4 Dragons’ Den companies to know this week, from Fussy deodorant to Votch watches

This week, co-founders Matt Kennedy and Eddie Fisher were the only entrepreneurs to walk out of the den with cash in their pocket as both Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones invested in their refillable deodorant company.

London-based brand Fussy produces an all-natural refillable deodorant as part of a subscription package. The real selling point is that Fussy’s refillable deodorant is completely sustainable. The deodorant’s case is made from recycled plastic, the refills are plastic-free and compostable, made from waste sugarcane, and it is produced in a factory that the company says is certified carbon neutral. You can get a case (in a colour of your choice) plus one refill for £13 (Getfussy.com). Each refill is estimated to last four to eight weeks. Fussy then sends three refills once every three months for £15.

There are five different scents to choose from, as well as an unscented version. These include a “wavy days/fresh” scent, containing eucalyptus, sage and peppermint, a “night tales/flora” scent, containing cedar, cinnamon and patchouli; a “forest haze/woody” scent, containing scotch pine, silver fir and juniper; a “wide eyed/citrus” scent, containing mandarin, grapefruit and black pepper; and a “sun drunk/tropical” scent, containing vanilla, ylang ylang and star anise.

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While Max Ruether didn’t secure any investment in his moonshine liquor business, inspired by the American prohibition era, his product received high praise from Peter Jones and Sara Davies, both for its taste and for the way it was bottled and packaged.

O’Donnell produces a range of moonshines, including sticky toffee, lemon drizzle, macadamia, roasted apple, mild berry and tough nut brews – the latter being its most popular. The company also sells high proof and high high proof drinks, which have been triple distilled and filtered. They all come in 700ml mason jars costing £24.90 (Odonnellmoonshine.co.uk), with 25 per cent alcohol (or 50 per cent for high proof and 72 per cent for the high high proof).

The company also sells gift sets, shot boxes, mason jars, the pourers that Jones loved so much and other accessories.  

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Despite entering the den with a powerful story, Votch founder Laura Way was unsuccessful in her bid for investment. Votch makes watches with vegan and cruelty-free faux leather straps, and it earned praise from Jones and Bartlett for the way it felt on their wrists and how it was packaged up.

Votch’s watchstraps are made from piñatex, a pineapple leaf fibre by-product, and AppleSkin, a material made from residual apple juice fibres from Northern Italy. As well as classic quartz watches, like the gold and juniper watch (£135, Votch.co.uk), the company also sells straps for Apple Watches (£39, Votch.co.uk).

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Things started off well for Nadia Leguel, the founder of the dog-friendly booking service WagIt, as she walked into the den with her pooch Lola, but she ultimately didn’t secure investment after the dragons picked through her business model.

WagIt is a website that helps dog owners find pup-friendly pubs, bars, restaurants, groomers and experiences. It seemed to hit a snag when Leguel revealed that there were only 39 restaurants currently signed up on the platform. This has now seemingly expanded to over 60 restaurants after scrolling through the website.

WagIt only seems to have listings in London for now, so if you’re hunting for dog-friendly restaurants outside the capital, you’re going to have to keep searching for now.

Wagit.uk