The Future Is Now: Social Enterprise Academy’s Dragon Den
The Social Enterprise Academy's Dragon's Den event serves as a vibrant platform for young visionaries to present their innovative social enterprise ideas, competing for seed funding and valuable feedback from a panel of seasoned Dragons. Established as a flagship event within the schools’ programme, the primary motivation behind organizing Dragon's Den is to empower students by giving them a practical opportunity to develop and pitch their ideas aimed at addressing social and environmental challenges. This experience is designed to be both challenging and rewarding, fostering a sense of fulfilment and inspiration among participants.
During the event, students are not only given the stage to showcase their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit but also to interact with peers from various schools within their local authority. This interaction broadens their understanding of diverse social issues and promotes collaborative learning. Highlights from this year’s pitches reflected the exceptional quality and depth of the ideas presented.
The impact of the Dragon's Den event extends beyond the immediate competition. It is a catalyst for fostering innovation and growth within the social enterprise ecosystem. By engaging with social enterprise concepts early, students develop critical thinking, entrepreneurial mindsets, compassion, and collaboration skills—core attributes necessary for driving social impact. The event also facilitates meaningful connections between young participants and established members of the social enterprise community, including local government representatives and potential supporters, thereby nurturing a supportive network for future social entrepreneurs.
What motivated the Social Enterprise Academy to organise the Dragon's Den event?
These Dragons’ Dens have been the flagship event for our Schools programme since the beginning, and their main purpose is to give the young people we work with the opportunity to pitch their social enterprise idea to a panel of Dragons and live audience to compete for seed funding. The experience can be quite nerve wracking for them but equally fulfilling and inspirational. It also gives them the chance to meet other peers and schools from their local authority area and to learn about the social or environmental issues that they have chosen to focus on.
Could you share some highlights from the pitches presented at the Dragon's Den?
This year we agreed as a team that we heard the highest quality pitches as a whole than in any other year we have been involved in. There was such a range of social and environmental issues addressed and some really unique enterprise solutions to tackle them. In our Barking and Dagenham Dragons Den, we had a secondary group who were passionate to find a solution to the ever increasing levels of knife crime committed by young people in their area. They decided to set up an enterprise which provides kitchen training and cooking tutorials to pupils within their school but also members of their community in the hope that it will inspire them to use knifes for something worthwhile and as a skill that can help them secure employment in the hospitality industry which they informed us is fast growing in B&D.
We also had some really inspiring social enterprise emerge from the SEND groups that we support, such as Nido Volans in Lambeth who recognised that Brixton train station doesn’t have wheelchair access which meant a lot of people within their school community were unable to use this station which posed several challenges for them logistically. They have produced uniquely designed ceramic pots that they will be selling at different events throughout the year such as their college’s summer fair.
How do you believe events like the Dragon's Den contribute to fostering innovation and growth within the social enterprise ecosystem?
Ultimately we hope that these events will light a spark within the young people and give them motivation to continue engaging with social enterprise as a model to deliver social change and impact beyond their school years. Our programme at its core looks to develop critical thinking, entrepreneurial mindsets, compassion and collaboration which are all characteristics of the social enterprise ecosystem. Our Dragons’ Dens events also connect the young people we support with members of the social enterprise ecosystem and local government in England and Wales as we invite these individuals along to each event to provide feedback, offer insight based on their experience, but also to get involved as supporters or enablers. We hope these connections help grow the social enterprise sector while also ensuring there is significant input from the youth.
What role do you see collaboration playing in the success of social enterprises, particularly in light of notable partnerships such as those with the House of Lords and The Big issue?
In our opinion collaboration is essential to the success of social enterprises. In an ideal world we as consumers would be engaging more with products and services which also have a social or environmental impact rather than those that focus purely on profit and profit retention. We have a long way to go but each new social enterprise which joins the network will contribute to this mindset shift and grow the capabilities and reach of the sector. We are very proud of our partnership with the Big Issue and the Schools Special edition that we work with them on each year. This allows for the work of the young people to be showcased in a printed magazine that they can actually go out and sell in their community, while keeping the profit to go towards their social enterprise. As The Big Issue is one of the most recognisable social enterprises in the UK, collaborating with them enables young people on our programme to learn more about the tangible benefit that existing social enterprises like them have. Having the launch event somewhere as historic as the House of Lords should also help the young people realise that what they are doing is something they should be very proud of and that a lot of people from the wider society and government are keen to listen to their ideas and move forward with them in mind.
Were there any particularly inspiring or impactful pitches that left a lasting impression on the audience?
We had a really impactful pitch from Lime Academy Forest Approach, a SEND school in Havering- who had developed their Chatter Box and Sensory Box social enterprise idea as a response to an individual in their school community who suffered from depression and anxiety. The groups that have personal connections to their ‘why’ always tend to hit home harder and resonate with those in the audience.
I also really enjoyed the pitch of Laurel Park school in Enfield this year, who had developed a cook book with recipes from cultures around the world, collected from pupils and their families as a way to celebrate the diversity within their school. They were all very passionate about food and felt it was the best way to bring people together in a space for peer learning and to develop a shared understanding of different backgrounds and lived experiences. They were very professional and clear in their delivery and the Dragons commented on how well they could see their enterprise doing and how much they wanted to use the product!
In what ways does the Dragon's Den event align with the Social Enterprise Academy's broader mission and objectives?
As an organisation, we are trying to grow and involve as many schools and young people as possible. We are confident that our programme can deliver transformational learning for the pupils engaged with it and truly have an impact on them as individuals but also on their wider community and peers. Our programme helps young people with their development of soft skills that will increase their employability and entrepreneurship, while also growing their sense of agency within their community to deliver meaningful change. The Dragons’ Dens align with this objective as it increases the awareness of our programme and gives us the opportunity to invite the relevant individuals who can help us increase our reach to more schools, such as contacts at local authority level or with potential corporate sponsors. As an organisation, we are also trying to encourage more individuals to become social entrepreneurs, and these Dragons’ Den events are perfect practise for them if this is the path they end up taking; as they will always need to be ready to pitch their ideas to potential investors or customers.
Are there any key lessons or insights that you gained from hosting the Dragon's Den event?
We are always left feeling so inspired by the incredible young people we support. This year we were so amazed by the appetite for change that they exhibited but also the clarity in their ideas and how they will deliver it. We managed to reach learners from different settings and backgrounds which we were really pleased about, as this truly represents the diversity within London community. We had participants from primary, secondary, SEND, Virtual Colleges and Alternative Provision settings. We also observed a strong appetite from the partners we work with to engage with the social enterprises established within each school, with many making offers to support in some way. This will be really helpful for each group to take their enterprises to the next level while also learning more about the world of work.