The investors on Dragon’s Den have already amassed vast wealth worthy of their legendary namesakes.
Yet one former member of the BBC business gurus is about to see his treasure horde grow by a cool £1,000,000,000.
Tej Lalvani, who sat in the Den between 2017 and 2021, has apparently agreed to sell his vitamin company, Vitabiotics, to Bain Capital.
In a statement on LinkedIn, Lalvani said that the deal was a ‘defining moment’ in his family’s business.
‘When my father founded Vitabiotics in 1971, his vision was simple but powerful: to harness the power of science and nutrition to improve people’s health. That belief became the foundation of everything we have built,’ he wrote.
‘Today, Vitabiotics is the UK’s No.1 vitamin company, trusted by millions of consumers and healthcare professionals, with market-leading brands and a growing international presence.
‘I have had the privilege of spending more than 30 years building on my father’s vision, alongside an exceptional team who have made Vitabiotics what it is today.’
Founded in 1971 by his father, Dr Kartar Lalvani, Vitabiotics is Britain’s biggest vitamin business by sales.
The younger Lalvani joined the company after finishing university and has denied he got a leg up through nepotism.
Lalvani says he started by sticking labels on boxes in the warehouse, adding that his dad ‘expected more of him than other employees.’
In 2015, Lalvani became the chief executive of Vitabiotics and helped expand the brand internationally.
Two years later, he joined Dragons’ Den before eventually stepping back from the show in 2021, claiming he needed more time to focus on growing his various investments.
During his time in the Den, Lalvani invested in multiple brands including Thortful, an online marketplace for independent greeting card designers and War Paint For Men, a cosmetic brand tailored specifically for men.
Arguably, though, his biggest investment was when he and fellow Dragon Jenny Campbell invested £130,000 in Look After My Bills.
This company was an automatic energy-switching service that was later bought by GoCompare in 2019 for a reported £8.5million.
Speaking on LinkedIn at the time of the same Lalvani expressed his pride in founders Will and Henry.
‘Will and Henry from Look After My Bills (Y Combinator W18) are two inspiring people that I was fortunate enough to meet on Dragons’ Den,’ he wrote.
‘They made massive inroads into a huge market. Their company was growing exponentially. They sought investment in the Den. We saw the potential. We invested.
‘The big boys in the market weren’t able to ignore their progress. As the saying goes, if you can’t beat them, join them.
Last year, they were bought for £8.5 million by the group behind GoCompare.com. They grew their idea and got sold to a giant.
‘They’ve managed to take their business full circle with some strategic guidance and investment from the Den. It just goes to show hard work pays off.’
The Vitabiotics-Bain Capital deal remains subject to regulatory approval.