Simon Boyle of social enterprise restaurant Beyond Boyle failed to convince the dragons to invest £150,000
Another social entrepreneur had his pitch for investment rejected by the multi-millionaires of BBC's Dragons' Den this week.
Chef Simon Boyle was asking for £150,000 for 20 per cent of his surrey-based restaurant business Beyond Boyle on Monday's programme.
He wowed the judges with his home-baked honey and hemp seed bread and his concept of fine dinning mixed with corporate catering, but his hopes were dashed after revealing his social purpose.
Beyond Boyle aims to employ and train homeless people. So far, 24 have completed the course and another 14 are currently taking part in the scheme.
Boyle said: ‘We have opened our doors to people who have experienced homelessness to get them back into work.'
The dragons were clearly moved by Boyle's vision and success, but all agreed it ‘simply wasn't for profit led investment', said show host Evan Davis.
Peter Jones said: ‘I love it. I think it's absolutely fantastic.' But he later added: ‘Outside of the den you'd hear me say "I'm in".'
Boyle left with no investment.
However, he is not letting the failure get him down and he is now on the look out for other sources of investment.
He said: ‘As a result of being featured on the final episode of BBC Two's Dragons' Den we are still looking for the right type of investors who believe in the concept.
‘The social conscience business, which is at the heart of what we do, was difficult to grasp by our Dragons' Den team who had a clear commercial focus.
‘We are now speaking with all potential investors to help us to find the right balance of conscience and commerce.'
Through the Beyond Boyle website, Boyle is urging any potential investors or partners to get in touch.
He added: ‘We believe wholeheartedly in what we do, and believe you could be part of this outstanding example of social enterprise for the future.'
For more information about Beyond Boyle or to get in touch, visitwww.beyondboyle.com or email info@beyondboyle.com
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