Latest news with #Dragon'sDen
Extra.ie
08-07-2025
- Business
- Extra.ie
Bankruptcy, bad debts, and driving offences! How the fortunes of many millionaire investors from TV series Dragons Den, turned on a dime.
Former Dragons Den investor Sarah Newman, broke her silence this week about her ill-fated relationship with Kilkenny hurler DJ Carey , revealing that she had originally reported the con-man GAA star to Gardai years before revelations that he had engaged in widespread fraud came to light. Self-made millionaire Newman had amassed a reputed fortune of some 50 million euros from the sale of her start-up internet company . But some years after embarking on a relationship with the Irish hurler DJ Carey , Ms Newman suffered a dramatic reversal in fortune to the extent that in 2016 she declared bankruptcy following failure to repay mortgages taken on luxury Kildare homes. Tech investor Newman, came to prominence in Ireland when she joined the Dragons Den for two series. The hit reality show propelled the then-unknown Ms Newman to national fame. Sarah Newman and DJ Carey. Pic: Michael Chester But very soon after the cameras in Dragon's Den stopped rolling Newman's financial spiral began. But Sarah Newman is not the only Dragon to, ahem, experienced a negative twists of fate after appearing on the RTE series. In fact, many of the business people who appeared on the shows didn't fare too well after production wrapped. Dragon's Den in 2008. Pic: Arthur Carron/Collins Photos From ill-fated political bids, to high court actions, we take a look back at The Dragon's who entered the Den and came under fire after the show finished. Property, pharmaceuticals and public relations, businessman Sean Gallagher's finances don't appear to have been affected. But his long-held political ambitions went up in a ball of flames when he put himself forward for the Presidency in 2018. Pic: RTE In what has become known as 'Tweet Gate' Mr Gallagher's bid for the Áras was scuppered when a tweet read out by presenter Pat Kenny during the final televised debate of the campaign, erroneously said a man had claimed he had given a €5,000 cheque to Mr Gallagher and that the individual would appear at a press conference the next day. In the aftermath of the debate debacle Mr Gallagher successfully sued RTE and was awarded €130,000 in damages. But the whole unseemly shenanigans put paid to his political ambitions. Sean Gallagher – Pic: Kinlan Photography The same presidential election also saw a fellow Dragon in the form of Gavin Duffy come somewhat publicly unstuck. Launching his intention to run for the office of Presidency, a self-satisfied Duffy loftily proclaimed that he was clean as the proverbial whistle stating, 'I am saying here you will not find anything in my track record. I know in my business there never has been a tax issue, a bad debt issue, I have never been involved in litigation.' Gavin Duffy – Pic: Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland In saying his record was clean, Duffy also referred to anything relating to his personal life. Turning to his wife at the launch, he said: 'A big consideration for us entering the race, was there anything in our personal lives that could embarrass our children? There is not.' Then mere days later, the Irish Mail on Sunday reported on an accident Duffy was involved in back in 1978, when he was 18, in which a young woman sustained a serious injury. He had also incurred two further driving offences, the most recent from 25 years ago. The airing of Mr Duffy's dirty laundry was to prove a self-inflicted epic humiliation. Gavin Duffy – Pic: Leah Farrell/ In March of this year Blacktie businessman Niall O'Farrell became the latest TV entrepreneur to face money woes. Former Dragon Niall, is the entrepreneur behind the now-shuttered Blacktie tuxedo rental chain, was hit with a judgement against him by the Revenue Commissioners to the tune of €450,365. Niall O'Farrell 4th from left – Pic: Collins Photos O'Farrell, with an address on Anglesea Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, became a familiar face to the wider public as a potential angel investor in the first four seasons of Dragon's Den on RTÉ. O'Farrell has suffered various set-backs since his stint on the show including being forced to shutter his beloved business empire Blacktie back in 2013
Entrepreneur
08-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Sharp Instincts in the Age of AI
