Product Update

Is YU Ubag Still in Business? (2026 Update)

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

Dragons' Den IndexUpdated 14 February 20266 min read

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YU Ubag walked into the Den in Series 10 with a children's backpack that doubled as an activity centre, and it walked out with two Dragons backing it. More than a decade later, the brand is still trading, just under a slightly different name.

The Short Answer

Yes, the business behind YU Ubag is still in business. It now operates as YUUworld, selling an expanded range of activity backpacks for travel, play and everyday use through its own website. The core idea from the pitch, a backpack packed with pockets, a foldout desk and bundled activities for children, is still the heart of the product line.

The brand has also kept developing new products well after its TV appearance, including work on a GPS-integrated backpack, which points to a company still actively investing in its range rather than coasting on a single hit product.

The Dragons' Den Pitch

YU Ubag pitched in Series 10, Episode 3, in the Kids & Education category. Founders Hayward and Forbes, two mums who met while working together at a London ad agency, asked for £60,000 in exchange for 30 percent of the company.

Their pitch was for a children's backpack built to be more than a bag: an ergonomically designed pack for growing spines that came with a foldout desk and a free activity pack including colour pencils, a pad and games, aimed at children aged roughly seven to twelve.

The Deal That Got Done

Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones jointly invested the full £60,000 for the 30 percent stake on offer. It was a strong combination for a children's product: Meaden's eye for well-run consumer brands paired with Jones's retail and distribution experience.

The investment helped fund a genuine growth spurt. By the founders' own account, YUUbag went on to sell a backpack every 12 minutes over one Christmas period, and the range expanded into multiple countries in the years that followed.

From YUUbag to YUUworld

The brand has since rebranded and broadened under the YUUworld name, now selling a wider range of children's activity backpacks beyond the original YUUbag, alongside newer products aimed at travel and everyday use. The company later ran a crowdfunding campaign through AngelsDen to help fund further growth, a sign that the founders kept reinvesting in the business rather than winding it down.

Recent case study coverage of the brand discussing its development and upcoming products suggests the company is still active and still building out its range, more than a decade after its Dragons' Den appearance.

The Bottom Line

YU Ubag pitched in Series 10 for £60,000 at 30 percent, secured the full amount from Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones, and grew into a business selling a backpack every twelve minutes at its peak. Today it trades as YUUworld and continues to sell and develop children's activity backpacks through its own website.

If you are wondering whether the company from the pitch still exists, it does, it has simply grown into a broader brand than the single product that got it into the Den.

Where to buy YU Ubag

Still selling as of 14 February 2026. Check today's price and availability.

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See the full YU Ubag deal breakdown and term sheet →