Emerging from the Dragons Den
With hearts in their mouths, the founders — Tom, Ray and Nad, meet the Dragons’ expectant stares.
Armed with a new investment pitch deck, coordinated outfits and a sleepless night of rehearsing, the words come tumbling out.
Why…
“Ordable believes that independent cafes and coffee shops should be able to access industry leading innovations. Innovations that save customers time, truly reward loyalty and build better relationships”.
How…
“Create a digital gateway that connects cafes and coffee shops with their valued customers. Simplifying incumbent ordering processes and facilitating digital payments”.
What…
“A smartphone app that allows customers to order ahead and pay at their favourite outlets — beating the queue and accumulating loyalty points”.
The team seamlessly interchange speakers, easing into the situation. The practice is paying off. A couple more stats from their market research, some interesting anecdotes and impressive facts about their growing market — the Dragons are hanging on their every word. A succinct outline of the business model hammers the metaphorical nail home into the coffin full of cash…it was all over!
For those of you who follow the BBC’s Dragon Den, you may have noticed the clue that this was a different version: slides from pitch decks are not allowed! While Ordable would love the opportunity to headline series 14, Peter Jones vetoed the idea to make it fair for the competition (or more realistically — we didn’t apply).
Instead, this anecdote retells the exploits of the founders in their student days, pitching in the University of Bath’s Dragons Den competition. Whilst the alumni panel may not have been as daunting as the Meaden, Jones, Jenkins, Willingham, Suleyman line-up, they still launched a formidable interrogation. But, unlike Daenerys Targaryen, we managed to keep control of our Dragons (excuse the Game of Thrones reference)!
…Emerging…
Being one of only a handful of successful applicants, we were very grateful to receive some seed investment. This enabled Ordable to beta test our service in the Engine Shed, Bristol’s hub of technology innovation. We continue to use this money to fund our ongoing development and to cover the hardware costs of our imminent roll-out campaign.
As we grow upwards as a business and as individuals, we will remember the backing of the Dragons in hatching our idea. Ordable progresses toward an exciting future, perhaps even to create a lucrative nest egg for the team! Who knows?
Keep an eye out for Ordable on series 15 or 16, but in the meantime (and more reliably), check out our website and social media.
