This was the moment Dragons' Den stars breathed fire on Scots brewers as they made their bid for a £120,000 for their Genius craft beer business.
In clip from the show, to be screened on BBC1 on Thursday at 8pm, the Dragons lived up to their intimidating reputation.
Genius Brewing co-founders Jason Clarke and Charlie Craig's pitched in the den where the pressure got to them and causes them to make the classic Dragons' Den blunder of having a momentary fluff of their figures.
The question is will they have been able to recover from this to secure investment? History has shown us that there are entrepreneurs who have entered the Den who have recovered from far worse blunders to still secure investment.
The episode features the co-founders, making a pitch for investment to the "Dragons", Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Tej Lalvani, Sara Davies and Touker Suleyman, as the craft beer entrepreneurs seek £120,000 of equity funding to expand their Glasgow-based business.
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Last year, filming of the BBC One show was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Genius Brewing team had been due to film in Manchester in July but lockdown restrictions saw production postponed until September.
Creative director Mr Clarke recalls that this was a nerve-racking experience.
He said: “As a former TV director, I wasn’t fazed by the filming environment but pitching to the Dragons is another matter. When the lift doors open and you’re suddenly faced by Peter, Deborah, Touker, Tej and Sara, the pressure is definitely on.”
Mr Craig, operations director, emphasised the importance of preparation ahead of the pitch.
He said: “It’s well known the Dragons like to drill into your numbers and so we prepped thoroughly; turnover, margins, you name it, and with the cameras rolling, and the Dragons firing questions left and right, there was certainly no place to hide.”
Mr Clarke said 2020 had been a "tough year for the industry".
However, he added: "With lockdowns now easing and the trend for healthier drinking growing strongly, we’re optimistic about 2021.”
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