Steven Bartlett sets Dragons’ Den record investing huge £250k in ‘the future of jewellery’ with ‘incredible’ brand Kimai
DRAGONS' Den’s Steven Bartlett made a record-breaking £250k investment in ‘the future of jewellery’ on Thursday night's jaw-dropping episode.
The 31-year-old entrepreneur invested his most significant amount to date since he joined the BBC show back in 2022.
Steven was blown away by the "rock solid numbers, vision and convictions" of fine jewellery brand Kimai co-founders Jessica Warch and Sidney Neuhaus.
The Belgium-born best friends, Jessica Warch and Sidney Neuhaus, who founded their business in 2018, impressed all the dragons after they presented their company and negotiated like professionals.
Tired and frustrated with the industry's lack of supply chain transparency, the pair took it upon themselves and pioneered 100% traceable lab-grown diamonds to create their business for an ethically and environmentally aware generation of buyers.
The lab-created diamonds are physically, optically, and chemically identical to mined diamonds but are produced without destructive digging into the earth.
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After hearing the proposal, Dragons' Den stars Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, and Sara Davies made offers, but ultimately, the duo opted for Steven's deal.
The entrepreneur offered them £250K in exchange for a 3% equity stake and a tap into his digital marketing expertise.
Kimai intends to trade using global e-commerce, which is currently growing at a rapid rate of 120% every year as the online market for sustainable fine jewellery is on the rise.
Speaking about the business owners, Steven said: “They are two of the most impressive entrepreneurs I have ever seen in the Den.
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“Rock solid on their numbers, vision and convictions. Kind, humble, smart, tenacious and passionate.
"Annoyingly, really incredible negotiators - which is annoying as an investor but perfect as business partners, so I’m happy to be in business with them.
“They are the absolute full house. I’m going to support them in any and every way I can - I’ll bring a wealth of knowledge to the business as it relates to marketing, innovation, community growth, scaling.
“And I’m planning to use my vast network of contacts to open doors that will help to accelerate their incredible business even more”.
The final goal for the best friends and their brand is to reimagine the diamond industry by making it sustainable.
Co-founders Jessica and Sidney spoke about their growing business and what it was like being on Dragons' Den.
They said in a statement: “We know that lab-grown diamonds are the future.”
“Sharing our story on such a huge platform like Dragons Den was a unique opportunity to help spread the word about this relatively new technology, which allows beautiful diamonds and jewellery to be made without costing the earth.”
Currently, Kimai is the only lab-grown diamond brand stocked on luxury e-tailer Net-a-Porter, and is one of the first fine jewellery brands to be certified B-corp.
The business is loved by many, including Meghan Markle, Emma Watson and Jessica Alba.
Steven and his team will collaborate with the Kimai brand by amplifying its digital presence while using the investment money to elevate the customer experience at the brand’s flagship store in London.
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On a different recent episode, a former contestant on Dragons' Den revealed the behind-the-scenes secrets and admitted he broke a strict rule during filming.
Ben Gallagher appeared on the episode alongside his brother, Co-founder Joe Gallagher and COO Oliver Millar - presenting their business Luxe Collective - which specialises in buying and selling vintage designer items.
