Printer FriendlyBusiness
Starting your Business
Dragons' Den Sponsorship
Bank of Ireland announces sponsorship of RTÉ's Dragons' Den
Bank of Ireland is delighted to announce that it is sponsoring the hit business reality programme, Dragons' Den. The Bafta-nominated series will debut on RTÉ One in early 2009.
The internationally successful format, commissioned for Ireland by RTÉ, will offer budding inventors and entrepreneurs the opportunity of a lifetime, with the chance to secure investment in their fledging business.
Presented by Richard Curran, Deputy Editor of The Sunday Business Post, RTÉ's Dragons' Den sponsored by Bank of Ireland will be produced by Screentime ShinAwiL. About to go into production, the series is seeking would-be entrepreneurs to pitch to take part for the chance of to fund their unique idea and see that elusive business dream catapulted into reality.
In the 8 part series, many hopeful entrepreneurs will get to pitch their business schemes in front of five wealthy and successful venture capitalists, the eponymous Dragons. Will they invest and finance the dream? First, the entrepreneurs must convince the experienced Dragons of the merits of their business ideas.
The Irish Dragons are successful entrepreneurs and business leaders who have been there, done that. They are: Gavin Duffy, Bobby Kerr, Sean Gallagher, Niall O'Farrell and Sarah Newman. Crucially, it will be the Dragons' own hard earned cash on the table. These are shrewd business people who have heard it all before and who are not afraid to say 'no' in the harshest of terms. But if they spot an idea with that extra special something, they and they alone will have the power to make dreams come true and invest money from their own pockets.
Clare Duignan, Director of Programmes, RTÉ Television, said: "We are delighted to bring this successful series to Irish viewers. Dragons' Den has a natural appeal for the Ireland given the high percentage of entrepreneurs in this country. It is compelling television: the sheer jeopardy of it, the fact that there are winners and losers. Not only that, it's also the fact that it could be you: you could be that person in that make or break situation. The RTÉ series will have great Irish would-be entrepreneurs, and fierce Irish Dragons of proven business acumen and astuteness. It also offers potential investment for Irish businesses in these challenging economic times. We believe it will be an RTÉ 'must see'."
Says Larry Bass, CEO of Screentime ShinAwiL: "Dragons' Den is one of the most successful formats on television worldwide, and we are delighted to be bringing Irish viewers the opportunity to see their own version of this series, first seen in Japan on Nippon TV. Ireland has always had great entrepreneurs and we want to see many different types of brave new business ideas come into the Dragons' Den. In the current economic climate, Dragons' Den offers Irish entrepreneurs a fantastic opportunity to generate investment and seed capital to follow their dreams. We look forward to introducing five Irish Dragons to Irish viewers. Screentime ShinAwiL are delighted that RTÉ has once again shown faith in us to produce a major prime time series for RTÉ One. The sponsorship of Bank of Ireland is a perfect fit for a series featuring new Irish businesses."
Speaking at the launch Gabriel Bannigan, Director of Retail Strategy and Marketing, Bank of Ireland said: "Entrepreneurs are unique individuals that have the competencies, the drive and the vision to create a successful business from scratch. Bank of Ireland is the leading bank for business start-ups in Ireland and has provided the essential funding and financial expertise underpinning many of today's Irish business success stories. There continues to be a strong level of business start-up activity in Ireland and our sponsorship of Ireland's Dragons' Den reflects and aligns with our ambition to be the leading supporter of new and growing innovative business in Ireland."
Applications for this series are now closed. See www.RTÉ.ie/dragonsden for further details.
Back to Top