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. AI is no longer the future. It's the baseline. But while tech entrepreneurs pivot, scale and scramble for relevance, James Caan CBE remains focused on something more enduring: judgement. "The edge that can't be replicated is judgement - specifically, commercial instinct based on lived experience," he says. "AI can process a million data points, but it still can't weigh reputational risk, read a room in a board pitch, or decide whether a client is bluffing in a negotiation." It's the kind of thing you expect from someone who's spent decades navigating the peaks and pratfalls of business - not from a spreadsheet, but from the seat at the table. And while generative AI and predictive intelligence dominate headlines, Caan is more interested in how technology rewires the foundations of business strategy - not just the surface. AI isn't a tool. It's a test. "The blind spot is failing to integrate AI at the strategic level, not just operationally," Caan, British entrepreneur and former investor on the BBC show Dragon's Den, warns. "Too many founders treat AI as a bolt-on - automating emails or improving customer service - instead of rethinking how AI could fundamentally reshape their business model." The shift is already happening. "If you're not embedding AI into your product development, commercial strategy, or market positioning, you're behind the curve." And the answer? Not just hiring a head of data science - but raising the bar on fluency at the top. "Build AI fluency in your leadership team. Not everyone needs to code, but everyone needs to understand where AI creates value. Create a roadmap for where automation or predictive intelligence can streamline costs or open new markets. Waiting for a 'perfect use case' is a delay you can't afford." Conviction beats perfection So what separates the entrepreneurs who adapt from those who lead? It's not charm. Or vision. Or even ingenuity, he argues. It's belief. "It's not charisma or creativity - it's strategic conviction," Caan says. "The ability to make bold decisions early, without waiting for perfect evidence." And in a world where certainty is a myth, those who hesitate fall behind. "In 2025, with markets moving fast and signals constantly shifting, leaders who wait to be 100% sure are already too late." He cites Deloitte's Human Capital Trends: "Leaders who demonstrate high decisiveness outperform their peers in innovation-led growth by 34%. That's a meaningful margin - and it's not about being reckless, but about being resolute." Still, no one does it alone Caan isn't pretending vision alone builds companies. His obsession - one he returns to frequently - is team building. "Your business is like a ship embarking on a journey. Your team members are your crew. If they work well together, know their roles, and communicate effectively, they can navigate through rough seas and reach your destination." And the opposite? "If they're not aligned, the ship can easily veer off course or, worse, sink." That means clarity from day one. "Ensuring everyone is pulling in the same direction is crucial. In a start-up, you need everyone aligned with the company's vision and goals. This alignment means that every decision, every action taken by the team, contributes to the larger objective." The best founders, he says, invest in people as much as products. "It's not just about finding people with the right skills – they need to fit in with your company's culture too. When everyone gets along and shares the same values, teamwork happens naturally." And, crucially, they make growth part of the job. "Always encourage your team to keep learning and growing. This shows you care about their future and helps them improve their skills. When people feel valued and see that you're investing in them, they're more motivated and loyal." Start-ups need capital – and courage For all the talk of grit and instinct, Caan's focus returns to what many UK founders quietly admit: funding here is harder. And for scale-ups? Brutal. "If I could push one policy lever, it would be this: double down on early-stage capital incentives, especially through scale-ups," he says. "The UK has great seed-stage support, but we lose too many high-potential businesses between Series A and Series C." It's a familiar point - but Caan wants sharper action: "We should look at enhancing the EIS cap from £1m to £3m per investor, extend reliefs to professional investors, and allow UK pension funds to direct a larger portion into early-stage innovation - similar to recent reforms in Australia and Canada." The stakes are high. "Start-ups are already contributing significantly: in 2025, UK start-ups are responsible for 17% of net new private-sector jobs, but many are constrained by capital drag. Smart policy now would compound long-term returns for the economy - not just founders." Big ideas, small circles He namechecks Revolut and BrewDog as examples of start-ups who understood that culture and autonomy weren't extras - they were engines. "Revolut placed a strong emphasis on building a team that was agile and innovative," he says. "They created cross-functional teams that could work independently on different projects, promoting a culture of autonomy and accountability." Of BrewDog: "BrewDog's founders built a team that shared their passion for beer and innovation. They introduced the 'Equity for Punks' programme, which turned their customers and employees into shareholders, creating a deep sense of ownership and loyalty." Caan's recipe for