An entrepreneur who co-founded a company in Bournemouth has described his experience on BBC’s Dragons’ Den as ‘insane’ after successfully taming two business titans.
Zain Peer and Shez Shaikh never intended to become entrepreneurs, nor did they know what “adaptogenic” coffee was a few years ago. However, that all changed when they discovered a new drink mix at a boxing gym in Bournemouth.
The couple are the founders of London Nootropics, an adaptogenic coffee blend company that uses herbal and mushroom ingredients for health benefits. They appeared on BBC One’s Dragons’ Den on Thursday February 10 and secured a combined £50,000 investment from Deborah Meaden and Sara Davies.
But how did they get there?
I don’t know anything about coffee… but I do know there are two cute entrepreneurs here. -Sara Davies
Best friends since their school days in London, Zain and Shez separated in their late teens, but eventually reunited in Dorset before starting the business that would change their lives.
Speaking exclusively to the Echo, Zain, 32, said: “Schez has family in Bournemouth and halfway through college he moved there and was there for about 10 years. I had just finished my first job after leaving university and he told me to come to Bournemouth. He said that was amazing and that I should get a job here.
After being offered a job with digital advertising agency Redweb, Zain left familiar London surroundings and moved in with Shez in Southbourne.
Their introduction to adaptogenic blends came when Shez’s cousin, Bournemouth boxer Amir Saghalati, hosted the couple at the House of Pain gymnasium. Amir gave them a pre-workout drink with adaptogenic ingredients. That, Zain said, “changed everything.”
After launching London Nootropics in an online environment in March 2020, the couple were soon contacted by a BBC researcher to ask if they were interested in trying out the show.
A video audition later and the pair were set for a heated showdown. Zain recalled, “One minute you’re training, the next you’re walking into the lair with the dragons and it’s like crazy. It was a crazy experience.
“I remember they told us before we continued ‘don’t worry you won’t see any cameras’, I immediately looked up and saw the biggest cameras I’ve ever seen of my life.”
A confident pitch followed as Zain handled the trade talk while Shez brought the charm offensive.
It wasn’t that simple. Peter Jones, Steven Bartlett and Touker Suleyman all declared themselves eliminated within minutes of each other.
However, in a televised golden moment, as veteran ‘Dragon’ Deborah Meaden was about to declare herself ‘outcast’, Shez stepped in and won her round talking about talks with airline giant Emirates and others.
Zain said: “I thought it was all bad because they started falling pretty quickly. Deborah was about to leave, and then Shez opened his mouth, and it was amazing – he talked a lot longer than they showed on TV. It was a real turning point and I guess the rest is history.
Since the show aired, business has increased for the coffee sector. Talks with Deborah Meaden and Sara Davies are still ongoing, but Zain says things are progressing well.
I think you have invested in two stellar entrepreneurs. -Peter Jones
Zain and Shez have since left Bournemouth but believe their success would not have been possible without their time in the seaside town.
Zain concluded: “Honestly I have to say Bournemouth played a huge role. The difference with London is that in London everyone is rushing, Bournemouth is more relaxed and you have time to breathe. It gives you time to reflect and the pace of life is better. Being in this environment gave us the opportunity to experiment and come up with our ideas.
“We are a very small and growing team but in ten years we are taking over the world.”
Comments are closed.