Category Guide

The Best Dragons’ Den Business Services Products (2026)

Every business services product that pitched Dragons’ Den, the ones that landed deals, the ones still selling, and where to buy them.

Dragons' Den IndexUpdated 25 December 20256 min read

Business services is one of the best-performing categories in Dragons' Den history by deal rate. Of the 33 pitches in our index, 30 secured investment, a 91 percent success rate against the show's overall average of 30 percent, one of the highest conversion rates of any category we track. Twenty-nine of those 33 businesses are still trading today.

Here is the full picture: how the category performs, the biggest deal it has produced, who invests most in it, and which business services companies from the pitches are still operating now.

Business services is one of the smaller categories in our index by pitch volume, with just 33 pitches recorded, a reflection of how few founders pitch pure service businesses compared with product categories like fashion or food. Yet its 91 percent deal rate is among the very highest of any category we track, trailing only pet products.

How Business Services Fares in the Den

A 91 percent deal rate means business services founders leave the Den without an offer only about once in eleven pitches. That is an extraordinary conversion rate, roughly three times the show's overall average of 30 percent, and it makes business services one of the strongest categories in this index for any founder hoping to walk out with a deal, second only to pet products.

The average deal size sits at £92,000, one of the higher averages across all categories, meaning Dragons back business services founders both frequently and generously.

The Biggest Business Services Deal in the Den

The largest deal in this category went to Igloo, which secured £160,000 for 22.5 percent of the business in series 4, backed jointly by Duncan Bannatyne and Richard Farleigh.

That 22.5 percent equity stake is a relatively founder-friendly split compared with many of the Den's biggest deals, which often see founders give up 30 percent or more. It suggests Igloo's pitch came in with strong enough fundamentals to hold onto more of the company while still landing a substantial cheque.

Who Backs Business Services Pitches

Duncan Bannatyne leads investment in this category with four deals in our index, more than any other Dragon, though the category's high overall deal rate means several Dragons have been willing to back business services founders across its history.

Bannatyne's own background building a broad portfolio of businesses, from health clubs to hotels, likely gives him a natural appetite for pitches built around operational and service-based businesses rather than single hero products. With 30 deals out of just 33 pitches, business services is a category where almost any founder who pitches with solid trading numbers behind them can expect serious interest from the panel.

Which Business Services Businesses Are Still Trading

Twenty-nine of the 33 business services pitches in the index are still selling today, an 88 percent survival rate, one of the strongest in the entire index. Among the names still trading are Umbrolly, Alpine Cleaning, First Light Solutions, Igloo and i Teddy.

Combined with the category's 91 percent deal rate, that 88 percent survival rate makes business services one of the most consistently successful categories in Dragons' Den history, on both sides of the pitch.

Why Numbers Beat Novelty Here

Business services pitches rarely rely on a flashy product reveal. Founders in this category are usually presenting a working, revenue-generating operation, cleaning contracts, consultancy work, logistics, and that gives the Dragons something food, tech and fashion pitches often cannot: a clean set of trading numbers with a track record behind them, rather than a projection.

That transparency appears to be the whole story behind the category's extraordinary 91 percent deal rate. When a founder can show real invoices, real margins and real repeat customers, the Dragons are not being asked to bet on potential. They are being asked to buy into a business that already works, which is a far easier decision to make in ten minutes on a studio floor.

The Takeaway

Business services is one of the very best categories in Dragons' Den for a founder to pitch: a 91 percent deal rate, a £92,000 average cheque, and 29 of 33 businesses still trading today. Duncan Bannatyne is the category's most active backer, and Igloo's £160,000 for 22.5 percent in series 4 stands as its biggest single deal.

If there is one lesson from the numbers in this category, it is that a well-run, revenue-generating service business is about as close to a sure thing as the Den offers.