Product Update

Is Staels Design Still in Business? (2026 Update)

Is Staels Design from Dragons’ Den still around in 2026? The deal it made, the dragons who invested, and where to buy Staels Design today.

Dragons' Den IndexUpdated 17 May 20266 min read

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Staels Design, the Glasgow company behind the wheelAIR cooling wheelchair backrest, had one of the more promising post-Den trajectories on this list, expanding into Europe and picking up outside investment. It is also, unfortunately, a case where the good early years did not last. Staels Design is no longer in business, and the short answer to the title question is no.

The Short Answer

An interim liquidator was appointed to Staels Design Limited, trading as wheelAIR, with the collapse reported in early 2023. Hilco Streambank assisted the appointed insolvency practitioners with a sale of the company's intellectual property and business assets, which is the standard route for salvaging some value out of a failed company's brand and patents.

So the wheelAIR product itself may live on in some form under new ownership of the IP, but Staels Design as the company that pitched on Dragons' Den, and that was still expanding as recently as 2020, is gone.

The Pitch

Staels Design pitched in series 15, episode 10, in the Health and Wellness category. The product was a cooling backrest cushion for wheelchair users, addressing a genuine and under-served problem, prolonged pressure and heat against a wheelchair's backrest, which can cause real discomfort and skin issues for full-time wheelchair users.

The founders asked for 75,000 pounds for 30 percent of the business. That is a sizeable ask relative to many Den pitches, reflecting a product that already had engineering and testing behind it rather than a raw concept.

The Deal

The pitch reportedly drew interest from up to four Dragons on the day, and the founders ultimately accepted an offer from Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden for the full 75,000 pounds at 30 percent. Landing two Dragons on a joint deal is usually read as a strong vote of confidence, since it means neither wanted to walk away from the opportunity alone.

The early signs after the show backed that up. By November 2017, Scottish Edge had also invested 100,000 pounds in wheelAIR, and by 2020 the company said it was growing its team and had expanded into Europe with a Netherlands office. For a niche assistive technology product, that is a genuinely strong run.

What Went Wrong

Assistive technology and medical device companies face a particularly unforgiving set of pressures, regulatory approval costs, small addressable markets relative to consumer goods, and long sales cycles into healthcare systems and individual buyers who often need funding support to purchase. Scaling a product like a cooling wheelchair cushion internationally is expensive, and expansion itself can strain a small company's cash position even while it looks like a success story from the outside.

Whatever the specific mix of factors, by January 2023 the company had run out of road and gone into liquidation. It is a reminder that a strong Dragons' Den deal, follow-on grant funding, and international expansion are not, on their own, a guarantee of long-term survival.

What Buyers Should Know Today

If you have seen a wheelAIR-branded cushion listed for sale somewhere and are trying to work out whether you are buying from a live, supported company, the honest answer is that you probably are not buying from Staels Design itself. The original company is dissolved, and the IP that underpinned the product was sold on as part of the liquidation process, which means any current listing traces back to whoever acquired those assets rather than the team that pitched on the Den.

That distinction matters for warranty, customer support and future product development. A liquidated company cannot honour ongoing obligations in the way a trading one can, so anyone considering a purchase should check directly with the seller about who currently owns and supports the product before assuming continuity with the original Dragons' Den pitch.

Where Things Stand Now

Staels Design pitched in series 15 for 75,000 pounds at 30 percent, landed a joint deal with Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden, and went on to raise further funding and expand into Europe by 2020. Despite that promising run, the company went into liquidation, with an interim liquidator appointed in January 2023 and its assets sold on through Hilco Streambank.

If you are looking to buy a wheelAIR cooling backrest today, be aware the original company behind it is no longer trading. Check carefully before ordering anything sold under the wheelAIR name, since the IP has since changed hands.

Where to buy Staels Design

Still selling as of 17 May 2026. Check today's price and availability.

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See the full Staels Design deal breakdown and term sheet →