Exclusive
nervous energy
I was on Dragons’ Den – the moment my heart absolutely sank during nerve-wracking filming will never leave me
One of the Dragons shared a personal connection to the pitch
AN entrepreneur has opened up about the moment her 'heart absolutely sank' while appearing on Dragons' Den.
Jayne Sibley and her husband Martin Orton co-founded Sibstar, a debit card and app designed for financially vulnerable groups.
5
5
5
Jayne conceptualised Sibstar while caring for her parents, both of whom were living with dementia.
Last year, they entered the famous "Den" in scenes aired on BBC One, hoping for an investment of £125,000.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun Online, Jayne revealed the nerve-wracking point where it seemed they might leave empty-handed.
She shared: "When we were in there, I think three of the Dragons said no. At that point, my heart absolutely sank. I felt my legs go to jelly.
Read more on Dragons' Den
"I thought, ‘We have not prepared for a no’. We have not imagined that scenario.
“I thought ‘Oh my goodness, this is not going to go our way. What on Earth are we going to do?"
Continuing, Jayne added: "Then Deborah said: 'I’m so glad you’ve done this'. My heart just almost exploded.
"She and Sara then spoke for quite a while. Sara in particular spoke a lot about her personal experience.
Most read in News TV
"You could tell they got it, they understood.”
“That was a real moment of relief. And then when we took the deal, all of them stood up, clapped, gave us a hug.
Heart sinking moment Dragons explain why they are rejecting Jayne Sibley on Dragons' Den
"They said well done guys, we’re so glad you’re doing this. Real best of luck.”
Sibstar is designed to help families of those living with dementia to safely manage everyday spending by having control of the app.
The individual living with dementia has a Sibstar card, which acts like a normal debit card.
Meanwhile, their loved ones have the app, to make sure how the card is used - for instance, setting daily or monthly spending limits.
The pair secured an investment of £125,000 from 'Dragons' Deborah Meaden and Sara Davies.
Dragons' Den stars - past and present
Dragons' Den has been on our screens since 2005 and sees entrepreneurs enter the Den to try and win investment for their businesses from the Dragons.
Over the years there have been many wealthy investors sitting in the famous seats, here's a rundown of them all and how long they were on the show for.
- Peter Jones - series 1 - present
- Deborah Meaden - series 3 - present
- Touker Suleyman - series 13 - present
- Sara Davies - series 17 - present
- Steven Bartlett - series 19 - present
- Duncan Bannatyne - series 1 - 12
- Rachel Elnaugh - series 1 and 2
- Doug Richard - series 1 and 2
- Simon Woodroffe - series 1
- Theo Paphitis - series 2 -10
- Richard Farleigh - series 3 and 4
- James Caan - series 5-8
- Hilary Devey - series 9 and 10
- Kelly Hoppen - series 11 and 12
- Piers Linney - series 11 and 12
- Nick Jenkins - series 13 and 14
- Sarah Willingham - series 13 and 14
- Jenny Campbell - series 15 and 16
- Tej Lalvani - series 15 - 18
- Emma Grede and Gary Neville were guest Dragons during series 21.
In the Den, Sara told them about how their business resonated with her own experiences.
She said: "I feel like I want to say, on behalf of a million families out there living with this, a massive thank you.
"I can remember watching my mam and her siblings go through exactly this, about 10 years ago.
Read More on The Sun
"And fighting so hard to give my mam her independence and not being able to."
Dragons' Den airs on BBC One and iPlayer.
5
5
Topics