success is disarmingly simple: hire for culture, invest in growth, make space for ideas - then get out of the way. "True innovators don't hedge every move. They make the call, commit resources, and create alignment. In uncertain times, the decisive get momentum — and momentum beats perfection every time." For all the talk of AI and capital strategy, what Caan returns to - again and again - is something curiously human: clarity. In a world where everyone's shouting, it's hard to hear what matters - and clarity of thought, values, and action becomes not just useful, but rare. And rare things, in business as in life, hold value. AI will keep accelerating, changing how companies are built and scaled. But Caan sees it less as a silver bullet, more as a mirror. It reveals what's already strong and exposes what's weak. In companies where purpose is vague or leadership brittle, automation won't save them. In those with vision, cohesion and courage, it becomes a force multiplier. Yet what lingers from a conversation with Caan isn't just strategy or systems. It's a kind of seasoned calm. He's not seduced by the flash of innovation for its own sake. He's seen too many cycles, watched too many "next big things" become footnotes. What lasts, in his world, is consistency: founders who know what they stand for, teams who trust each other, companies built with longevity in mind. That's why his call for a smarter funding policy isn't just about unlocking cash - it's about protecting momentum. The UK has no shortage of ideas or talent. What it sometimes lacks is the long-range thinking to let those ideas breathe. Scaling, after all, isn't just a phase - it's a leap. One that needs more than seed capital and slogans. Still, for all his credentials, Caan is no nostalgic. He speaks the language of today's founders fluently: digital-native, growth-minded, globally alert. But his advice resists trend-chasing. Instead, it lands somewhere quieter - and arguably more radical. Build deliberately. Invest in people. Don't wait for the perfect moment. Use technology, yes - but don't forget why you're building in the first place. Because in the end, Caan isn't betting on AI. He's betting on judgment - not the loudest voice in the room, but the steadiest. In an era defined by velocity, he offers something rarer: a framework for staying clear-headed when everyone else is pivoting. And maybe that's the new edge - not just knowing where the world is going, but having the nerve to build something solid while it's still moving.
Powys County Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
L A Ink printing named best printing company in Wales
A former childminder from Powys who was looking for jobs after the children she cared for left for school is now running one of the best printing businesses in Wales. Lucy Humphreys founded Adfa-based L A Ink Printing Studio in 2013 after she noticed a request on Facebook for someone local to create business cards. The printing business has since gone on to win a string of national accolades including from the Corporate LiveWire Global Awards and The Perfect Gift Awards. The female-run company has also received recognition from Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis after it was selected to join his exclusive 'Small Business Saturday' network. L A Ink Printing Studio was recently named the best of its kind in Wales after winning Printing Company of the Year at the Welsh Prestige Awards. 'We have worked hard to promote our small business and have a unique selling point from other printing companies,' Mrs Humphreys said. "I set up the business in 2013 when all the children I childminded left for school and due to our house being on the market I was unable to fill spaces. "I applied for lots of jobs but never got picked. I was looking online when I noticed a request on Facebook for someone local to create some business cards. As I had always made my own business cards, I answered the request and that's how I got started. "I soon realised that many small companies couldn't afford to pay for logos and custom stationery to brand themselves and seem more professional and often struggled with businesses requiring minimum order quantities. "I grasped this niche in the market and answered all the requests for printed items, by offering a free design service and no minimum order requirements. "My business grew from there and within a few months I had to move out of the house and convert our garden shed into a workshop/office and took on a bigger lorry trailer in our new home. I outgrew that and so moved into a shed that had been my son's man cave until he moved away for university. It's also now been added onto and we may even need to expand further. "My daughter and my son's girlfriend have both worked with me and I put them both through an apprenticeship with NPTC and have also since gained my Green Growth Pledge and Equality pledge with Business Wales. Training and learning is at the forefront of my business ethic."
