Bite-size news and insight from UK business and tech – including funding, deals and appointments
Published: February 12, 2026 at 9:36 pm
Coleen Rooney has increased her shareholding in Liverpool-based Applied Nutrition.
The sports nutrition, health and wellness brand has been working with Rooney since 2024, taking a key ambassadorial role and co-created an exclusive range of five health and wellness products.
She said: 鈥淎longside being an ambassador for the business, I had the opportunity to invest in the company and couldn鈥檛 be happier with my decision as the business continues to grow.
鈥淚 am excited about the future of the company as it expands into new markets and products and have decided to invest further.鈥�
Applied Nutrition was founded in 2014 by CEO and fitness enthusiast, Tom Ryder, and listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2024.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 9:00 pm
Thank for joining me for the latest episode of Dragons’ Den – we’ll see you next week!
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:59 pm
They are leaning towards Steven but 10% is their upper limit.
Steven says: “You’ve got a deal!”
The cats have got the cream…
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:58 pm
Susie is out as 拢200k is a lot of money.
Peter is impressed by the technology but is also out.
Steven says they have something cool and disagrees with Deborah that they don’t need a Dragon. He offers them 拢200k for 12.5% of the business.
Touker says there is a lot to do here. He says he can bring the cost down of the product to stop competitors taking their market share. He offers half the money (拢100k) for 10% if another Dragon comes in.
Deborah also makes an offer: 拢200k for 12.5%, same as Steven.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:52 pm
Their experience is in B2B not B2C, hence why they are looking for a Dragon.
They are also not social media experts, which they can also get from a Dragon.
Deborah doesn’t see a reason for them to get the investment.
Susie wants to know whether there is a benefit in terms of the cats not killing prey.
They begin to speak about initial data… Deborah challenges that and it is just their own experience…
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:48 pm
The product is 拢450. It costs them 拢160 to manufacture.
They are looking for 拢200k for 4% of the business.
At the time of filming, they had generated 拢353k turnover in the previous year with zero net profit.
They anticipate 拢1.9m turnover and 拢339k net profit in the coming year.
They tell Deborah that the algorithms in the camera are the barrier to entry for competitors.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:44 pm
Last to pitch are Northumberland brothers Martin and Tomas Rosinski, co-founders of OnlyCat, an AI-powered cat flap.
The smart pet product detects and prevents cats from bringing prey into the home via an AI camera which keeps the flap locked while sending the owner a video alert.
Like other products already on the market, it also includes microchip-based access control to prevent other cats from entering the home.
The business, which launched through crowdfunding, has since generated more than 拢2 million in revenue. However at the time of filming, it had raised 拢750k in pre-orders.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:42 pm
The founders ask whether he has connections in the industry they are targeting and he says not.
They deline his offer!
“Good for you,” says Susie.
In the lift, Erica says they were willing to go to 10% perhaps but not 20%.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:40 pm
Deborah has worked in the caravan industry and says toilets in RVs are plumbed in. It will take a lot of persuasion to get the industry to change the layouts of vehicles.
Steven is out.
Touker is also out as he can’t see when he’ll get a return.
Susie says she isn’t passionate about it and therefore is out.
Peter wants to invest! He offers the money for 20%, not 3%! And he is willing to share.
Deborah says that is a fair offer but will not be making an offer.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:37 pm
Steve asks for the profitability figure last year and is told 拢75k.
They are forecasting 拢1.2m revenue with a 拢300k loss in the next year.
They want investors for the long-term and tell Steven he wouldn’t be taking a dividend any time soon…. seven years in fact!
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:33 pm
The toilet breaks down number twos with organic matter.
Their latest product is the S1 Dry Flush Sealing toilet which is 鈥榳aterless, odourless, eco-friendly, compact and stylish鈥�. When you press ‘flush’ it seals the waste in a copostable bag.聽
They turned over 拢700k last year and are selling into North America and the UK, while they have distributors in other European countries.
