• Swindon & Wiltshire Events
• Friday September 25 2026

Dragons’ Den panel finalised for Wiltshire expo

Wiltshire entrepreneurs now know who will be grilling them on stage: the “Get Investment Ready” Dragons’ Den at next month’s West Wiltshire Business Expo has confirmed its full panel, headlined by former BBC Dragons’ Den investor Nick Jenkins.

Nick, who has lived in Wiltshire since 2010, founded online greetings brand Moonpig in 1999 and later sold it for £120m before its 2021 stock market flotation at a £1.2 billion valuation.

He now invests across sectors including low-carbon technology and biotech, and said the session would help local founders “fine tune their business pitches and get ready for their first investments”.

He will be joined by two more Wiltshire-based heavyweights. Monty George, co-founder of online furniture retailer Furniturebox, brings experience of scaling a business from a school project to a £25m-plus turnover operation with a new £3 million distribution centre in Chippenham.

Monty, named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30, said he understood “first-hand many of the challenges young entrepreneurs face” and wanted to share lessons from building Furniturebox from age 17.

Completing the trio is angel investor Joanna Jenson, who built baby and child toiletries brand Childs Farm into the UK’s number one in its category before selling to PZ Cussons for £68m in 2022.

Joanna now chairs the EIS Association, sits on multiple boards and writes for The Sunday Times, adding investor and policy perspective to the panel.

The Dragons’ Den session is designed for early-stage, product-based founders preparing for their first external investment.

Selected entrepreneurs will pitch their proposals to the panel in front of a live audience at The Civic in Trowbridge on Thursday, October 8, receiving constructive feedback and practical advice on how to strengthen their investment case.

Young entrepreneurs interested in taking part are being asked to email dragons@trowbridgechamber.com to request an application form.

The Dragons’ Den is the headline feature of the wider West Wiltshire Business Expo, organised by Trowbridge Chamber CIC with the Federation of Small Businesses.

The free-to-attend event will host 40+ regional exhibitors and a full-day programme of talks on AI, marketing, tech, finance, cyber security, tax, HR, wellbeing, skills, sustainability and investment in Wiltshire.

Confirmed speakers include council leaders, MPs, town mayors and CEOs from major local businesses such as Apetito, Nutricia, Good Energy, Danone, Wiltshire Farm Foods and Wiltshire College & University Centre.

Free expo tickets can be booked via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/west-wiltshire-business-expo-thursday-8th-october-tickets-1985962103111