'Why we flushed away Dragons' Den investment'

Walking out of the Dragons' Den with an investment from Deborah Meaden might sound like the perfect ending for a fledgling business.

But Amber Probyn, from Ross-on-Wye, and Hazel McShane, from Norfolk, ultimately decided to flush their deal away.

The founders of PEEQUAL, which makes what it describes as the UK's first women's urinals, accepted an offer from Meaden after pitching their revolutionary product in Thursday night's episode.

However, after filming ended, the pair mutually agreed with the Dragon not to proceed with the investment.

"It wasn't right for us to take the investment in terms of our finances and the Dragons ask for a lot more equity than other investors might who aren't on the TV," 28-year-old Probyn said.

"So in terms of business strategy, we felt that decision was right for us.

"But we're really glad we took a deal on the show as it's meant it has validated such an important product."

The decision does not appear to have hampered the company's search for backing, with Probyn saying PEEQUAL has since raised just under £1m in investment in around 14 months.

Probyn and McShane were inspired to create and champion their product after growing tired of the frustration of having to wait in a queue and "seeing the inequality play out in front of you".

The open-air toilets are designed to be used while squatting and, according to PEEQUAL, are three times faster to use than traditional portable toilets.

"Men obviously have male urinals, as well as portable toilets, so this is the sort of fast-track lane for the ladies," Probyn said.

"We don't have to wait anymore. It's all about giving women choice and providing a facility that is clean and hygienic, and really fast."

The Dragons could not help themselves but try the product for themselves, albeit fully clothed.

"They all popped a squat to see how the toilets work, which was amazing," Probyn said.

"I used to watch the programme all the time, but I definitely never thought I'd be on it. It was such an amazing experience."

She said there had been "a lot of back and forth" over potential deals with Steven Bartlett before Meaden eventually clinched the deal.

"Deborah and Steven were definitely our top two," Probyn said.

"She [Meaden] can see a problem, see a solution, and I just thought it was right up her street."

Despite ultimately choosing not to go ahead with Meaden's investment, Probyn said there was no regret about accepting the offer during filming.

"It means people watching will know about PEEQUAL and will have that exposure to a novelty that will hopefully become the norm," she said.

"We're really excited to watch it and relive it again. All the happiness of getting a deal is still there."

Since filming Dragons' Den, the company has continued to grow and returned to Glastonbury Festival, where its urinals were first used in 2022.

Its toilets have also been sold to providers in the US, Norway and Ireland.

"The idea behind that is so that more women can have this equalising experience and what drives everything that we do is this real passion and frustration around this access," Probyn said.

For Probyn, however, appearing on Dragons' Den is about more than securing an investment.

She said having women's urinals discussed on prime time television was itself an important moment, after years spent trying to break down a taboo.

"Women's urinals being discussed on this national stage is actually really revolutionary," she added.

"The fact it's being standardised after six years of it being quite difficult to break down the taboo means it's just a really cool moment to celebrate.

"There's lots of hurdles we had to get over to get here."

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