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by pricechild 3446 days ago
One of the dragons (Duncan, I think) pointed out how old this fob technology was. This triggered what appeared to be the turning point in the pitch where Deborah(?) realized they weren't buying into the physical hardware but the software behind the company.

Sarah Willingham pointed out quite early on how useless it was "the instructions say 'make sure the phone is not muted'? What use is this if I've lost it?". Google's existing solution beats this, being able to bypass audio restrictions. I assume Apple has similar capabilities?

Yes there's still the other half... using your phone to find your keys... but pfft.

Aside... Sarah's contribution reminded me of how technology savvy the dragons are. There was a great moment in a previous series where Hilary Devey teased out of an applicant that they didn't own the source code for their own website. I've often slipped into thinking of them as "business people" but she very clearly understood software and licensing.

1 comments

> There was a great moment in a previous series where Hilary Devey teased out of an applicant that they didn't own the source code for their own website.

(I applied to present on Dragons Den for a robotics project I worked on as an extracurricular at uni - I pulled out when my research supervisor advised that we'd have no chance of having a demo in time)

I understand the Dragons are briefed on the pitches beforehand, and I wouldn't be surprised if they sent their own legal team on the projects - who would dutifully tell them what questions they should ask to the 'contestants' on the show.

...not to say they couldn't possibly have thought of a question like that on-the-spot, on the contrary; but given how fake reality TV is in general (and the BBC is no exception) I'm not betting that what we see on screen is exactly, and only, what happens.

Good points, it is entertainment afterall.

I want to believe in Hilary though!