When is Dragons’ Den next on TV?’
The next episode of Dragons’ Den will air tonight at 8pm on BBC One.
Fashion mogul Emma Grede, who is the CEO of Good American and founding partner of SKIMS, is returning as a guest Dragon.
She will join Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies, Steven Bartlett and Touker Suleyman as a fresh wave of entrepreneurs step up to face the fire.
In this episode, two fashion-forward business partners trade brollies for bonnets with their stylish headwear brand.
A determined Lincolnshire mum of four champions her range of food-and-drink hampers for every occasion.
Meanwhile, a TV and radio presenter from Kent hopes to clean up with her mobile grave-tending service.
Lastly, a beauty tech entrepreneur reveals his cutting-edge solution for salon-quality hair dye.
This story was originally published on March 6, 2025.
Dragons’ Den is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.