ClosetSwap Win Dragons’ Den

 Sixteen Year 10 teams entered this year’s Dragons’ Den competition, with three taking part in the   Final on 23 January. The teams presented to two Pate’s Community Judges: Mr Alex Kodjaian,   who is a Programme Director in the Civil Service and Mr Pawel Dziedzic, who works at   Spiraxsarco  as an Engineering Manager responsible for development of Mechanical and System   Design.

Teams competing in the Final of this annual Year 10 GCSE Business students’ competition   included WasteWise, a smart bin to help consumers reduce food waste (team members Alan,   Alex, Elliot, Lucy and Mahanth) and Pürevolt (business brains Anika, Arya, Faye and Melody), who created an alternative healthy energy drink for young people to fill the gap of energy drinks after the ban on these to under 16s.  Well done to both of these teams for their commendable initiatives and powerful performances, and congratulations to ClosetSwap, named Winners of Dragons’ Den 2026.

ClosetSwap said,
“Our team, ClosetSwap, is made up of Sayan, Tim, James, and Shreyas, and our service focuses on helping people refresh their wardrobe sustainably and find their style. We did this by providing pre-loved clothing on a subscription basis rather than buying new and feeding into the consumerism of fast fashion. We were delighted to win the Dragon’s Den competition, especially given the high standard of pitches from all teams, especially WasteWise and Pürevolt. This allowed us to take inspiration and notes from all groups, from the clarity of responses from Lost Cause, and the charisma and confidence of Neil B from PhoneADrone.

 Every group performed strongly, but we believe what set us apart was the way we presented our   idea, how realistic our business model was, and the way we worked together well under pressure   during questioning stages. Taking part in the competition taught us a lot about the importance of   a clear presentation, confident communication and a solid understanding of an idea whilst   remaining flexible. It also allowed us to realise what makes a business idea convincing to real-   world investors, and was an incredibly valuable and enjoyable experience for all of us.”

Thank you to our judges, who took time out of their own busy professional lives to support our students in their enterprise endeavours, and to our Business teachers Mrs Bailey and Mr Johnson, who organised and facilitated this event.  And a big well done to all students who participated in this year’s competition.