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Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
Business
Hannah Finch

Steven Bartlett drops Dragons' Den return date amid 'new economic' backdrop

The latest series of Dragons' Den is set to return on January 5 - and it will reflect the current economic woes that businesses are facing.

The show's newest dragon Steven Bartlett trailed the return date for his Linkedin followers, saying: "We’re back. January 5th! BBC 1.

"100’s of new entrepreneurs, a new economic backdrop, but the same fire as last year! Will you be watching?"

This is the 20th series of the show that first aired on January 4, 2005.

There has been a total of 19 Dragons since the series began. Peter Jones is the longest serving Dragon in the world, having been on the show since the first series and taking part in all 20 series. He has also appeared as a guest on Shark Tank, the US version.

READ MORE: Stay up to date and bookmark all our Dragons' Den stories

To date, 350 deals have been secured in the Den with more than £28,054,500 invested in businesses.

Around 1800 entrepreneurs have entered the Den since the series began.

This series has 14 episodes.

Steven Bartlett in Linkedin

In a BBC interview promoting the new series, Mr Bartlett said that the new series reflects the state of the world we live in.

He said: "People are struggling, the tectonic plates underneath them have moved, but despite that there is a huge amount of entrepreneurial hope and optimism in the Den. As it relates to the Dragons, the temperature in the den is hotter than ever before - more fire, more fun and lots of businesses getting funded."

In such an uncertain world, Mr Bartlett said he is looking for founders that are resilient, agile and humble.

And he said that good entrepreneurship can solve real world problems.

He said: "I want to capitalise on that opportunity. I'm looking for businesses that have smart founders, solving real problems, that have the intelligence and financial fundamentals to navigate through these tumultuous times.

"I want to invest in companies that have the potential to become the next global unicorns, companies going after large addressable markets with founders who have what it takes to get there."

Mr Bartlett returns with fellow dragons Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Sara Davies.

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