They are looking for 拢100k for 3% of the business.
Peter tries it out to much laughter – it’s a bit small for him!
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:29 pm
Richard Peter and Erica Pugh present their 鈥楥ompoCloset鈥� to the Dragons.
These composting toilets can be used for RVs, vans, tinyhomes and boats.聽
The duo say flushing drinking water down the toilet mixed with chemicals will become a thing of the past – starting now.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:27 pm
The business has been going for 10 years.
Revenue is now above 拢1m with 拢66k profit.
They plan to invest in scaling in the next year then see the benefits of that in the years to come.
Steve can’t see the innovation and Peter doesn’t see it as an investment at a 拢3m valuation. Touker is also out.
Susie can’t believe that after 10 years they are looking at a profit of just 拢15k in the next year. She’s out.
Deborah says “this is a business for you” and won’t be investing either.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:22 pm
The ladies, who have five children between them, are already gaining traction and are in 230 Tesco stores thanks to the supermarket’s accelerator.
They are looking for 拢100k for 3% of the business.
The Dragons are invited to decorate a biscuit. Steve hands Deborah a brilliant portrait of herself!
He’s cheating though – the founders made those biscuits. He’s actually drawn a heart.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Founded in 2016 by two friends, Kate Horne and Louise Nicholson, Craft & Crumb is a female-owned, independent baking kit brand.聽
Craft & Crumb are reinventing what 鈥榖aking together鈥� looks like for families by creating monthly Bake & Craft subscription boxes and seasonal kits that give parents and kids a genuine 鈥榳e made this!鈥� moment – not just another mix in a box.
From party bags without the plastic tat to Easter-themed baking kits, the startup aims to spark creativity, celebrate the mess, and prove that together really does taste better.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:16 pm
Deborah offers them the money for 20% of the business.
Peter says its not in his ‘wheelhouse’ and is out.
Touker is also out as it is going to take years.
Steven Bartlett has enjoyed the pitch and feels like they are friends – even though they don’t know each other – but says 拢50k is a lot to invest in a friend. He’s out.
Susie is also keen to get involved and is getting quite emotional! She offers all of the money for the 10%!
They accept the offer from Susie, a new mum herself.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:12 pm
One sister works in finance and the other is an engineer in ‘ the world’s biggest eCommerce platform’ (Amazon?)
Deborah Meaden is impressed.
However Touker says this is just a dream and they will have to wake up.
They tell Peter that they are about to leave their jobs to focus on the business.
And put Touker in his place that they are doing it – and he can either get on board or not. All the Dragons love that!
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:10 pm
Touker Suleyman, like Peter Jones, fears that they are limiting themselves by focusing on new parents.
However Susie says she loves that they are focused on new mums.
Steven Bartlett agrees that they should keep that focus.
They tell him that the majority of the funding would go on marketing on platforms such as TikTok.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:08 pm
They are looking for a 10% stake in the business for 拢50,000.
They have 20,000 followers on social media and聽12,000 app downloads.
The app is free to use. The revenue will be based on commission, paid by brands.
700,000 babies are born UK each year.
But the business is pre-revenue. They are聽looking to generate 拢20k in year one; 拢160k in year two; 拢600k in year three with profit of 拢190k; and 拢5.5m in year five with profit of 拢5m.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:03 pm
First up are sisters Olivia and Tanyka Davson, who will present Cubbi – the UK鈥檚 discount platform for new and expecting parents.
Pitching while nine months pregnant, Olivia will bring her own experience into the room as she and Tanyka talk through the realities of balancing family life with growing a startup.聽聽
Cubbi was founded following Olivia鈥檚 own experience of becoming a parent and feeling the financial strain and isolation that can accompany early parenthood.聽
Drawing on her background in engineering and programme management, she went on to build the platform with her sister, who brings more than a decade of experience in communications.
Tanyka built the first version of the Cubbi app from scratch despite having no prior technical background.
Have Your Say