Daily Mirror
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Russell Myers - Andrew may think he has 'more to give' but public won't forget
The decision by the FBI to formally end its investigation into Prince Andrew's links to the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein - or any of the late billionaire financier's cronies - sadly delivers more questions rather than justice for his many victims. Authorities in the United States had vowed to pursue Epstein's inner circle, as well as those who aided and abetted his tawdry web of abuse, lies and blackmail that destroyed the lives of women he trafficked around the world. This latest development will no doubt be welcomed by the Duke of York, who notoriously cemented his own exile from the royal family after failing to acknowledge or apologise to Epstein's victims during his car crash interview on BBC Newsnight. The pampered Prince's extraordinary attitude, as well as his half baked excuses for his relationship with Epstein, remains one of the most shocking moments in recent royal history. Such is his own lofty opinion of himself, Andrew may even be tempted to fall back on the misguided view that his vehement denials of allegations of sexual assault, as well as his belief that he has "much more to give", may now finally forge him a path to redemption. But the public - and indeed the royal family, the public and those organisations he was once associated with - will not forget. Nor will the many victims of Epstein who have consistently been denied justice on an industrial scale. The puppet master behind the scandal that rocked the institution took his own life rather than face up to his crimes, leaving his sick mistress Ghislaine Maxwell to rot alone in a maximum security jail for the next 20 years. Dozens of their victims, many who have bravely spoken up in the pursuit of answers and justice, remain scarred by their experiences. Once again they are left to question how the current situation has unfolded. Andrew's vehement denials that he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre - one of Epstein's victims who tragically took her own life earlier this year after years of campaigning - will also hold little weight in the court of public opinion. Whether he was shepherded into making his out of court settlement for £12million to escape the further shame and scandal of a civil court case will do nothing to resurrect his reputation that lies in tatters. The late Queen Elizabeth II - as well as King Charles and Prince William - all insisted there would be no way back for Andrew, instead imploring him to disappear quietly from public view. Sadly, as we often see with him riding horses around the Windsor estate or popping up at any family function of note, the notion seems to have escaped the Duke's interest. Until recently he still sought to cash in on his royal connections by offloading his Dragon's Den style idea 'Pitch at Palace' to wealthy investors looking for a scalp, as well as seeking ways to boost his profile in the Middle East. Whether the Duke takes the advice of his family or listens to the public outcry as he seeks his redemption remains to be seen. Be first to get the biggest royal bombshells and exclusives to your phone by joining our . We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Or sign up to the to get all the biggest royal news and exclusive pictures, straight to your inbox.
Extra.ie
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
How Dragon's Den star Sarah Newman moved on from DJ Carey split
DJ Carey's ex-partner, Sarah Newman, has revealed she made complaints to An Garda Síochána in Dublin in 2012 following news of the Kilkenny man's fraudulent behaviour. The former Dragons' Den businesswoman had been in a relationship with DJ for nine years with the pair residing in the K Club together. Last week, the former Kilkenny left-wing forward pleaded guilty to ten counts of fraud after he conned a number of people out of money as he claimed to have been diagnosed with cancer. DJ Carey's ex-partner, Sarah Newman, has revealed she made complaints to An Garda Síochána in Dublin in 2012 following news of the Kilkenny man's fraudulent behaviour. Pic: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland DJ and Sarah were engaged, but everything changed when Sarah learned that her partner had been claiming he had an incurable brain cancer. Speaking to the Independent, Sarah, who is now known as Lady Digby, revealed she had contacted Gardaí at Blackrock Garda station but her complaint was not followed up. 'They went untreated and there has been a black cloud over my judgement and reputation for many years, which I feel has now been lifted,' Sarah told the publication. The businesswoman added that the breakdown of her relationship led to many trust issues for the best part of ten years. Pic: Gareth Chaney Collins The businesswoman added that the breakdown of her relationship led to many trust issues for the best part of ten years. In recent years, Sarah has found love once again and last year married Lord Henry Digby, the Baron of Offaly. 'I moved on a long time ago. I'm very happy. I've got a very happy life and I've got very genuine friends who I love, adore, and hopefully they feel the same way about me,' she told the Independent. EVOKE reported that the former Dragon's Den star was in a relationship with the Baron of Offaly and had moved into his Dorset estate to help with the running of the premises. In recent years, Sarah has found love once again and last year married Lord Henry Digby, the Baron of Offaly. Minterne House in Dorset has been owned by the family of Lord Digby for centuries, and was once home to Winston Churchill. Last year, the couple tied the knot with the reception held at the historic home, which is set on 1,600 acres. Sarah wore a petal pink midi dress which was from British fashion designer Suzannah London. Her husband donned a three-piece suit which was styled with a bedazzled waistcoat. The newlyweds pulled out all the stops for the wedding, with bagpipers playing and fireworks to conclude the exciting night at their countryside home.
